“What is now happening in Armenia is the people’s revolt against the current criminal and anti-national regime of Serzh Sargsyan,” Azerbaijani President`s Aide for Public and Political Affairs Ali Hasanov has told AZERTAC as he commented on the ongoing protests in Armenia.

“This is the revolt against the social problems` becoming a national tragedy, corruption`s and bribery`s becoming the essence of the government policy, anti-democratic governance methods, suppression of the people’s voice of truth and their massive abandonment of the country.”

Mr Hasanov noted that the violent dispersal of protesters by the government is a strong signal of the anti-democratic situation in the country: “Hundreds of people were beaten, they were physically injured. Special technical devices were used to disperse the rally. Even journalists covering the rally and human rights defenders were the victims of the violence of police and intelligence officers. Fearful of the peoples’ anger, the Armenian authorities resorted to cruelest measures.”

The Presidential Aide described as “surprising” the Western circles` remaining silent, adding “but when it comes to Azerbaijan, they exaggerate even minor events and make statements at the level of official bodies”.

“The West, which reacts immediately – through the US Department of State, European Parliament, Council of Europe, OSCE and official state institutions of European countries - to even a minor issue related to Azerbaijan, turns a blind eye to gross law violations, violent treatment of citizens, media representatives and human rights defenders in Armenia. And this cannot go unnoticed.”

“The US which immediately condemns someone’s arrest over a concrete crime in Azerbaijan through the Department of State, expressed its attitude towards the Armenian events through its Embassy. And the statement itself was nothing but an effort to distract the international community’s attention from the essence of the issue,” said Mr Hasanov.

“The same day at the PACE plenary session, some European parliamentarians that were criticizing Azerbaijan, were behaving as if nothing is occurring in Armenia. The Western media gave just a shallow coverage of the issue, while international NGOs didn’t even touch upon the story.”

“On the day when the Armenian authorities cracked down on protesters, Freedom House, which is known for its biased attitude towards Azerbaijan, released a report describing Armenia almost as “a model of democracy”. All this testifies to the West`s double standards and discrimination policy,” Mr Hasanov added.