ARMENIA – A police crackdown in the Armenian capital of Yerevan resulted in more than 60 injuries according to reports as protesters continued to call for president Serge Sarkisian to step down and release political prisoners including opposition leader Jirair Sefilian.
For nearly two weeks a group has barricaded themselves inside a police station with hostages. Police last night unleashed an unforgiving response on protesters using stun grenades which in addition to the injuries also resulted in over 100 detained.
Police use grenades. Dozens of people injured, detained at Sari Tagh. #ErebuniUprising #Erebuni pic.twitter.com/Ox2ZdmyfCD
— Nazik Armenakyan (@nazikarmenakyan) July 30, 2016
It is reported that doctors had removed the damaged eye of 17 years old boy #Yerevan #Police @UNICEF pic.twitter.com/UvWkLgrEyM
— Mushegh (@Mushegh1) July 29, 2016
Sefilian, who is a former military commander has been been not only vocal opponent of Sarkisian but the government’s general handling of the long-running conflict in the Nagorno-Karabakh region involving pro-Armenian separatists.