Nikol Pashinyan criticizes protesters in Ijevan

13 people are detained and other six are left under recognizance not to leave on suspicion of disorderly conduct and an attack on law enforcers in Ijevan, investigators report today. The Armenian Prime Minister has called the demands of the protesters unreasonable.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on July 17, 12 policemen got minor injuries, and another one ‑ a severe brain concussion as a result of clashes with protestors engaged in logging in Ijevan, who blocked the Armenian-Georgian interstate road and demanded to allow them cutting down trees in the forest of Dilijan.

Today, at a government meeting, Vardan Movsisyan, Deputy Police Chief of Armenia, has reported that as a result of the clashes, apart from the law enforcers, two more people are injured.

13 people were detained, and other six were released after signing recognizance not to leave, reported the Deputy Police Chief of Armenia.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan called the activists' actions "illegal." "People involved in illegal logging tried to dictate their illegal terms to the government. Any such attempt will be harshly suppressed," declared Nikol Pashinyan at the government meeting, the broadcasting of which was watched by the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on July 18, 2019 at 12:25 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.