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‘President Knows Armenians Think He Is a Murderer:’ Outspoken Activist Holds Sit-In on Sargsyan’s Route

Armenian civil rights activist Vardges Gaspari carried out Friday morning a sit-down demonstration at the Baghramyan-Demirchyan intersection in Yerevan – Armenian president Serzh Sargsyan's usual route to office – to “express my opinion as an Armenian citizen: I believe that Sargsyan is a vile bastard and a murderer and I just want him to know that.”

On Thursday evening, Gaspari carried out a similar demonstration by laying down outside the president's house on Proshyan street: the outspoken activist, who regularly lies down to protest against the judicial and political system in Armenia, held a poster depicting those killed during the post-election clashes in 2008, claiming that Sargsyan was responsible for the deaths. 

“I'm powerless, I know that I'm unable to fight against his arbitrariness, but nevertheless, I will not tolerate him; I do not respect or recognize him as a president. I insist that he is a murderer,” Gaspari said yesterday.

During today's action, Gaspari was surrounded by 4 police officers who, in response to an Epress.am reporter's inquiry, claimed that it was the exact spot where they usually carried out their service and the activist “was the one to come and sit behind us.”

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Gaspari, on the other hand, insisted that the law enforcement officers were deliberately putting him out of sight to prevent Sargsyan from seeing him on his way to work. “As if Sargsyan doesn't know that Armenian citizens think he is a bastard and a murderer,” Gaspari told our reporter.

The police officers moved away from Gaspari as soon as Sargsyan's motorcade passed the intersection.