Armenian Police Detain 73 People During Opposition Protests in Yerevan on Wednesday

YEREVAN (Sputnik) - Armenian police detained 73 people during opposition-led protests in Yerevan on Wednesday morning as demonstrators continue to demand the resignation of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, the police press service told Sputnik.

"As of now, 73 people have been brought to police departments," the police said.

According to law enforcement officers, protesters are blocking streets in an attempt to paralyze traffic in the capital. Some people are also blocking government buildings.

Policemen have forced several demonstrators, including former deputy speaker of the Armenian parliament, Eduard Sharmazanov, to get into patrol cars.

Police detain demonstrators during a protest rally in Yerevan, Armenia, Thursday, May 5, 2022

© AP Photo / Vahram Baghdasaryan

A group of protesters have stopped a police bus carrying detainees at a central street and convinced officers to release them, a Sputnik correspondent reported.

Earlier, Ishkhan Saghatelyan, the vice president of the Armenian parliament from the Armenia Alliance opposition faction, said the protests would resume in the Armenian capital from 8.00 a.m. local time (04:00 GMT) on the following day.

On Tuesday, Armenian police reported 417 detainments, while Saghatelyan said the number was 600.

The Armenian opposition has been holding protests throughout the country since 25 April with a view to achieving the resignation of the current government and a change of policy on the Nagorno-Karabakh issue. Demonstrators believe that actions of the Pashinyan administration are destructive both for Armenia and the unrecognized republic.