Epress.am News from Armenia
Despite a legal requirement that the defense of a PhD dissertation be public, Yerevan mayor Taron Margaryan's defense of his doctoral thesis was not public.
The defense was set for 2 pm, but since 1 pm, journalists gathered at the Armenian State University of Economics were struggling to be allowed into the auditorium. The journalists were confronted by an "army" of 20–30 young men in black, aged 17–25, who stood outside the auditorium entrance. Despite being repeatedly asked, the young men refused to identify themselves, only saying they were students at the university and not explaining to the press why "students" are acting as security personnel.
The university press spokesperson didn't respond to calls from journalists, while another university employee said that the rector is occupied for an indefinite period of time and Taron Margaryan's PhD defense is "closed to members of the press". Journalists demanded a written decision to that effect but never received it.
During this entire time, journalists at the university were forced to break through the human chain of "students," who were constantly pushing and spewing curses of a sexual nature to the mainly female journalists.
Appearing at the height of the incident was university rector, professor, and member of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia Koryun Atoyan, who was quick to blame journalists for making a "show". The rector said that the entrance to the university is being guarded, but did not explain why this was being carried out by students.