Armenians End Sit-In Protesting Electricity Price Hike in Central Yerevan

A sit-in protest at a central square of Armenia’s capital Yerevan ended early Tuesday, with activists saying they would draft a plan on how to avoid the government-proposed hike in power bills.

YEREVAN (Sputnik) — The rally in the South Caucasian nation’s capital began on June 19, two days after the government announced it was going to ramp up electricity prices by over 16 percent beginning in August.

Police were sent in last week to disperse thousands of protesters marching on the presidential residence. Over 200 were arrested.

On Sunday, the rally split into two groups. The majority continued to block the main avenue of the government district, while the rest moved to a square nearby to stage a sit-in.

Some protesters said they would hold a press conference on Tuesday to announce further actions. Others reported that they would set up a panel of economic experts and lawyers to come up with a roadmap to end the crisis.