YEREVAN. - Clashes took place between the march participants and police offices during the march held in Yerevan on Saturday in memory of “Food Provider”Artur Sargsyan.
The activists demand a meeting with the assistant to the prime minister so as the latter informs why they have refused the demand to bury Sargsyan in Yerablur military pantheon, Armenian News – NEWS.am correspondent reports.
The protestors refused to obey the demands of the police and leave the territory of the square, blocking the part of the square meant for driving by staging a sit-in.
The police headed by Deputy Chief of Yerevan Police Valeri Osipyan opened the street removing the protestors by force. Osipyan announced that nobody would be detained and ordered the policemen to treat the protestors as subtly as possible when removing them from the territory of the square.
After continuing the protests in the part of the square meant for driving, activist Shahen Harutyunyan urged everyone to go to the Liberty Square and continue the sit-in there, as well as hold another march to the Government building on Sunday.
Artur Sargsyan, a.k.a. the Food Provider, died Thursday at “Armenia” Medical Center, in capital city of Yerevan
Sargsyan, who was charged with aiding the Sasna Tsrer armed group, was released from prison on December 31, 2016, since he had an illness that was incompatible with imprisonment. On February 9, however, he was arrested yet again. Subsequently, Sargsyan went on hunger strike, and demanded that his preventive measure of arrest be commuted.
A few days ago, and with a written guarantee by several dozen MPs, he was released from prison and immediately hospitalized. Several days ago, however, he left the hospital on his own volition. But his health grew worse on Wednesday evening, and he was rushed to “Armenia” Medical Center, where he underwent surgery; but he did not regain consciousness after this operation.
The Sasna Tsrer armed group had taken over a police patrol regiment building in Yerevan, taken hostages, but later surrendered, in July 2016.
