20:41, 19 November 2020

In Yerevan, police detain 24 protesters

A police officer at a rally in Yerevan. November 18, 2020. Photo: REUTERS/Gleb Garanich

The police pushed from the roadway the participants of a rally who were demanding the resignation of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. 24 activists were taken to police stations.

On Thursday, the protesters blocked streets in the centre of Yerevan and thus caused discontent among drivers.

17 opposition forces demanded the resignation of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan after he had signed the peace agreement with Azerbaijan on November 10. On November 11 and 12, the protest actions were accompanied by mass detentions.

Most of the participants in the today's protest action are members of the youth wing of the ARF "Dashnaktsutyun", the "Sputnik-Armenia" reports.

In Armenia, while the martial law and the state of emergency are in force amid the coronavirus epidemic, it is impossible to pass a vote of no confidence in the government. On November 16, Armenian President Armen Sargsyan called for early parliamentary elections to be held and power to be transferred to the government of "national accord."

The protesters are dissatisfied with the peace agreement, according to which Azerbaijan takes over the territories of Nagorno-Karabakh captured during the hostilities and returns the territories of five regions adjacent to Karabakh, that is, the so-called "Security Belt".

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on November 19, 2020 at 01:24 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.