The demonstrators also include parliamentarians. The police use extreme force against civilians.
In addition to civilians, the demonstrators also include senior military figures and members of parliament. They are demanding the Prime Minister’s resignation.
(dpa)
In the South Caucasus Republic of Armenia, 250 people have been arrested in the capital Yerevan during new protests against Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. The police are proceeding with extreme severity against the demonstrators, among whom are also members of parliament, said the opposition deputy head of parliament Ishchan Zagatelyan to the Armenian media on Monday. Those arrested are accused of resisting state authority.
For days there have been demonstrations against the government in the completely impoverished ex-Soviet republic. On Sunday, the opposition set up a permanent tent camp in a central square in front of Yerevan’s Opera and Ballet Theater, which is only to be broken up after Prime Minister Pashinyan resigns. The demonstrators have blocked numerous roads in the capital. According to information from the German Press Agency, more than 20,000 people took part in another demonstration on Monday evening.
Possible peace agreement with Azerbaijan
The protests are directed against Pashinyan’s policy with regard to the Nagorno-Karabakh region, which is disputed between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Much of the territory previously controlled by Yerevan fell to Baku after a war between the two countries in autumn 2020. This triggered a serious political crisis in Armenia. Although Pashinyan won new elections last year, many Armenians still accuse him of a defeat in the war.
Armenia is now striving for a peace agreement with the hostile neighboring country Azerbaijan, with international mediation from Russia, among others. So far, a ceasefire between Azerbaijanis and Armenians has been overseen by Russian soldiers in the mountainous region. Since the end of the fighting, there have been repeated armed clashes at the border.