YEREVAN — Riot police fired stun grenades outside the Armenian parliament on Wednesday as they clashed with protesters attempting to storm the building where Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his government were answering questions from lawmakers.
Addressing the crowd before the session, Bagrat Galstanyan demanded that Pashinyan meet him to discuss “the terms of his peaceful departure.” He accused Pashinyan of misrule and “surrender of the homeland,” urging the protesters to prevent the Prime Minister from leaving the building.
Pashinyan rejected the demands for his resignation and criticized Armenia’s opposition groups supporting the protest movement.
The protesters were unable to surround the vast compound, which was guarded by scores of police officers from across Armenia and armed officers of the National Security Service. At least 90 protesters were detained by the police after tensions at the protest site dramatically escalated in the evening.
As the police tried to push angry protesters back from another street leading to the parliament, the two sides jostled, scuffled, and threw bottles at each other. Security forces then fired over a dozen stun grenades, injuring dozens of protesters and at least two journalists. Ambulances arrived at the scene to provide first aid.
The chief of the Armenian police, Aram Hovannisian, defended the use of stun grenades, stating that “the situation was out of control.” Pashinyan also defended the police actions.
The Armenian Ministry of Health reported that at least 98 individuals were treated for mostly “light and medium-gravity injuries” sustained during the clash. According to the Interior Ministry, 16 policemen were injured outside the parliament.
