Azernews.Az

By Nazrin Gadimova

Civil society activists marched to the building of the Prosecutor General of Armenia in the capital Yerevan on August 27.

Participants of the protest demanded to initiate a criminal case in connection with the actions of the police against civil society activists in past days.

In turn, the Armenian police cited the possibility of the use of special weapons in case of riots during the protests. The participants were advised to fulfill the legitimate demands of law enforcement officers and not to fuel tension.

However, Chairman of the Gyumri Journalists' Club "Asparez", Levon Barseghyan, said that he deemed it acceptable to respond to police violence accordingly.

Paytsar Avetisyan, a protester, said that the Armenian authorities should be "pleased with the enthusiasm of young people who fight for their rights".

After the demonstration the protesters headed to the building of the Prosecutor General of Armenia, where they handed a letter to Attorney General Aghvan Hovsepian.

In the letter the protesters demanded "to ensure peaceful conduct of the protests of citizens, to identify all provocateurs in the ranks of the police and bring them to justice, to ensure control over the protests in order to prevent illegal actions of the police, as well as to press criminal charges against those police officers who have used illegal actions with regard to the activists and representatives of the media."

According to the police, on August 24, in a clash of the citizens with the police 26 demonstrators were arrested. The reason for the detention, according to law enforcement officials, is a violation of public order, blocking the road, disregarding the demands of the law enforcement, as well as resistance.

Earlier the media reported that the construction of a block of flats in the area adjacent to some houses on Komitas Avenue, which was started by the Lieber Construction company, caused discontent of the local residents. They told the press that the construction of the "elite high-rise" housing is illegal, is being conducted with multiple violations of regulations, and moreover, the buildings will overshadow the lighting of the nearby homes.

A resident of a house on Komitas Avenue, Gohar Sahakyan, said that the residents have sent numerous complaints to the authorities, but the issue remained unresolved, so they decided "to take on more tough methods and try to prevent the continuation of the construction on their own."

On August 24 residents of the houses on Komitas Avenue blocked the road in Yerevan. Activists of several initiative groups joined the protests. Protesters lay on the asphalt, halting traffic on the street. Initially it was reported that 16 protesters were detained, and coordinator of the Armenia Today news agency Argishti Kivirian was beaten during the arrests and then taken to an intensive care unit.