YEREVAN. – The Deputy Police Chief of Yerevan, Valeri Osipyan, on Tuesday morning handed to “My Step” initiative leader, opposition Civil Contract Party member and National Assembly (NA) of Armenia “Way Out” (Yelk) Faction head Nikol Pashinyan, the police notification on putting en and to the ongoing rallies.

Pashinyan, however, publicly ripped this notification and stated, “A total civil movement has begun in Armenia.”

Armenia Police had issued a statement noting that they will disperse this rally by using force and special means.

As reported earlier, clashes took place on Baghramyan Avenue, between the demonstrators and police, on Monday afternoon.

Nikol Pashinyan, jumped over the barbed wires placed by the police, and other protester followed his lead. 

Police used special means, especially stun grenades, against the demonstrators.

As a result of these clashes, 46 people—including Pashinyan—were taken to hospital.

Since Monday morning, the demonstrators closed off and marched through several streets in downtown Yerevan.

On April 15, Nikol Pashinyan had called on people to block Yerevan’s bridges, streets, and subway on Monday.

On March 31, the Civil Contract Party, led by Nikol 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.