On 29 July 2013
a year has passed since a doctor Vahe Avetyan was beaten to death at the
Harsnakar restaurant complex.  On this
day, at 19:00 a candle-lightening ceremony was organized upon the initiative of
public movement “Vahe Avetyan”. Despite the obstacles created by the police, a
memorial stone devoted to Avetyan was placed on the sidewalk nearby the
restaurant complex.

Then, the
participants started a peaceful march towards the centre of the district of
Avan. However, the police headed by Colonel Valery Osipyan closed the road,
announcing that the rally had not been authorized.

The assembly
participants tried to argue that public assemblies up to 100 participants did
not require notification; however Osipyan stated that the provision in question
was applicable only to assemblies which were called spontaneously and in a
short time. After unsuccessful attempts to open the road and continue the rally,
the participants returned to the Harsnakar complex and found out that there
were no candles and no stone placed shortly before.

They demanded
that Osipyan order to bring the stone back, being convinced that it had been
removed by the police. “It was not removed by the police, maybe one of your
participants took it,” answered the colonel. As a sign of protest, Vardges
Gaspari lied down on the place instead of the removed stone. The stone has not been
returned. At 21:00 the participants left the Harsnakar complex.  Up to the moment when the group of people
left, the police surrounded and protected the territory of the Harsnakar
restaurant complex.

Photos by www.hra.am

By Mariam Sargsyan and
Shoghine Soghomonyan

Source: www.hra.am