Armenia: Opposition Leader Being Held
Armenian police this afternoon detained opposition leaders MP Nikol Pashinyan, Ararat Mirzoyan and Sasun Mikayelyan, along with more than 200 demonstrators.
Decentralized demonstrations and protests in Armenia are still ongoing with new strength, but still peaceful.
Citizens are gathering and blocking streets with cars or by standing in lines, showing their solidarity with the opposition movement.
Earlier yesterday evening, Armenia’s newly nominated ceremonial president with nominal power, Armen Sarkissian, visited the demonstrators and spoke with the opposition leader Nikol Pashinyan, calling for a dialogue with the authorities. Pashinyan, in response, announced that he will not avoid negotiations if the main agenda of the talks is the resignation of PM Serzh Sargsyan and a peaceful transition of the power.
Later the same night, during a demonstration, Pashinyan announced, that PM Sargsyan had given his agreement to meet with Pashinyan in Marriot Armenia hotel close the main venue of the demonstrations in Republic Square.
The negotiations between the PM and Pashinyan ended without beginning early this morning, as Pashinyan insisted on the presence of journalists in the negotiation room. When Sargsyan announced that he had come to meet the opposition leader for a dialogue, Pashinyan stated that no dialogue could happen, and he had come to the negotiation expecting to discuss the resignation of Sargsyan and peaceful transition of power.
After listening to Pashinyan’s statement, Sargsyan announced that he was not ready to discuss this question with the representative of a political alliance which is presented in the National Assembly with just 7-8%, and left, stating that the opposition had learned nothing from the lessons of “March 1st” when the government opened fire against peaceful demonstrators who questioned the legitimacy of the elections which enabled Sargsyan to take the presidential office in 2008.
Minutes after Sargsyan left the negotiations room, Pashinyan went to organize another march in the city center.
Attacks on journalists and human rights defenders are still ongoing, first begun late last week. Journalists of Radio Liberty and other media organizations have been targeted and attacked throughout the day. The number of detained activists and demonstrators is more than 200.
A very large crowd is currently gathered near the Shengavit police department, surrounding the territory of the police station, as, according to rumors, Pashinyan is being kept there.
Other demonstrators are closing their neighboring streets and blocking all movement in Yerevan city center and other cities of Armenia.
Pashinyan’s facebook page released a statement calling on demonstrators to continue their decentralized protests and gather at the Republic Square for a Grand National rally.
The escalation of the situation by the government is especially emotional, with the very crucial date in Armenian history, where Armenians all over the world are co-memorating the Armenian Genocide Memorial day on April 24.
The developments in Yerevan have already received international reactions. The Delegation of the European Union and EU member States Embassies in Armenia released a joint statement, which says “The EU is concerned that today’s short meeting between Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan and MP Nikol Pashinyan failed to prevent the further escalation of tensions.
The European Union reiterates that it is crucial that all parties show restraint and responsibility and urgently seek a negotiated solution.”
Earlyer yesterday, Georgian ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili wrote on his facebook page that he is calling his friends in the government of Armenia to sit around the negotiations table with the opposition leaders so as to avoid further escalation of the situation.
By Karen Tovmasyan
Image: Nikol Pashinyan (Mari Nikuradze /OC Media)