20:34, 2 March 2017

Yerevan strikers complain about police pressure

In Armenia, the participants of the sit-in strike held in Freedom Square in support of Arthur Sargsyan report about threats received from the police. Despite this, they intend to continue their protest.

On July 17-31, members of the group "Sasna Tsrer" (Daredevils of Sassoun) created by supporters of the opposition movement "Constituent Parliament" captured the building of the police regiment in Yerevan. At night of July 26, Arthur Sargsyan broke through the police cordon around the building and delivered food for the rebels. The court pronounced the pre-trial restriction measure to Arthur Sargsyan. The activist is suspected of assistance in hostage-taking and illegal purchase and possession of weapons.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that in the evening on February 27, at the end of the protest action in support of Arthur Sargsyan, an opposition activist Shagen Arutyunyan began his sit-in demonstration. Later, 20 other activists expressed their desire to join the round-the-clock protest action.

Shagen Arutyunyan, the initiator of the sit-in strike, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that law enforcers visited activists’ homes and tried to use their parents to press the activists and force them to stop the protest. Mr Arutyunyan has noted that "activists receive threats of dismissal from job, expulsion from universities, and are forced to police stations."

"There are guys who got scared; they try to stay away; however, the majority are going to continue taking part in protests," said Shagen Arutyunyan, adding that activists are tuned resolutely and will seek the release of Arthur Sargsyan.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.

Author: Armine Martirosyan

Source: CK correspondent