A/HRC/41/41/Add.4 2. The events of April and May 2018 62. In mid-April, massive protests started throughout the country in the context of the election by the parliament of former President Serzh Sargsyan as Prime Minister. Despite the resignation of President Sargsyan on 23 April, demonstrations, well-orchestrated through social media, continued, demanding the resignation of the entire Government and the appointment of the protest leader Nikol Pashinyan as Prime Minister. 63. In a context of stalled political negotiations with the ruling Republican Party holding the parliamentary majority, the parliament failed to elect Mr. Pashinyan as Prime Minister during its session on 1 May. That was followed by protests throughout the entire country. The political tensions were partially diffused on 3 May, when the ruling party promised to cast the necessary number of votes to enable the election of Mr. Pashinyan, which indeed materialized days later. With the aim of dissolving the parliament and calling for early elections that would reflect the country’s political reality, the newly elected Prime Minister resigned in October 2018 and was re-elected in December 2018. 64. During that time, protests took place in a largely peaceful manner, especially after the resignation of Mr. Sargsyan leading to what came to be known as the Velvet Revolution. 65. The Special Rapporteur notes that the Armenian people, taking stock of previous experiences, managed to achieve a major political transition in a peaceful manner. He believes that the effective and unhindered use of new communication technologies, and in particular social media, played a fundamental role in the success of the peaceful protest movement. 66. The Special Rapporteur notes that the work carried out during preceding years by pro bono lawyers, civil society actors and independent institutions has contributed to the establishment of stronger networks and coalitions and strengthened the protesters’ knowledge of their rights and duties, which led to the remarkable non-violent transition. It is worth noting that these results were perceptible not only during his meetings in Yerevan but also in the regions he visited, where the Special Rapporteur noted the strong sense of ownership of the recent political achievements. 67. The Special Rapporteur considers that the legitimate demands of Armenians, ranging from demands for legislative reform, to economic and social change, the fight against corruption and a greater sense of justice, also played a pivotal role during the demonstrations. 68. However, during his visit the Special Rapporteur received reports of human rights violations, particularly during the first week of the Velvet Revolution. Those reports related to allegations of an elevated number of short-term detentions and the violation of procedural safeguards, disproportionate use of force by the police against protesters during detention and in the policing of the demonstrations, attacks against media workers and criminalization of protesters under charges of mass public disorder and violence against the police. 69. During the meeting held with the Human Rights Defender, the Special Rapporteur appreciated the extraordinary deployment of support to safeguard the rights of detained protesters. During the peak of the crisis, the Defender demonstrated that the protection of the right to peaceful assembly was at the core of its mandate as it extensively monitored police stations and made proactive contacts with all sides to avoid violations. 3. Restrictions targeting particular groups 70. In light of the events of 2018, the Special Rapporteur wishes to acknowledge that the restrictions targeting particular groups are not new in the context of peaceful protests. 71. For example, the Special Rapporteur is aware that the participation of women and youth was key to the transition. However, he also became aware that while children were entitled to participate in peaceful assemblies, there was an improper enlistment of university students during the manifestations, on many occasions without parental consent. On the other hand, he also learned that children were prevented from participating in the 9