Anti-government protesters Government of Armenia Vazgen Manukyan[4] Ishkhan Saghatelyan Artur Vanetsyan[5] Gagik Tsarukyan Naira Zohrabyan[6] Arpine Hovhannisyan Supported by: Serzh Sargsyan[7] Robert Kocharyan[8] Seyran Ohanyan[9] Yuri Khachaturov[10] Nikol Pashinyan (Prime Minister) Armen Sargsyan (President) Vahe Ghazaryan (police chief) The 2020−2021 Armenian protests (also known as the March of Dignity;[15] Armenian: Արժանապատվության երթ, romanized: Arzhanapatvut'yan yert'[16]) were a series of protests that began following the Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement on 10 November 2020.

After Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced that he signed an agreement to cede Armenian-occupied territories in Azerbaijan and put an end to six weeks of hostilities over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, thousands of people took to the streets, and hundreds stormed the Parliament building in the capital Yerevan.

On 3 December 2020, the Homeland Salvation Movement announced former prime minister Vazgen Manukyan as their candidate to lead an interim government for a period of one year.

In addition to the two political coalitions, numerous public figures had called on Prime Minister Pashinyan to resign, including the then president of Armenia, Armen Sarkissian, former president Levon Ter-Petrosyan, both catholicoi of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Karekin II and Aram I, and Edmon Marukyan leader of the then third-largest party in parliament Bright Armenia (who announced his own candidacy for the office of prime minister) as well as several regional governors and mayors.

[21] During the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, which began on 27 September 2020, Azerbaijani forces seized control of many settlements, including the strategically important city of Shusha after a three-day-long battle.

Protestors called Prime Minister Pashinyan a "traitor", and demanded him to step down, nullify the peace agreement, and restart the war.

[26] Protesters also seized the parliament building by breaking a metal door, and pulled the President of the National Assembly of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan from a car, demanding to know the whereabouts of Pashinyan.

[28] The AFP news agency reported that the police authorities who were present did little to prevent the disorder and people roamed the hallways of the government building, where the doors had been opened and the contents in the offices were thrown around.

[26] At about 04:00, a group of approximately 40 people attempted to break into the Yerevan office of Azatutyun, the Armenian service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL).

Executive producer Artak Hambardzumyan said that the group first shouted at the Azatutyun offices, calling its employees "Turks" and traitors, and demanded that its journalists leave the country.

[31] The Armenian Prosecutor General's Office urged the citizens to refrain from organizing, holding or participating in rallies,[32] while clashes broke out between the protestors, who were chanting "Nikol is a traitor!

[37] At midday, a small group of protesters gathered at the Matenadaran Mesrop Mashtots Institute of Ancient Manuscripts and at the Yerevan Opera Theatre, demanding the release of political prisoners and Pashinyan's resignation.

On 23 December, Garnik Isagulyan, Chairman of the National Security Party, was arrested for inciting mob violence against Nikol Pashinyan.

[63] In an interview given on 27 January, ex-president of Armenia and Homeland Salvation Movement supporter Robert Kocharyan declared his intention to participate in the coming snap elections, the date of which has not yet been determined.

In early February, opposition leader Ishkhan Saghatelyan of the ARF stated that the coalition members were divided over whether or not to participate in snap elections.

Badasyan was arrested and charged with "making public calls to seize power, violate territorial integrity or violently overthrow the constitutional order.

[68] The leadership of the Homeland Salvation Movement welcomed the generals' statement and held a rally in Freedom Square in support of the army.

[70] On 5 March, Ara Papian, a key figure of the National Democratic Pole, called for strengthening bilateral relations with the United States and proclaimed that Armenia should increase its cooperation with NATO, during a rally in Yerevan.

[85] On the same day, one of the organizers of the rallies, opposition politician and ex-director of the National Security Service Artur Vanetsyan, was arrested for plotting to overthrow the government and kill the country's prime minister Nikol Pashinyan.

[91] On 14 November, another ARF politician Artsvik Minasyan was detained,[92] while MPs representing the Prosperous Armenia Party Naira Zohrabyan, Shake Isayan, Iveta Tonoyan, Vahe Enfiajyan, Gevorg Petrosyan, and Mikayel Melkumyan were summoned to the NSS.

[97] Prior to the general strike, the Director of the Yerevan-based Center for Regional Studies Richard Giragosian stated that he does not expect a sharp change of power due to the rather small scale of the protests and the unpopularity of the opposition.

[citation needed] EurasiaNet editor Joshua Kucera stated that the Pashinyan government is under threat as many Armenians feel betrayed.