Residents of Aragatsot District of Armenia block highway demanding to stop building water line

In Armenia, since early morning, residents of the villages of Ushi, Oganavan, Artashavan, Karbi, Sagmosavan, Erznka and Egvard, located in the Aragatsot Region, blocked the highway Ashtarak-Aparan. They demand to stop the construction of a new hydropower plant (HPP) on the water line Aparan-Yerevan.

A clash burst out between the protesters and policemen, who demanding to unblock the road, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports.

According to the activist Egiya Nersisyan, there were policemen in civilian clothes among the protesters. According to his estimate, they deliberately provoked people and incited the situation with the aim to detain the most active ones.

By 1:00 p.m., Sargis Sahakyan, the Governor of the Region, came to talk to people and assured them that no HPP was built in the territory of culvert, but currently the water line itself is repaired.

Residents of the region have stated that do not trust the governor's words and threatened to block the highway again at any time, if the authorities fail to stop the construction of the HPP, which, in their opinion, will dewater the irrigation canals, used by the villagers.

As on 7:30 p.m., the road was open; and there is no data about detentions.