The situation in Armenia should not be politicized by foreign media or governments, Serj Tankian of the System Of A Down has said in a Facebook post.

“It seems like the brutal police crackdown with water cannons and beating up people including journalists has predictably brought more people out into the streets of Yerevan today. This was a peaceful sit in. The police had the right to clear it and legally detain people without using undue force,” Tankian said.

“The situation should not be politicized by foreign media or governments. This is a non-political reaction to an endemic economic marginalization of a large segment of the Armenian populace. The government of Armenia should make every effort to ameliorate the economic suffering of its citizens and address this and other concerns,” Tankian concluded.