Dozens of people were injured this Wednesday in Armenia during a demonstration in front of Parliament to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian. The rally gave rise to chaotic scenes with demonstrators trying to break through the police cordon. The police then used stun grenades. Members of the police were also injured during their intervention.
Injured protesters were taken to hospitals in ambulances, some with injuries to their legs or abdomens. According to the country’s medical authorities, at least 79 people have requested medical assistance. For its part, the Ministry of the Interior announced the arrest of 98 people for “disobeying legitimate requests from the police”. The authorities will also open an investigation for “organizing riots”.
A protest that has lasted for weeks
This vast gathering was organized at the time when Nikol Pashinian addressed the deputies, assuring them that Yerevan was ready to sign a peace agreement with Baku “within a month”. For many years, Armenia has been in conflict with Azerbaijan, due to territorial disputes, particularly in the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Opponents are against the position of Prime Minister who defends the recent cession of four border villages to Azerbaijan to avoid a new conflict with Baku.
The protest against Nikol Pashinian is currently led by Archbishop Bagrat Galstanian, who addressed the crowd on Wednesday denouncing the transfers of territories to Azerbaijan, which he considers “illegal”. He denounced “unilateral and humiliating concessions” from Armenia. Bagrat Galstanian, temporarily abandoned his religious ministry to attempt to run for prime minister, although he was ineligible due to his dual Armenian and Canadian nationality.