In dispersing the protest against electricity tariff rise in Baghramyan Avenue in Yerevan at dawn police special forces used violence not only against the protesters, but also against journalists covering the event taking many of them to different detention centers.
Before applying a powerful water cannon and force, Yerevan Deputy Chief of Police Valeri Osipyan at 5:20 am once again urged protesters to return to Liberty Square unblocking Baghramyan Avenue.
Senior police officers also urged journalists and media representatives to leave and not to hinder their actions after which they opened water on the protesters.
After applying the water cannon, police representatives, dressed as civilians, forcefully dragging and heating, swearing, starting moving the protest participants, as well as reporters. Police reportedly broke journalists’ video and photo cameras, destroyed the memory cards of their devices.
Hetq reporters Ani Hovhannisyan and Hrant Galstyan were captured by plainclothes police and were forcefully taken to the central police station.
“Our journalist badges were ignored, we and other 13 citizens were forcefully put into cars and taken to the central police station. Here again they continue applying abuse against everyone. And now they say they are transferring us to the Malatia-Sebastia detention center,” Ani Hovhannisyan said.
Panarmenian.net website photo journalist Karo Sahakyan was detained and taken to the Echmiadzin police station. His camera was broken. The photo journalist was released later on.
The police removed and damaged RFE/RL’s live video-streaming equipment. The video-camera of the radio station, the phone of a reporter were broken as they were trying to record the developments.
Galla TV station reporter Paylak Fahradyan was beaten up. On the phone he said from the police station. “I was beaten, kicked and hit and forcefully brought to the detention center by the police in the presence of the police. In the presence of Chief of Police of Yerevan, I am shouting, I am yelling, I am saying that I am a reporter, but they beat and hit me. I am telling Chief of Yerevan’s Police Ashot Karapetyan that I am a reporter, and he yells “take him”. Right now all my face is in bruises, they hit me, a horrible thing is happening here.”
The actions were staged after the authorities failed to respond to the No To Plunder call for the decision to raise electric power prices by 7 drams (about 1.5 cents) per kilowatt/hour, or 16 percent, to be revoked.
The decision made by the Public Services Regulatory Commission is supposed to take effect on August 1.