Yerevan /Mediamax/. U.S. Embassy in Armenia has today called for respecting freedom of expression and assembly.

According to the statement disseminated by the Embassy, they are “encouraged by the responsible and generally respectful behavior by both protestors and police on the evening of June 22 during the protests over the planned rise in electricity prices”.

“However, we are concerned about reports of excessive police use of force to disperse the crowd on the morning of June 23, as well as several reports of abuse while in police custody.  In addition, we are troubled by reports that journalists and their equipment were specifically targeted during the operation.  It is imperative that the Government conduct a full and transparent investigation of reports of the excessive use of force by the police to the full extent of Armenian law”, the Embassy noted.

On official Twitter page, the U.S. Embassy has called for full respect for freedoms of expression and assembly while maintaining public order tonight.

The Embassy used the main hashtag of the people struggling against energy price rise- #ElectricYerevan.

At 18:00 today, a protest-rally against energy price rise is scheduled at the Liberty Square.