Author: Ani Tigranian

FORUM 18 NEWS SERVICE, Oslo, Norway
The right to believe, to worship and witness
The right to change one's belief or religion
The right to join together and express one's belief
=================================================
27 March 2020
AZERBAIJAN: "No objection" to limited worship, but no legal right
After 25 years, Aliabad's Baptist community, denied legal status the
longest, finally began open worship in January. The State Committee for
Work with Religious Organisations wrote that it had "no objection" to
meetings once a week for two hours. Shia Imam Sardar Babayev, freed after a
three-year sentence for preaching in a mosque with foreign education, will
not resume preaching for fear of renewed criminal prosecution.
25 March 2020
TURKEY: Constitutional Court judgment on Armenian Patriarchal election –
a precedent?
Turkey's Constitutional Court ruled in May 2019 that state interference in
the election to replace the ailing Armenian Patriarch was not prescribed by
law and not necessary in a democratic society. The precedent is relevant
for similar cases over interference in the internal affairs of other
religious communities, particularly those the state considers Lausanne
Treaty minorities. But any impact remains to be seen.
* See full article below. *
25 March 2020
TURKEY: Constitutional Court judgment on Armenian Patriarchal election –
a precedent?
By Dr. Mine Yildirim,
Turkey's Constitutional Court (Anayasa Mahkemesi – AYM) issued an
important judgment in May 2019 addressing state interference in the
election of a religious leader, namely the long-standing obstruction of the
election of a Patriarch for the Armenian community in Turkey. The Court
found such interference not prescribed by law and not necessary in a
democratic society.
The Armenian Apostolic Church community is the largest Christian community
in Turkey.
State interference in the internal affairs of religious or belief
communities is a long-standing concern that impacts a number of religious
or belief communities in critical ways.
In theory, the Constitutional Court judgment could be applied to other
religious communities in Turkey which endure such state interference
(
 ). The judgment sets a
precedent and should guide other courts when considering analogous cases,
though whether this happens in practice remains to be seen.
While the judgment includes important findings related to the state's
unjustified interference in the internal affairs of the Armenian community,
it also raises questions about whether the Constitutional Court is an
effective domestic remedy or an actor that conveniently blocks applications
to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in Strasbourg, thus closing
the door to international supervision.
The state had prevented the Armenian community from electing its religious
leader between 2009, when the then Patriarch Mesrob Mutafyan could no
longer perform his duties due to illness, and 2019, when the community
finally elected Bishop Sahak Mashalyan as the new Patriarch.
The December 2019 election of the new Patriarch became possible only after
the state authorities allowed elections to go ahead following the death in
March 2019 of Mutafyan, the 84th Patriarch of Turkey's Armenians.
The state's obstruction of the election of a Patriarch by the Armenian
community had affected community affairs in very negative ways
(
 ).
Constitutional court judgment
The Turkish Constitutional Court's judgment of 22 May 2019 on the
individual application made by two local Armenians Levon Berç Kuzukoğlu
and Ohannes Garbis Balmumciyan in 2014 (Application No. 2014/17354) has
significant implications for the interferences in the internal affairs of
religious or belief communities in Turkey.
The applicants had complained that the state's refusal of the request they
made for the election of a Patriarch for Turkey's Armenians violated their
right to freedom of religion.
The Istanbul 3rd Administrative Court rejected Kuzukoğlu and Balmumciyan's
original application on 27 March 2012. It argued that, under the 1863
Regulation for the Armenian Millet (ethno-religious community) and
subsequent Interior Ministry directives (talimatname), the Patriarchal seat
can be considered vacant only following the death or resignation of the
Patriarch.
The Administrative Court ruled that since the Patriarch (Mesrob Mutafyan)
was neither dead nor had given his resignation as of 4 October 1998,
elections could not be held. The Court therefore found that the state's
refusal of the request for a new election was not incompatible with the
law. 
The applicants appealed against this decision, but the Court of Cassation
(10th Chamber) rejected their appeal on 23 November 2015.
