Over 200 participants in a rally against electricity price hikes in the Armenian capital Yerevan were detained by police after they refused to withdraw, even after the use of water cannons. There were injuries reported on both sides.
On Tuesday morning, Armenian police used force to clear out
several hundred citizens protesting against the rise in utility
charges. The daytime electricity tariff is set to rise 40
percent, while nighttime costs will soar by 50 percent.
The activists attempted to march to the presidential
headquarters. After police stopped them, the protesters staged a
sit-in with approximately 200-300 participants on Marshal
Baghramyan Avenue in downtown Yerevan.
Armenian President Serzh Sarkisyan expressed readiness to meet
with a group of four activists to discuss their claims, but the
organizers of the rally refused to cooperate.
READ MORE: Thousands protest electricity bills in Armenia’s
capital
Police warned protesters several times that their actions were
illegal. After being rebuffed, police used water cannons and
detained the activists en masse. Journalists present at the event
also received a dousing from the water cannons.
Altogether, 237 people have been arrested and 25 sought medical
attention, three of them being hospitalized. Reportedly, 11
police officers were also injured.
Law enforcement officers seized knives, knuckle dusters, batons
and metal rods, police spokesman Armen Malkhasyan told TASS.
According to Armenia’s criminal code, some of the arrested
protesters may face up to two years in prison on violent behavior
charges and breach of public order.
After the news of the police action reached the Armenian
parliament, the opposition Armenian National Congress faction
walked out in protest.
Traffic flows in the Armenian capital’s downtown area are back to
normal.
The protests in Yerevan began several days ago, when, on June 17,
the national regulation commission fixed new utility tariffs for
electricity, supplied to final users by the Armenia Electric
Mains company.