18:02, 16 April 2018

Yerevan: 46 people wounded after protests against government (+video)

Nikol Pashinyan, the leader of the demonstrators, was wounded in the clashes but came back to the rally. Yerevan, April 16, 2018. Photo by Tigran Petrosyan for the "Caucasian Knot"

Forty demonstrators and six policemen addressed for help to doctors after clashes in Yerevan.

Today, protesters against Serzh Sargsyan's appointment as Premier blocked several streets in Yerevan, and then broke through the police cordon. Law enforcers used light-noise grenades and threatened to use tear gas.

Nikol Pashinyan, an MP and the leader of the "Civil Accord" Party, was wounded in his eye area, but stated that he "would continue fighting".

The nomination of former President Serzh Sargsyan to the post of Prime Minister triggered protests, since under the recent constitutional reform, the head of the government (Premier), to be elected by the parliament on April 17, will become in fact the head of Armenia.

Mr Pashinyan believes that he received his trauma "from the wave of light-noise grenades." He stressed that these special means "are very dangerous, although policemen use them against peaceful civilians."

"I'm sure that on March 1, 2008, when dispersing the rally, these grenades killed people," he said.

Mass protests in Yerevan began after the presidential election on February 19, 2008, when Serzh Sargsyan was elected president. Levon Ter-Petrosyan's supporters disagreed with the election outcomes, and on February 20, began their rallies. Clashes with the police occurred on March 1 and 2, 2008, after the dispersal of the rally. As a result, 10 people were killed and over 250 others were wounded.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.

Author: Armine Martirosyan

Source: CK correspondent