Constitutional Court finds state interference not prescribed by law
The Constitutional Court's May 2019 judgment presents an accurate
description of the state interference in the Armenian community's right to
elect its own leader 
(
 ),
both before the applicants lodged their case and subsequently.
When considering the applicable law, the Constitutional Court refers to the
1863 Regulation for the Armenian Millet (ethno-religious community) and
international legal provisions, including the European Convention on Human
Rights and the 1923 Lausanne Peace Treaty's provisions on the protection of
non-Muslims in Turkey.
A key question here concerns the relevance of the 1863 Regulation that
regulates the election of Turkey's Armenian Patriarch (Articles 1-7), the
various organs of the Patriarchate and their elections, and the functioning
of the charity and social bodies within the Patriarchate, and also includes
provisions on the Jerusalem Patriarchate (which was in 1863 under the
Ottoman Empire). Article 2 sets out how elections take place when the
Patriarch's seat becomes vacant for various reasons, such as "the death of
the Patriarch, resignation and other".
While the 1863 Regulation is a remnant from the Ottoman era, throughout the
Republican era the state authorities have left the procedure of the four
elections for the Armenian Patriarch that have taken place (in 1950, 1961,
1990, 1998 and 2019) partly unchanged, but with some arbitrary changes.
These have left the Armenian community with only limited influence over its
own election and with no way to foresee what procedures the state would
impose.
For the most part, the election Directives were based on the Cabinet Decree
of 18 September 1961 (No. 511654), which had been issued only for that
year's Patriarchal election and which included no provisions for future
elections. Despite this, the Interior Ministry has continued to use this
Decree.
 
The Interior Ministry's submission to the Constitutional Court states that
the measures taken by the authorities derive from "the state's positive
obligation to organise the religious field".
The Constitutional Court's judgment describes the issue as one that
essentially relates to religious freedom that is protected under Article 24
of Turkey's Constitution. Equally, the Constitutional Court recognises as
relevant the Lausanne Peace Treaty, specifically Article 38 that refers to
the freedom to practice religion, and the applicable jurisprudence of the
ECtHR in Strasbourg.
The Constitutional Court notes that the election of a religious leader
constitutes a form of manifestation of religion and, as such, is protected
under the Constitution.
In addition, the Constitutional Court finds that measures that led to the
appointment of a Patriarchal Vicar-General (in 2010)
(
 ) occurred not as a
result of a process that took place within the competing civilian and
spiritual initiatives in the Armenian community, but as a result of "state
pressure that was unconstitutional".
As a result, the Constitutional Court finds that there has been
interference in the Armenian community's right to freedom of religion or
belief, a freedom that is guaranteed under Article 24 of the Constitution.
A crucial finding in the judgment concerns the legality of the restriction.
The Constitutional Court notes that it may be considered that public
authorities have the authority to organise the election of the Armenian
Patriarch under the 1863 Regulation and practice in subsequent elections.
However, the Constitutional Court rules that under Article 13 of the
Constitution, fundamental rights may only be restricted by law. It notes
that, in the present case, a legal provision that can prevent arbitrary
actions by public authorities, that will enable persons to know the law,
that is accessible, foreseeable and absolute is absent. As a result, the
restriction cannot be considered as being prescribed by law.
While the Constitutional Court found that the restrictions pursued a
legitimate aim, that of protecting the right to freedom of religion of the
members of the Armenian community, other criteria for permissible
limitations were not fulfilled.
Moreover, the Constitutional Court noted that events that occurred after
the application was submitted in 2014 demonstrate the state's continuing
desire to determine the conditions under which elections for an Armenian
Patriarch might take place.
In conclusion, the Constitutional Court found that the state has not been
able to demonstrate a pressing social need that overrides the "spirit of
Armenian traditions" and the "Armenian community's will". Therefore the
interference in the applicants' right to freedom of religion or belief by
way of refusing the request to hold Patriarchal elections cannot be
considered compatible with the requirements of a democratic society, and
Article 24 of the Constitution had thus been violated.
