Armenian opposition announces resumption of protests

Anti-government protests demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan will resume in Armenia from October 2. This was announced by the leader of the "Tavush in the Name of Motherland" movement, Archbishop Baghram Galstanyan during a meeting of the movement's activists and supporters at the K. Demirchyan JCC.

According to him, the protest is scheduled to start at 17:30 Moscow time. It will be held in Yerevan's Republic Square.

"We will resume active struggle <...> to enter an intense and consistent phase of struggle, persistent, unstoppable, with guaranteed victory,"Sputnik Armeniaquoted Galstanyan as saying.

The leader of the demonstrations noted that the movement should go step by step to the ultimate goal.

Earlier, on June 12, during Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's speech, a crowd of protesters gathered in the square in front of the parliament, calling for his resignation. The Armenian Interior Ministry said police detained 42 demonstrators. Clashes broke out between the protesters and law enforcement officers.

Later, Armenian police reported 98 detained protesters outside the country's parliament in Yerevan.

Protests have been taking place in Armenia since mid-April. They began in the Tavush region, part of which was affected by the delimitation with Azerbaijan: four border villages came under Baku's control. At the same time, residents of the region blocked the highway leading from Armenia to Georgia. The movement was called "Tavush in the Name of Motherland", its participants led by Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan started marching to Yerevan. Galstanyan also reported that the opposition is launching impeachment proceedings against Pashinyan.

The prime minister himself called the church an agent of influence back in May and threatened to resolve the issue in the coming months.