Armenian police arrest 83 opposition activists - UPDATED

  20 April 2018    Read: 3007
Armenian police arrest 83 opposition activists - UPDATED

Armenia’s law enforcement agencies detained 83 opposition activists protesting against election of former president of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan as the country’s prime minister, RIA Novosti reported citing Edgar Janoyan, Head of the Analytics, Information and Media Relations Department of the Police.

Armenia’s police detained 65 opposition activists who tried to paralyze traffic on Yerevan streets on Friday, the police press service told TASS.

"At 11:30 local time 65 people suspected of various violations were taken to police departments," they said.

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10:35

Armenia’s police arrested 16 opposition activists in Yerevan by 09:00 local time, head of the police department for information management and public relations Colonel Ashot Agaronyan told TASS.

Among those arrested is one of the protest action organizers, David Sanasaryan, who tried to block traffic at the Respubliki Square (Republic Square), according to the report.

The leader of the Civil Contract opposition party, MP Nikol Pashinyan, called on his supporters to "paralyze traffic across Yerevan" on Friday morning.

According to police, tensions are running high on Gyulbenkyan Street, where Pashinyan’s supporters blocked traffic with cars. Police are trying to remove cars from roads.

Mass rallies broke out in Yerevan and other Armenian cities on Monday following former Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan’s nomination as prime minister. On Tuesday, Armenia’s parliament elected Sargsyan prime minister. On Thursday, opposition members tried to disrupt the new cabinet of ministers’ meeting, blocking entrances to government facilities and marching down Yerevan streets. About 3,000 people took part in a rally in the evening. As many as 123 people were arrested over the past day.


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