The judgment provides an authoritative interpretation of applicable law and
therefore should guide future practice. Patriarch Mashalyan welcomed the
Constitutional Court judgment, adding on 16 March 2020 that "it should be
taken into account in the preparation of directives for elections in the
future".
Sebu Aslangil, the lawyer in the case, commented to Forum 18 in February
2020 that the Constitutional Court judgment is a precedent in its reference
to legality, secularism and the right to freedom of religion or belief.
However, he argued that it is important that these judgments continue and
that similar judgments concerning analogous applications become the norm
for all court decisions.
Constitutional Court - effective domestic remedy in religious freedom
cases?
The Constitutional Court's judgment is thorough and well argued, and the
finding that the restriction on the way the Armenian community chooses its
religious leader was not prescribed by law is particularly significant. On
the other hand, a significant shortcoming of the Constitutional Court's
judgment was its timing.
The application was lodged in 2014, but the Constitutional Court did not
rule until May 2019, two months after the 8 March death of Patriarch Mesrob
Mutafyan. Therefore the judgment came when the state's arguments that an
election could not go ahead no longer existed.
The timing might be interpreted as a sign of the Constitutional Court's
hesitation to contradict state practice in situations where domestic
practice clearly contradicts human rights standards.
Patriarch Mashalyan commented that the Constitutional Court is independent
and therefore the timing of the judgment did not raise any questions.
Aslangil, however, maintained that "had it been issued before the death of
Mesrob Mutafyan, it would have been a very strong judgment".
Where it is evident that legitimising state practice that is not compatible
with human rights law in the area of freedom of religion or belief would
jeopardise the Constitutional Court's position as an effective domestic
remedy, the Court's practice has been to postpone judgment.
That over 20 individual applications on conscientious objection to military
service are still pending with the Constitutional Court is compatible with
this finding. The Constitutional Court had referred an individual
application on conscientious objection to the Plenary Chamber of the
Constitutional Court in 2016. The Court has not yet ruled on any of these
cases.
Patriarchal election interference despite Constitutional Court judgment
After the May 2019 Constitutional Court judgment, the state authorities
continued to interfere in the way the Armenian community elected its new
leader following Patriarch Mutafyan's death two months earlier. The
interference came despite the binding nature of Constitutional Court
judgments for legislative, executive and judicial organs, administrative
authorities, and real and legal persons under Article 153 of the
Constitution.
The Armenian community started the process of electing the 85th Patriarch
by forming an Election Steering Committee (Mütesebbis Heyet). The Interior
Ministry, however, sent the directive for the election which stipulated
that the future Patriarch had to be "from among the class of bishops of the
Armenian Patriarchate of Istanbul", that is, those serving directly in
Istanbul. This effectively reduced the pool of candidates to just two.
Views in the Armenian community differed on whether this interference was
in accordance with the law and/or justified. Patriarch Mashalyan considered
the directive as "based on the 1863 Regulation" and not prepared "despite
the Constitutional Court judgment". On the other hand, the lawyer Aslangil
commented that the state administration, including the Interior Ministry
and the Court of Cassation, demonstrated that they were in no way affected
by the judgment.
The Interior Ministry not only changed the criteria for candidates, but
also influenced the election of the Locum Tenens (temporary leader,
Deghabah) so that the election was between only two candidates. "This is
100 per cent in contradiction to the Constitutional Court judgment,"
Aslangil insists. The Election Steering Committee, however, did not object
to the state-imposed changes in the criteria for the elections.
Aslangil appealed to the Administrative Court in October 2019, objecting to
the Interior Ministry's interference in the Patriarchal elections then in
preparation. However, the Administrative Court has yet to give a ruling,
and there is no limit as to how long it can take to do so. According to
Aslangil, were the Administrative Court to reject the application, the
applicants could challenge this decision directly to the Constitutional
Court. However, this could then also cause the 2019 election to "lose its
legitimacy".
Administrative Court and Court of Cassation decisions on non-Muslim
minority issues have, since the 1960s, been overwhelmingly against the
interests of these communities, Aslangil complains.
The latest of these judgments concerned Archbishop Karekin Bekdjian, the
Istanbul-born spiritual leader of Germany's Armenian community. He had
challenged the state's move to annul his election in March 2017 as Locum
Tenens of the Patriarchate
(
 ). Ankara Administrative
Court ruled in December 2019 that since the new Patriarch has now been
elected, there is no reason for this case to be reviewed. Aslangil objected
to this ruling, which is still awaiting court consideration.
Aslangil, the lawyer, commented that administrative courts do not have the
necessary expertise to deal with these cases and therefore hesitate to give
bold decisions. Asked what needs to be done, he responded: "The
Constitutional Court has to reject our case so that we can go to the
ECtHR."
Only once a case has been considered by the Constitutional Court can
applicants lodge a case to the ECtHR in Strasbourg
(
 ).
Commenting on the interference, Garo Paylan, an Armenian MP from the HDP
(Halklarin Demokratik Partisi – People's Democratic Party) at the time
the directive was sent to the Election Steering Committee, told Bianet news
agency on 24 September 2019 that under these circumstances the coming
elections "cannot be called an election".
Paylan pointed out that in previous elections for a new Armenian Patriarch,
candidacy has been open to Armenian clerics from around the world, not just
to those serving directly in the Patriarchate in Istanbul. "There are many
clerics from Sivas, Malatya, Adana and Istanbul, and all of these
candidates were able to participate in all elections, they had the right to
be elected," he added.
Is untimely justice really justice?
The Constitutional Court's May 2019 finding is significant in ruling that
the state interference in the election of an Armenian Patriarch is not
prescribed by law and not necessary in a democratic society. It also sets a
precedent and is thus relevant for similar cases over state interference in
the internal affairs of other religious communities in Turkey, more
specifically those considered as minorities by the state under the Lausanne
Peace Treaty (such as the Greek Orthodox or the Jews). Whether this happens
in practice remains to be seen.
If the Constitutional Court consistently delivers this line of judgments,
it could become an effective agent of change in Turkey. However, it cannot
be overlooked that the timing of the judgment in May 2019 played into the
hands of the Constitutional Court and the authorities.
The judgment raised the profile of the Constitutional Court as a high court
delivering a judgment in line with ECtHR jurisprudence. Yet, due to its
timing, the judgment had no impact on rectifying the injustice that the
Armenian community experienced. It also closed the door for an application
to be made to the ECtHR in Strasbourg, thus blocking international
supervision of the implementation of the judgment.
Also as a result of the timing of the judgment, the authorities did not
have to deal with an authoritative judgment on the state's unjustified
interference in the election. (END)
For more background, see Forum 18's Turkey religious freedom survey
(
 ), and the Norwegian
Helsinki Committee: Turkey Freedom of Belief Initiative (NHC:IÖG)
(
 )
More analyses and commentaries on freedom of thought, conscience and belief
in Turkey
(
 )
Forum 18's compilation of Organisation for Security and Co-operation in
Europe (OSCE) freedom of religion or belief commitments
(
 )
Follow us on Twitter @Forum_18 
(
 )
Follow us on Facebook @Forum18NewsService
(
 )
All Forum 18 text may be referred to, quoted from, or republished in full,
if Forum 18 is credited as the source.
All photographs that are not Forum 18's copyright are attributed to the
copyright owner. If you reuse any photographs from Forum 18's website, you
must seek permission for any reuse from the copyright owner or abide by the
copyright terms the copyright owner has chosen.
© Forum 18 News Service. All rights reserved. ISSN 1504-2855.
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                                        Tuesday, 
Armenians Urged To Refrain From Panic Buying
        • Artak Khulian
Armenia - A supermarket in Yerevan (file photo)
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and other senior government officials on Tuesday 
called on citizens not to buy more food and essentials than they need, assuring 
the public that Armenia has no shortage of supplies.
In a live broadcast on Facebook on the first full day of a 30-day state of 
emergency declared last night to slow and contain the further spread of the 
novel coronavirus (COVID-19), Pashinian ascribed rising food prices to panic 
buying.
