2023 Armenian protests | |||
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Part of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the aftermath of the 2023 Azerbaijani offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh | |||
![]() Protesters holding flag of Artsakh near the Russian embassy in Yerevan, Armenia | |||
Date | 19 September 2023 – 28 September 2023 (1 week and 2 days) | ||
Location | |||
Goals | Resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan Intervention in the 2023 Azerbaijani offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh | ||
Methods | Demonstrations, civil unrest, street blockades, sit-ins, student protest, general strike | ||
Status | Ended, see Aftermath | ||
Parties | |||
Lead figures | |||
No centralised leadership
| |||
Casualties | |||
Injuries | 30+ people[4] | ||
Detained | 84 people[5] |
On 19 September 2023, a series of protests began in Armenia following a military offensive launched by Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh, which resulted in a swift Azerbaijani victory over the ethnic Armenian breakaway republic of Artsakh. The republic had been heavily backed by Armenia until a change in Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's policy towards the region in recent years.[6] The government of Azerbaijan compelled the separatist authorities in Artsakh to surrender, disband the Artsakh Defence Army and begin negotiations regarding their reintegration within Azerbaijan.[7] In response, protests erupted in Armenia accusing Pashinyan of mismanaging the crisis and abandoning Artsakh, demanding that he step down.[8] Pashinyan has characterized the protests as an attempt to unlawfully remove him from power.
The pro-Western National Democratic Alliance blamed the situation on Russia's failure to intervene, while members of the pro-Russian political opposition blamed Pashinyan for the defeat and accused him of betraying Nagorno-Karabakh's residents "in favor of the interests of the West."[9] On 3 October, the National Assembly of Armenia voted 60-22 in favor of ratifying the Rome Statute, which would enable Armenia to join the International Criminal Court. The measure was signed into law by President Vahagn Khachaturyan on 14 October.[10]
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