Eurasianet

The new law would triple penalties for insult and defamation. The government and press have had a combative relationship since the coming to power of Nikol Pashinyan, himself a former journalist.

Many, however, are questioning whether the current government is interested in holding free and fair elections.

Residents are torn whether to rebuild or leave: “If the Russians weren’t here, most people would have already left.”

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan called another rally in which he accused the army chief of staff of working on the orders of the former regime.

Pashinyan called the appeal a “coup attempt” and rallied his supporters at a demonstration in Yerevan’s center.

For decades, Yerevan has wanted Turkey to end its blockade. Now it seems Ankara may be willing, but the mood in Yerevan has shifted.

The prime minister has been badly weakened by the loss in the war.

Analysts believe the country may be benefiting from herd immunity after devastation last year.

The losses to tax revenues will hit the de facto Nagorno-Karabakh government even harder than Yerevan.

The issue became hotter following the January 11 summit in Moscow between the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Russia, when the Armenian side walked away having failed to secure the prisoners’ return.

The front-runner for de facto president now appears to be a veteran of the first Karabakh war and opponent of Armenia’s current government.

The handover of territory has brought Azerbaijani forces into close contact with several Armenian towns and a critical road, leading some locals to blame the central government for failing to protect them.

Following Ankara’s strong backing of Azerbaijan in the recent war, Yerevan is banning many Turkish goods.

While Armenians increasingly agree that the prime minister needs to step down, they are divided on who could replace him.

The previously apolitical figure has emerged as a challenger to the embattled prime minister. But his chances of success aren’t clear.

Hundreds of soldiers on each side are still missing three weeks after fighting stopped.

The statement comes as Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is coming under increasing criticism for his handling of the war and ceasefire negotiations.

Following a week of attacks from his opponents, now Pashinyan is being abandoned by some of his allies.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is facing popular anger and scheming opposition figures following the country’s disastrous capitulation to Azerbaijan.

The base is small, but would act as a tripwire deterring Azerbaijan from expanding its offensive into Armenian territory.

The messaging from Moscow has been pro-Armenia but critical of its government. And some Armenians are questioning their leaders’ flirtation, as mild as it’s been, with the West.

While Armenians have been disappointed by the lack of a strong international response to the war with Azerbaijan, the isolation also has encouraged a sense of unity and solidarity.

The road through Lachin is a critical supply line between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, and it’s coming under regular attack from Azerbaijan.

Our correspondent’s on-again-off-again trip to Karabakh brought home the volatile, unpredictable nature of the war.

The mobilizations in both countries are the first since the war in the 1990s.