Man tries to torch himself in Yerevan’s Baghramyan street

July 30, 2016 By administrator

Man burn himself YEREVAN. – A self-immolation attempt was made at the start of Yerevan’s Baghramyan Avenue, where a large number of protestors have gathered and are staging a sit-in.

According to the witnesses, a man of about 50 made an announcement, poured the petrol on himself and set himself alight, Armenian News – NEWS.am correspondent reports.

The protestors standing nearby immediately hurried to help and put out the fire.

The man is conscious. He refused to go to hospital in a police car. The protestors sent him to hospital by a taxi.

26 peaceful protesters detained in Armenia’s capital as police provoke fresh violence

July 30, 2016 By administrator

In the wake of the late Friday night clashes in Yerevan’s Khorenatsi street, 26 out of the 165 individuals taken to police precincts have been detained, police sources say.
A total of 60 others were hospitalized with different bodily injuries.

Also, plain-clothes individuals beat journalists providing a live coverage of the events.

A spokesperson for the Police, Ashot Aharonyan, said in a post on Facebook after that the riot police had to take special measures to stop the crowd from breaking through their barricades.

Yerevan standoff: Member of armed group injured in shootout with police

July 29, 2016 By administrator

armed-group-inured YEREVAN. – Member of “Sasna Tsrer” group Arayik Khandoyan nicknamed “lonely wolf” is injured, member of the Founding Parliament Syuzan Simonyan wrote on Facebook.

Member of the armed group Varuzhan Avetisyan told 1in.am that Khandoyan was injured in his leg. He came “to see what is falling from a drone and was injured by a sniper”.

Police confirmed the reports noting that “shooting was heard at police regiment in violation of the demands of law enforcement agencies, police officers opened fire injuring one of the shooters Arayik Khandoyan”.

Yerevan update: Protesters get wet in Yerevan’s Baghramyan Avenue, police concentrate forces

July 28, 2016 By administrator

hostage 28-1 YEREVAN. – The police are concentrating large forces in Yerevan’s central Baghramyan Avenue.

The crowd marching to the avenue has now gathered in the forepart of the street, people getting wet in the heavy rain.

The police have banned the march participants to go further, noting that they are going to prevent the march, since there has been no notification about it beforehand and thus it is unlawful. Heritage Party representative Armen Martirosyan and several protestors are arguing, since the Heritage representatives announced that they will not move forward and will block the forepart of the avenue for half an hour. Several other young people insist on moving forward and break through the police cordon.

The police have already blocked the avenue. They have also brought internal troops to install barricades when necessary. Yerevan Chief of Police Ashot Karapetyan and his Deputy Valery Osipyan are on the site.

Finally, despite the complaints of the significant part of the protestors, it was decided to return to Liberty Square.

Armenia’s National Security Service pledges ‘tougher action’ against armed group

July 26, 2016 By administrator

In defiance of all the warnings against further offences, the armed group that occupied a police building in Yerevan continue actions threatening the life and health of law-enforcers and causing property damage, Armenia’s National Security Service (NSS) says in a statement.
Warning of the group’s “increasingly hazardous conduct spiraling out of control”, the NSS promises to take tougher action “to avert further offenses”.
“Being well-aware of the criminal band’s intentions and prearranged offensive conduct, we warn of our plan to take return action to neutralize all the threats to our population’s life and health,” reads the statement.

Thousands March In Support Of Gunmen In Yerevan

July 25, 2016 By administrator

By RFE/RL’s Armenian Service

July 25, 2016

Thousands of demonstrators were marching in Yerevan late on July 25 in support of a group of gunmen who have occupied an Armenian police station for more than a week.

The demonstrators chanted “unity” and called for bystanders to join them — swelling their numbers as the march progressed along the streets of the Armenian capital and the demonstrators arrived at Yerevan’s central Republic Square.

It was the largest gathering of support for the gunmen since the crisis began on July 17.

Watch A Live Feed Of The Protest

The march began on July 25 after military helicopters were seen flying over the occupied police building.

The presence of the helicopters prompted speculation that a military raid against the gunmen was imminent.

The gunmen at the police station set a police van on fire near the building on July 25.

Meanwhile, Armenian law enforcement agencies called on the gunmen not to take any steps that would “risk the lives of citizens or that stir up tensions.”

One police officer was killed on July 17 when the gunmen, linked to the radical Founding Parliament opposition movement, stormed into the Erebuni police station.

The gunmen took seven police officers as hostages but released the last of them on July 23 after negotiations with a senior officer in Armenia’s armed forces.

The gunmen are members of a little-known group called Sasna Tsrer, dubbed by some the Daredevils of Sassoun, which is loyal to Founding Parliament’s leader Zhirayr Sefilian.

They say they have no intention of laying down their weapons until their demands are met.

Those demands include the resignation of President Serzh Sarkisian and the release of Sefilian, who was arrested along with six of his supporters on June 20 on illegal weapons charges.

Police initially accused Sefilian of preparing a plot to seize government buildings and telecommunication facilities in Yerevan.

Most of Sefilian’s supporters in Sasna Tsrer are veterans of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Founding Parliament is sharply critical of the way Armenia’s government has dealt with the long-running conflict over Azerbaijan’s breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory that both Armenia and Azerbaijan claim.

