YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 3, ARMENPRESS. An anti-government protest led by the Homeland Salvation Movement is taking place outside the parliament building in central Yerevan, where lawmakers are debating in a special session the bills to create new specialized courts. The Homeland Salvation Movement, composed of various political forces and individuals, also blocked the Baghramyan Avenue.

Hayk Mamijanyan, a member of the movement and the head of the Republican Party’s youth wing, argued that the lawmakers – despite the many “critical” issues facing the country, are in special session debating a government-backed bill to create what he described as courts for “arrests”.

Police officers are trying to open the avenue.

The lawmakers are debating proposed amendments to the judicial code, whereby special courts tasked with examining corruption cases and supervising pre-trial proceedings would be established.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan