107 detained in five hours amid ongoing rallies

YEREVAN, APRIL 20, ARMENPRESS. 107 demonstrators have been detained since the morning of April 20 in the ongoing protests in Yerevan as of 13:00, police said.

Earlier on April 19, opposition MP Nikol Pashinyan, the leader of the demonstrations, called on his supporters to take the streets 08:15 April 20 and shut down traffic.

Pashinyan said another rally will be held in Republic Square 19:00.

Opposition protests began in theArmeniancapital ofYerevana week ago.

The rallies are led by opposition lawmaker NikolPashinyan, who has called on his supporters to launch civil disobedience.

The rallies began with a sit-in at France Square in downtown Yerevan, followed by sporadic marches in the city streets. The protesters even began blocking intersections and shutting down traffic. The situation escalated when the crowd of protesters and MP Pashinyan himself breached into the headquarters of Public Radio of Armenia, demanding airtime on April 14.

Then on April 16, protesters and riot police clashed in a brief incident on Baghramyan Avenue – one of the main city streets housing the parliament, Constitutional Court and the Prime Minister’s residence. The YerevanPoliceDepartment (YPD) has called on the opposition crowd to refrain from illegal actions and to maintain public order.

YPD said they are entitled to detain protesters who are violating public order and to cease the illegal rally, because the demonstrations are violating the rights of others and endangering public safety.

The protesters largely ignored the YPD demands and continued the rally, initiating sit-ins outside governmental buildings, blocking traffic, obstructing public service staff from entering their offices, even deflating tires of official vehicles parked outside ministries.

About 100 demonstrators were detained for misdemeanors on April 19. Several others have been placed under arrest for causing a brief riot earlier in central Yerevan.

Police said they will continue lawfully detaining those who are violating public order.

English –translator/editor: Stepan Kocharyan