Yerevan Update; Second group accomplice to Yerevan gunmen arrested: NSS

July 25, 2016 By administrator

Armenia‘s National Security Service said on Monday, July 25 that it has uncovered another group providing criminal assistance to the gunmen who have seized a police HQ in Yerevan.

The gunmen are members of the Sasna Tsrer movement. One police officer was killed, and several more were wounded in a shootout that broke as the members of the group hit the gates of the police department with a track. All the captives have been set free. The group demand the release of Jirair Sefilian, the founder of the Founding Parliament who was arrested on June 20, as he and a group of people had allegedly planned to seize premises and communication facilities, including the Yerevan TV tower. They also demand the resignation of President Serzh Sargsyan and the creation of a transitional government.

According to the NSS, the armed group have taken the truck from the owner under threat of reprisals of his family. Also, the Security Service found out that some members of the group incited their accomplices to use Molotov cocktails, break through the police cordon on Khorenatsi Street and take the firearms they had seized before.

“Other people, complicit with the armed group are under constant surveillance of competent state bodies,” the NSS said.

“Every measure is being taken to suspend and suppress possible illegal actions.”

A group of people affiliated with the members of the armed group were arrested earlier.

Yerevan Update: Armed group storming Yerevan police headquarters is not going to surrender

July 23, 2016 By administrator

Hostage 23-1 YEREVAN. – Member of “Sasna Tsrer” group Varuzhan Avetisyan, one of those who seized the building of police regiment, stated that the reports about their intention to give up are false.

“I have data that someone spreads rumors as if “Sasna Tsrer” will start a press conference to announce the surrender. Actually we staged an armed revolt, took up arms with the mission to liberate our country.

It assumes disobedience of the people the number of which slowly, for some reasons, but steadily grows. Also rumors that I haven’t confirmed data on release of the two last hostages are spread. It is lie,” he stated.

A group of armed men stormed into a Yerevan police patrol regiment, on early morning on July 17, and took several police officers hostage. Deputy regiment commander Artur Vanoyan was killed, and four other officers of the law plus one of the attackers were wounded during the ensuing gunfire exchange.

The gunmen demand the release of Jirair Sefilian, an imprisoned opposition activist.

It has been the seventh day since a group of armed men stormed into a capital city Yerevan police station. Four hostages, including two senior police officers, were released on Saturday.

Yerevan Update: It is crowded in Khorenatsi Street. Yenigomshyan picked mic from Pashinyan

July 23, 2016 By administrator

Hostage 23 Today, on July 23 it is still crowded in Khorenatsy Street in the evening, reports the NEWS.am. Many people gathered to express their support for the Sasna Tserer group .

In his speech, Nikol Pashinyan referred to the announcement of Vitaly Balasanyan about Zhirayr Sefilyan’s refusal from demanding the resignation of Serzh Sargsyan. Pashinyan said that he did not believe that Zhirayr Sefilyan could say such a thing. He expressing a hope that Sefilyan will find a way to deny that. “Otherwise, it’s like a nightmare. It will turn out that for the second time in the last two years, the force that invites us here gives up his position, “he said.

Pashinyan also commented on Varuzhan Avetisyan’s announcement about him. Recently Varuzhan Avetisyan stated that Pashinyan wanted to “warm his hands on blood.” According to Pashinyan, he came up with a comprehensive agenda and roadmap. “The question is what the motto of a non-violent struggle is. The only possible condition that will allow to remove Serzh Sargsyan from power is the people’s will. We had a problem to create the conditions for citizens to come here with their families and express their will without a fear. This is a platform for civil war, and nothing else should take place here, “he said.

He said again that after todays’ statements it is impossible for him to be present in that area. “There should not be any deaths during a demonstration. There will be no blood , ” he said .

After Pashinyan had left the platform, the members of ” Founding Parliament” took the mic. Yenigomshyan declared that the regime resorted to fraud. ” The announcement that one of the Sassoon Tsrer members decided to lay down the arms is ridiculous. The guys proved that there is no such a thing. Today’s masterpiece was the statement of the former commander of Artskh Vitali Balasanyan about Sefilyan’s refusal to require the President’s resignation . I was there during their meeting, and I insist that Vitaly Balasanyan’s announcement about Zhirayr Sefilyan is a distortion of reality , ” said Yenigomshyan .

Yerevan Update: Armed group frees all hostages from seized police building

July 23, 2016 By administrator

hostage released2 YEREVAN. – Two remaining hostages — both senior police officers — kept in the seized police headquarters in Yerevan had been released.

Deputy chief of Armenia’s police Vardan Yeghiazaryan and deputy chief of Yerevan policy Valery Osipyan has been released by an armed group.

Earlier on Saturday the gunmen set free other two hostages had been released without preconditions.

According to Shant television, member of the group Varuzhan Avetisyan met with the director of the National Security Service Gevorg Kutoyan and decided to release another two hostages in exchange for setting up a media center. The report was confirmed for Shant television by General Vitaly Balasanyan who was a mediator in the meeting.

“The process of creating a neutral zone for their communication with reporters is underway,” Balasanyan said. “As soon as the center is set up, two remaining hostages – Osipyan and Yeghiazaryan – would be released.”

It has been the seventh day since a group of armed men stormed into a capital city Yerevan police station.