Reports of major instances of panic buying in supermarkets across Armenia first 
appeared in media on Monday within hours after the Pashinian government 
announced a set of limitations, including a ban on public gatherings and the 
possibility of restricting people’s travel due to epidemiological conditions.
Pashinian today cited official statistics showing that in recent days trade at 
large supermarkets increased by an average of 30-40 percent, while small shops 
reported falling sales. The prime minister urged citizens “not to forget about 
small and medium-sized businesses.”
“I understand that shopping in supermarkets is much more convenient, but even 
today there are a lot of goods in large amounts in small and medium-sized shops, 
and it is surprising that they have problems with sales,” he said.
Gegham Gevorgian, chairman of the State Commission for the Protection of 
Economic Competition, also confirmed that Armenia is provided with the necessary 
amount of food. He said that mainly groceries have been in great demand in 
recent days.
As for the level of prices, the head of the anti-trust body said: “I think that 
apart from the monitoring of prices it is also important to ensure uninterrupted 
supply of stocks to exclude shortages. I assure you that at this moment we have 
no such problem.”
Prime Minister Pashinian also assured the public about a stable situation in the 
financial market. “[The financial market is strong] especially after our results 
last year when our international reserves reached a record level, and the 
Central Bank purchased and stocked an unprecedentedly large amount of foreign 
currency. So, we will have no problems,” the head of the Armenian government 
said.
Pashinian added that his government is against the logic of “economic benefits.” 
“The economy needs no benefits, which will only weaken it, it needs a program of 
development underpinning each penny spent on it. We need to make sure that as a 
result of this assistance, companies and businesses will become more competitive 
and stronger,” the prime minister said.
Pashinian once again stressed that the situation is fully under his government’s 
control. “I am convinced that we will come out of this situation as winners, 
that we will become much more proud and stronger, much more viable, competitive 
and competent,” he said.
Later on Monday Prime Minister Pashinian visited several supermarkets and stores 
in Yerevan to monitor the situation connected with supplies and prices. During a 
live broadcast on Facebook he registered that shelves at all places were full of 
the usual assortment and found no change in prices.
Pashinian also walked into three pharmacies in the city center only to find that 
all of them had no alcohol-based hand sanitizers in stock. Only one of the three 
pharmacies had medical masks on sale.
Armenia confirmed 72 coronavirus cases as March 17 evening. Officials say 
Armenia’s first COVID-19 patient identified on March 1 has recovered.
Key Hearing In Kocharian Trial Postponed
        • Anush Mkrtchian
Armenia -- Former President Robert Kocharian (R) talks to his lawyer Hayk 
Alumian during his trial, Yerevan, October 7, 2019.
A Yerevan court trying Robert Kocharian on Tuesday failed to gather for a 
hearing during which several former prime ministers of Armenia would vouch for 
the release of the former president charged with overthrowing the country’s 
constitutional order.
The court said Judge Anna Danibekian, who presides over the trial, was sick and 
could not attend. It did not provide details.
Kocharian, who ruled Armenia from 1998 to 2008, is currently on trial on charges 
stemming from his alleged role in a 2008 post-election crackdown on the 
opposition, as well as for taking bribes.
Eight civilians and two security personnel were killed on March 1-2, 2008 as 
security forces broke up opposition demonstrations against alleged fraud in the 
February 2008 presidential election. Kocharian is accused of violating the 
constitution by ordering the army to quell the protests. Under Armenia’s 
constitution, the military must not be involved in settling internal conflicts. 
The ex-president denies issuing any orders for the army and rejects the charges 
as politically motivated. His lawyers also claim he has immunity from 
prosecution as the former head of state, a premise dismissed by the court.
Vazgen Manukian, Khosrov Harutiunian and Karen Karapetian, who served as prime 
ministers of Armenia at different times over the past three decades, as well as 
Nagorno-Karabakh’s former prime minister Anushavan Danielian were expected to 
attend today’s hearing and provide personal guarantees for Kocharian to be 
released from custody.
