The US Embassies in Baku and Yerevan urge demonstrators to act peacefully and with restraint

Baku/25.07.20/Turan: The US Embassies in Baku and Yerevan condemned the acts of violence at the Azerbaijani consulate in Los Angeles on July 21 as incompatible with the universal principles of peaceful assembly and protest.

A joint statement by US diplomatic missions in Azerbaijan and Armenia noted that, “The United States takes seriously its obligation to protect diplomatic facilities and is working with local law enforcement to support this effort.  Freedom of speech and peaceful assembly are protected by the U.S. Constitution, however, acts of violence will be addressed by law enforcement as appropriate. 

We call on all demonstrators to engage peacefully and exercise restraint.

On July 21, a group of Armenians held a protest action in front of the building of the Azerbaijani Consulate General in Los Angeles in connection with the hostilities on the Azerbaijani-Armenian border on July 12-14. Azerbaijanis carried out a retaliatory action near the consulate general. Mutual verbal statements of the parties grew into the use of physical violence by Armenians against Azerbaijanis, among whom seven people were injured of varying severity.