ARF Bureau member Mourad Papazian
More than a week after unceremoniously barring prominent French-Armenian community leader and a member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Bureau Mourad Papazian from entering Armenia, the Armenian government claimed on Friday that the decision was made because he allegedly “organized” an attack against Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan when he was visiting France in June, 2021.
Pashinyan’s press office told Armenpress on Friday that Papazian, who is also the co-chair of the Coordinating Council of Armenian Organizations in France (CCAF), was barred from entering Armenia pursuant to law because he was among those who “organized the attack” on the official motorcade of the Armenian Prime Minister’s delegation in France earlier in June, 2021.
Upon arriving in Armenia on July 14, Papazian was told the he was barred from entering the country and was declared a persona non-grata. He was then forced to take a flight back to France. Since then, the government had not provided a reasoning for its decision, which condemned by the ARF Bureau, the CCAF, as well as the ARF-D Western U.S. Central Committee. These organizations warned that the government’s actions posed a threat to Armenia’s democratic development.
In response to Armenpress’ inquiry, Pashinyan’s press office said that Papazian “was denied entry into the Republic of Armenia based on Clause G and Z, Article 8 of the Law on Foreign Nationals. This person is one of the organizers of an attack on the official motorcade – displaying the state flag of Armenia—of the governmental delegation led by the Prime Minister near the Armenian Embassy in France on June 1 last year. Various objects and items were thrown in the direction of the motorcade. The official Armenian flag-bearing car carrying the Prime Minister was attacked and the situation was resolved only as a result of intervention by French police and security forces.”
Since June 2021, Papazian has traveled to Armenia on several occasions, including in May when he accompanied Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo on a visit to Armenia. He was also in Armenia in February to attend the ARF World Congress. Papazian told Azatutyun.am that since June 2021 he has traveled to Armenia “at least four times.”
“This is a lie,” Papazian told Azatutyun.am, arguing that the government had ample opportunity to enact the aforementioned law since June 2021.
“The other active participants of the attack were also denied entry into Armenia,” said Pashinyan’s press office. “Furthermore, the Republic of Armenia does not have any reservations against any participant of peaceful rallies, while those who organized the attacks and took part in them were banned from entering the Republic of Armenia by law.”