YEREVAN. – The protesters, led by opposition Civil Contract Party member and National Assembly (NA) of Armenia “Way Out” (Yelk) Faction head Nikol Pashinyan, on Monday blocked Victory Bridge in capital city Yerevan.
“Deflate the tires of the police evacuator [vehicle],” Pashinyan told the demonstrators. “Close off the street; close off Victory Bridge.”
Although the police special forces attempted to stop the protesters from reaching the bridge, they could not, and the demonstrators—with their hands up, symbolizing nonviolence on their part—went ahead and blocked the road leading to the bridge.
“The police are our brothers; we treat them with respect,” Pashinyan said. “But don’t use force against the demonstrators; it’s not necessary.”
As reported earlier, Nikol Pashinyan on Sunday had called on people to block Yerevan’s bridges, streets, and subway on Monday.
On March 31, the Civil Contract Party, led by Pashinyan, had started a protest march through several towns of Armenia—and whose objective is to prevent the third term in office by ex-President Serzh Sargsyan; but this time as the next likely Prime Minister—and which concluded on April 13, with a rally at Liberty Square in downtown Yerevan, and then with a round-the-clock sit-in at France Square.
Also, the protesters had announced that they plan to block the NA building as well as the houses of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) MPs on Tuesday, so as not to enable them to take part in the next PM’s election at the special parliamentary session on that day, and during which the RPA will nominate Sargsyan as candidate for the next PM.
- Demonstrators block, sit on another downtown Yerevan street (PHOTOS)
- Clashes occur near Yerevan police station (PHOTOS)
- One of Yerevan metro stations closed
- Pashinyan: If parliament session is somewhere else, we will take Yerevan under our control (PHOTOS)
- Opposition demonstrators block several downtown Yerevan streets (PHOTOS)
- Opposition protesters block Baghramyan Avenue in Yerevan, police form human chain
- Armenia Police urge opposition leader MP, supporters to refrain from unlawful actions
