YEREVAN. - It’s already 3 hours the number of the protesters demanding to cancel the decision on electricity price hike is growing in Yerevan’s Baghramyan Avenue.

Maxim Sargsyan, one of the protest action organizers, announced that people from Armenia’s Gyumri city have already joined them, while others are still coming from Sevan city (photos).

“We’ve got information that Yerevan-Tbilisi road is closed, and that information seems to be confirmed, but it’s unknown which part is closed,” he said.

Maxim Sargsyan also said they will stay as long as the decision on electricity price hike is cancelled.

At the moment, the citizens continue their sit-in.

The police officers have blocked the way of the thousands of protesters in Baghramyan Avenue. Baghramyan Avenue and Demirchyan Street are also filled with water canons and military cars, as well as barbed wire. The police officers wear bullet-proof vests and are armed with shields and rubber sticks.

Despite the numerous protest actions over the electricity price hike, the new electricity tariff was approved at the session of Armenia’s Public Services Regulatory Commission of Armenia (PSRC) on June 17.  The electricity price has gone up by 6,93 AMD, reaching 48,78 AMD (previously 41,85 AMD) per 1 kWh. Electric Networks of Armenia (ENA) CJSC had proposed to raise the electricity price by 17 AMD per 1 kWh.