RA Police Demands Khorenatsi Street rally’s Leaders to Transfer the Rally to Another Place

Since July 18, the day after the armed attack on the territory of the Police PatrolSentry service regiment, various allies have been organized in the immediate vicinity of the blocked part of Yerevan’s Khorenatsi street. As previously reported, during the July 20 rally at least 5 dozen people suffered as a group of people displayed obvious predisposition to aggressive behavior, attacked police officers on-duty throwing stones and other objects at them, inflicted blows on the police officers, trying to snatch their uniforms.

To prevent the riots, including the risks to human life and health, Police of the Republic of Armenia had to apply special measures.

Moreover, within the framework of the criminal case initiated on occasion of the armed attack on the territory of the Police Patrol-Sentry service regiment, reliable data have been obtained according which the members of the armed group are directly guiding the protesters, giving them direct instructions to organize and commit criminal actions which pose a danger to the citizens’ lives and health, as well as spread panic and provoke clashes.

Thus, on July 21 one of the detainees tried to bring a grenade to the blocked part of Khorenatsi street, but his criminal actions were suspended, and on July 22 another detainee tried to take bombs (“Molotov cocktail”) to the same area.

There are also credible data according which those bottle bombs were designed for breaking through the police cordon in Khorenatsi Street, breaking into the zone of implementing special measures and taking possession of the firearms seized by the armed group members.

Based on the aforementioned, Police of the Republic of Armenia is stating that there is a real and immediate threat of sharp escalation of tensions which may lead to unpredictable consequences. Therefore it is not possible to prevent the risks to the lives and health of the rally participants and the public safety in any way than to change the rally venue. Therefore Police of the Republic of Armenia demands from the actual leaders of the rally to transfer the rally to another place within the shortest possible time so that the Police will be able to ensure the safety of the rally participants within its statutory obligations of assisting peaceful rallies.

Otherwise Police of the Republic of Armenia will have no other way than to terminate the rally in the manner prescribed by law.