Armenian News – NEWS.am presents a daily digest of Armenia-related top news as of 12.05.2020:

·       Dozens of people were protesting Tuesday in front of the Central Bank of Armenia (CBA) against the high interest rates of the country’s credit organizations. The protesters demanded a meeting with CBA representatives, but the latter proposed that one protester come in and meet with a CBA representative, to which the picketers did not agree. Subsequently, police used force to apprehend several of these demonstrators. To note, these citizens staged a protest in front of the CBA on Monday, too.

Later, by the instruction of the Human Rights Defender of Armenia, a rapid reaction group came to the police station to visit the people who had held a protest near the Central Bank.

·       As of May 12, 11:00 AM, 3,538 COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in Armenia with 1,430 recoveries and 47 deaths. 2,042 COVID-19 patients are currently undergoing treatment.

In total, 33,313 tests have been completed. Thus, we have 146 new cases, 71 recoveries, and one death in a day.

The latest COVID-19 casualty in Armenia was an 82-year-old woman.

·       Thirty-four citizens have returned from Los Angeles to Armenia, Consulate General of Armenia reported.

Los Angeles-Amsterdam-Minsk-Yerevan flights took place on May 2 and 9, the statement said.

The Consulate General of Armenia in Los Angeles, in cooperation with the Armenian Embassy in the Netherlands, provided logistical aid to citizens returning to Armenia, resolving, in particular, their luggage and Schengen visas issues, the statement said.

·       Robert Kocharyan, who is undergoing inpatient treatment at a Yerevan hospital, underwent surgery this morning. The office of the second President of the Republic of Armenia reported.

"The operation went as planned, President Kocharyan is feeling well, he is under constant medical supervision," the respective statement added.

·       The US Embassy in Yerevan has issued a statement, noting Armenia's two-year improvement.

"The U.S. Embassy in Yerevan is pleased to see that Armenia continues to make impressive progress on its path to a democratic society, achieving the largest two-year improvement of any country in the history of Freedom House's Nations in Transit Democracy Score.

Along with USAID Armenia we are committed to supporting the reforms needed to move Armenia forward in its path to democracy and rule of law.