In announcing this on Monday, the group set up in defense of Kocharian’s release 
called on other supporters of the ex-president not to gather outside the court 
building “due to the current situation in the country.”
Due to a rising number of novel coronavirus cases, the Armenian government 
declared a state of emergency on Monday, banning all public events involving 
more than two dozen people.
Lawyers of Kocharian, who was hospitalized on March 9, said yesterday that 
doctors could allow the ex-president to appear in court briefly. The 
ex-president who is still undergoing treatment in hospital eventually did not 
show up in the court-room.
Lawyers of Kocharian and three other senior officials who are co-defendants in 
the trial refused to leave the court-room for about an hour. The former 
president’s defense attorney Hayk Alumian told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service 
(Azatutyun.am) that they had not been properly informed about the postponement 
of the hearing. “We were told through one of the court officials that no one was 
going to come down here and inform us about what was happening. Perhaps they 
considered it to be beneath their dignity to come and explain it to us in the 
court-room,” he said.
Earlier, Alumian and another lawyer improvised a court hearing, with one of them 
taking the seat of the judge and the other acting like a prosecutor. “This way 
we sought to make them hear that we were still in the court-room,” Alumian 
explained.
The lawyer cast doubts over the official explanation for the postponement of the 
hearing. “We suspect that this was done intentionally so that some of the four 
guarantors [who have come especially for the occasion] leave and be outside 
Armenia [at the next hearing],” Alumian claimed.
No date for the next hearing has been scheduled yet. Alumian said it was his 
understanding that the current state of emergency over the coronavirus outbreak 
should not interfere with the normal course of the court proceedings.
Man In Armenia ‘Beaten’ Over Coronavirus Patient Joke
        • Naira Bulghadarian
The Armenian police headquarters in Yerevan
Police in Armenia are investigating allegations by a young man who claims to 
have been attacked for his joke on social media about a woman blamed for 
spreading the new coronavirus in a western Armenian town.
Sergey Sargsyan, who owns a shop in Echmiadzin, the town that currently accounts 
for more than half of Armenia’s confirmed coronavirus cases, alleged on Tuesday 
that the attackers were relatives of the woman who is known to have come from 
Italy and organized a family occasion attended by dozens of guests before 
testing positive for the coronavirus.
The woman and scores of other people suspected of having been affected due to 
their contacts with her are currently under quarantine.
In a video posted on March 15 Sargsyan joked that the woman whom he called the 
“Echmiadzin Lady” “has solved the problem of traffic congestion in Yerevan.”
The young man hinted at the fact that many Armenians, including drivers, decided 
to stay indoors after the number of coronavirus cases began to spike in the 
country on the heels of reports about the notorious Echmiadzin engagement party.
The video went viral shortly and the man claims that four hours after posting it 
he was attacked outside his store in Echmiadzin. In a Facebook post Sargsyan 
wriote: “Three unknown persons wearing masks approached me in front of the Say 
Cheese store and asked me whether I was the author of the video. Without any 
explanations they knocked me to the ground and began to kick and hit me. Seeing 
all that, my wife and members of the store personnel tried to intervene to stop 
the attack, but they were assailed, too. After 60 seconds of beating the unknown 
persons fled.”
Sargsyan said he managed to remember the license plate of the car of the 
attackers and immediately contacted the police, reporting the crime. “The 
operative information obtained by the police revealed that the persons were 
relatives of the ‘Echmiadzin Lady’,” the young man added.
The Armenian police confirmed to RFE/RL’s Armenian Service (Azatutyun.am) on 
Tuesday that they had received a crime report concerning the case in Echmiadzin. 
“Investigation is underway to establish the circumstances of the case,” the 
press service of the police said, without elaborating.
Armenian authorities do not disclose the names of the persons who have been 
placed under quarantine. Under the state-of-emergency rule introduced for 30 
days on March 16 media are not to report names or other sensitive information 
related to coronavirus patients.
