Lebanese Police Attack Armenian Protesters at Azerbaijani Embassy Amid Ethnic Cleansing in Artsakh

A peaceful protest organized by the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Lebanon outside the Azerbaijani Embassy in Ain Aar, Lebanon took a violent turn on Thursday as tensions escalated between the protesters and security forces. The protest was held to denounce ethnic cleansing and human rights violations in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) by Azerbaijan.

The Armenian Report is being told that ARF Lebanon had invited the public to join the demonstration, which was reported to the security and police authorities in advance. However, the situation spiraled out of control when some protesters began throwing fireworks.

In a shocking turn of events, the Internal Defense Forces (IDF), the police force in Lebanon, without warning, responded by firing tear gas and pepper spray into the crowd, which included women and children. At least 20 individuals were wounded in the clashes, all of them Armenians.

The situation grew more chaotic as some demonstrators retaliated against the police, and confrontations erupted near the Azerbaijani Embassy building. Fires also broke out around the embassy's grassy lawn.

Behind the IDF, the Lebanese army was deployed to maintain order during the protest.

Hagop Pakradounian, a Member of Parliament and Secretary General of the Lebanese ARF, condemned the use of force against unarmed protesters. He made a series of impassioned statements about the ongoing crisis in Artsakh:

"We are here to protest human rights violations against our own people. Children have been killed and women have been raped and tortured, and land has been taken away by an autocratic dictator who is in bed with Israel. This embassy is a post for Zionist Israel, who arms the Azerbaijani army. Israel is an enemy of Lebanon, and instead of the Lebanese government criticizing the Azerbaijani regime, the Lebanese Internal Defense Forces are executing the commands of the Lebanese government and prime minister to fire at unarmed civilians. They only know how to say Armenians are good people and that Armenians are a peaceful people. If this is how peaceful people are treated, then we refuse to be peaceful anymore."

In response to the situation, the IDF command stated that they were acting on orders from the government.

The incident at the Azerbaijani Embassy in Beirut highlights the devastating humanitarian catastrophe taking place in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), with Armenian protesters demanding justice and accountability for human rights abuses.