Citizen Detained Nearby Occupied Police Station Calls Reasons for His Arrest ‘Absurdity’

Anton Ivchenko, a bystander who was detained Monday afternoon nearby the occupied Yerevan police station, was subsequently told at the police station that he had been detained based on a “reasonable suspicion of criminal activity” and was being held “for reasons of national security.” Founding Parliament member Karo Yeghnukyan and bystander Maksim Sargsyan, who had been detained along with Ivchenko, were told the same thing.

Speaking to Epress.am after being released from a 4 hour and 10 minute custody, Ivchenko, who has been walking with crutches for months after injuring his hip in April, called the police’s reasoning an “absurdity,” claiming that he was only standing there listening to Gyumri Council of Elders member Levon Barseghyan talk to reporters when law enforcement officers unexpectedly grabbed him and forcibly detained him. 

A video published by Epress.am earlier proves the citizen’s words to be the truth:

The occupation of the Erebuni police station started early on Sunday when an armed group affiliated with anti-government movement Founding Parliament calling themselves the "Daredevils of Sasun" stormed the station, taking the law enforcement personnel hostage and calling for the release of jailed Founding Parliament leader Zhirayr Sefilyan. As of Monday evening, the gunmen have let three of the seven hostages go, while four others, among them Yerevan deputy police chief Valery Osipyan and deputy chief of national police Vardan Yeghiazaryan, are still inside the station.