In several public statements made before the state of emergency was introduced 
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian acknowledged that the increase in the number of 
coronavirus cases in Armenia was due to one patient in Echmiadzin who had 
neglected recommendations from authorities after arriving from Italy and 
participated in her son’s engagement party. Thirty-eight of the 64 coronavirus 
cases confirmed in Armenia as of March 17 afternoon are linked to the woman.
In the wake of the spread of the infection some social media users in Armenia 
have openly blamed the woman for the situation.
Since late March 15, authorities have dramatically limited the number of exits 
from Echmiadzin, a town with a population of some 45,000 people situated about 
20 kilometers to the west of Yerevan, designating the community as a coronavirus 
hotbed.
Traffic congestion has been reported in the town’s streets leading to the exit 
points where medical screenings have been conducted on drivers and passengers, 
with those having fever or exhibiting other coronavirus-like symptoms turned 
away and asked to isolate themselves from public.
Relatives of the Echmiadzin woman or their representatives have not yet reacted 
to accusations of assault and beating.
Earlier this week Armenia’s Ombudsman Arman Tatoyan called unacceptable any 
statements “degrading the dignity of the coronavirus-affected woman from 
Echmiadzin.”
Public Events Banned In Armenia Amid Spike In Coronavirus Cases
An Armenian medical worker measures the temperature of a woman at an entrance to 
the city of Vagharshapat as part of the country’s measures taken to prevent the 
spread of the coronavirus
Armenia has banned all public events involving more than two dozen people after 
the number of coronavirus cases nearly doubled in a day, pushing authorities to 
declare a state of emergency on Monday.
Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinian, who was appointed chief coordinator of the 
30-day state of emergency, said the decision concerns all concerts, exhibitions, 
displays, theatrical performances and other sports, cultural, educational and 
entertainment events.
Under the decision, no more than 20 people are allowed to take part in 
celebrations and commemoration events, including but not limited to birthday, 
wedding and engagement parties, memorial services and funerals.
Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinian
“In the case with funerals and memorial services we will try to provide a 
slightly wider opportunity for participation while keeping an eye out for 
crowding during ceremonies,” Avinian said.
Under the state of emergency, Armenia has also prohibited entry for foreigners 
coming from countries most affected by the new coronavirus.
The measures come after Armenia’s Health Ministry reported an additional 22 
cases late on Monday, with the total number of coronavirus patients in the 
country as of midnight reaching 52. Officials say the first patient identified 
in Armenia on March 1 has recovered.
In a live broadcast Minister Arsen Torosian said that a vast majority of 
patients identified in Armenia do not even have symptoms. He said some of them 
had been identified only due to having been in close contact with the already 
confirmed patients. “Only two of the patients have developed pneumonia, but they 
have it in a mild form,” the minister said.
At the same time, Torosian said that efforts were underway to establish the 
source of infection in several new cases. “We are also identifying the scope of 
their [new patients’] contacts in order to apply measures,” he added.
After the announcement of the state of emergency in Armenia, the Armenian 
Apostolic Church disseminated an appeal from His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos 
of All Armenians, on COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus. The spiritual 
leader announced that Armenian churches in Armenia and throughout the world will 
conduct all liturgies behind closed doors, but will schedule regular open ours 
for believes to make individual visits. Among other limitations the church also 
announced the suspension of marriage ceremonies and limited its services during 
funerals to graveyard ceremonies.
Late on Monday, speaking in parliament while presenting his government’s 
decision on introducing the state of emergency, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian 
also called on people to take basic protective measures to reduce the risk of 
contracting the highly contagious and potentially deadly virus. He said that 
social distancing is one of the means to minimize the risk.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian addressing parliament, 
As Pashinian was addressing lawmakers, some social media users were posting 
photographs alleging instances of panic buying in supermarkets in Yerevan and 
provinces. The prime minister assured the public that Armenia has no shortage of 
food supply and urged people not to buy more than they need.
“Strategically, of course, the fact that a state of emergency has been imposed 
in the country means that we are having a crisis. But I want to say that our 
strategic approach is as follows: we should come out of this crisis being 
stronger in terms of both our economy and public health,” Prime Minister 
Pashinian stressed.
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2020 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.