Provokers must be punished - premier 

ArmInfo. The actions of the police during yesterday's events in the center of Yerevan were professional and proportionate to the situation. RA Prime Minister  Nikol Pashinyan stated this on June 13 in the National Assembly of  Armenia.

According to him, representatives of the opposition movement, led by  Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II and the second President of  the Republic of Armenia Robert Kocharyan, attacked police officers,  to which they received a proper rebuff. "In all such situations, the  police will act in exactly the same way. The protesters tried to  break the chain of law enforcement officers in order to attack the  highest legislative body of the country. The police in this situation  defended the legislative institution of the republic and the  statehood of the country," Pashinyan said.

The RA Prime Minister pointed to a person who calls himself an  archbishop, and who the day before, addressing the police, literally  said the following: "Guys, take off your helmets, no one is  threatening you," but after some time stones were thrown towards  these guys. And it was organized by the same person. "All these  events characterize the moral side of two individuals of the Armenian  Apostolic Church. As a result of the actions of the protesters, 18  police officers and 83 citizens were injured. All injuries turned out  to be light and moderate. According to the current situation, 16  people were hospitalized, all the rest, having received medical care,  The state of health of all the victims is assessed as satisfactory.  The day before, I was shown a video about the fracture of the hand of  one citizen, whose three fingers were amputated, which I personally  sympathize with. But from the same video it becomes clear that the  same citizen took a special device that was on the ground. which  exploded in his hand," the head of government said.

According to him, all persons who provoked public unrest must be  brought to justice. "The legal order and the state cannot be built on  pity. We have not been and will not be a weak government, because  otherwise it will become a tragedy for the country. We, within the  framework of our legitimacy, by force of law, will take all necessary  means to protect the state, people, democracy, independence and  sovereignty," Pashinyan noted.