Epress.am News from Armenia
Armenian police's brutal dispersal of the demonstration on Tuesday morning against the latest hike in electricity tariff has drawn condemnation from opposition factions in the Armenian parliament. Lawmakers from “Heritage,” “Prosperous Armenia,” “Armenian National Congress,” “Rule of Law,” and “Armenian Revolutionary Federation” factions raised the issue of police brutality at the June 23 extraordinary session of the Armenian National Assembly, demanding that all 237 detainees be released; however, NA Speaker Galuts Sahakyan turned off the microphones the opposition MPs, hearing that their statements concerned police action.
“A few hours ago, 237 people, including journalists, were detained on Baghramyan street. They were detained while performing their professional duties, their cameras were smashed. Senior police officials have confiscated the memory cards [of their cameras],” ANC faction secretary Aram Manukyan stated, demanding the release of all detainees and punishment for those responsible.
Parliament Speaker Galust Sahakyan turned off the oppositionist's microphone, claiming Manukyan's statement was not “related to the agenda of the session.” Sahakyan's words resulted in an uproar at the Assembly hall; several parliamentarians started speaking from their seats, while the NA Speaker urged them to “allow him to conduct the session.”
“I want to report a crime: I condemn the illegal actions [of the Armenian police],” ANC member Nikol Pashinyan began, only to be interrupted by the NA Speaker who turned off the MP's microphone.
“Heritage” MP Zaruhi Postanjan also tried to bring up police brutality; however, before she could finish, Galust Sahakyan muted her microphone, saying “I'm ignoring you.”
Postanjan then stated that the NA Speaker had no right to turn off her microphone, to which Sahakyan replied: “My rights are enshrined in law, you, on the other hand, have no rights.”
“I am in the legislature, not in a club of drug addicts and gamblers. Let me speak,” Postanjan countered.
The Speaker threatened to use “other measures” against Postanjyan and did not turn on her microphone.
Lawmakers from Armenian National Congress faction walked out of the Assembly hall as an act of protest.
Late on Monday, after a three-day sit-in at Freedom Square in central Yerevan, protesters tried to march toward Armenian president Serzh Sargsyan’s office at 26 Baghramyan. However, hundreds of armed police officers, forming a barricade, closed the road, not allowing demonstrators to get any closer to the presidential palace. Protesters then sat in the middle of the road at the intersection of Baghramyan and Isahakyan streets, staging an impromptu sit-in outside the presidential office.