Hundreds of anti-government protesters rallied in Yerevan on Monday calling for a bloodless resolution to a hostage crisis a day after a pro-opposition armed group seized a police building in the Armenian capital.
One policeman was killed during Sunday's assault on the building.
The gunmen were holding five police officers hostage and have demanded the resignation of President Serzh Sarkisian and the release of detained opposition leader Zhirair Sefilyan, who was arrested last month for alleged possession of firearms.
Chanting anti-government slogans, the protesters gathered at Yerevan's central Freedom Square and tried to march towards the police building in the Erebuni district where the gunmen are holding hostages.
Police blocked off the area and started arresting demonstrators, an AFP journalist witnessed. Some of the protesters burst through police cordons and clashed with officers.
Armenia's first deputy police chief Hunan Pogosyan urged the crowd to stay calm, saying that turmoil would only exacerbate tensions as police held talks with the gunmen.
The demonstration came after Armenian police briefly detained dozens of political activists for questioning over the crisis.
The gunmen were still holding five hostages on Monday, Armenia's national security service said. They freed two hostages overnight and released one on Sunday.
"Law enforcement agencies are doing everything possible to secure the situation's peaceful resolution," the security service said in a statement.
The gunmen, who captured a large arsenal of police weapons and are using their hostages as human shields, have so far refused to surrender.
The hostages include Armenia's deputy police chief General Major Vardan Egiazaryan and Yerevan deputy police chief Colonel Valeri Osipyan.
The attackers are supporters of Sefilyan, who was previously accused of plotting a violent overthrow of the government.
Sefilyan, the leader of small opposition group the New Armenia Public Salvation Front, and six of his supporters were arrested in June after authorities said they were preparing to seize government buildings and telecommunications facilities in Yerevan.
A fierce critic of the government, Sefilyan was arrested in 2006 over calls for "a violent overthrow of the government" and jailed for 18 months. He was released in 2008.
Last year, Sefilyan and several of his supporters were arrested again on suspicion of preparing a coup, but released shortly afterwards.
Sarkisian, a former military officer, has been president of the tiny country of 2.9 million people since winning a vote in 2008 that saw bloody clashes between police and supporters of the defeated opposition candidate in which 10 people died.
Hundreds of anti-government protesters rallied in Yerevan on Monday calling for a bloodless resolution to a hostage crisis a day after a pro-opposition armed group seized a police building in the Armenian capital.
One policeman was killed during Sunday’s assault on the building.
The gunmen were holding five police officers hostage and have demanded the resignation of President Serzh Sarkisian and the release of detained opposition leader Zhirair Sefilyan, who was arrested last month for alleged possession of firearms.
Chanting anti-government slogans, the protesters gathered at Yerevan’s central Freedom Square and tried to march towards the police building in the Erebuni district where the gunmen are holding hostages.
Police blocked off the area and started arresting demonstrators, an AFP journalist witnessed. Some of the protesters burst through police cordons and clashed with officers.
Armenia’s first deputy police chief Hunan Pogosyan urged the crowd to stay calm, saying that turmoil would only exacerbate tensions as police held talks with the gunmen.
The demonstration came after Armenian police briefly detained dozens of political activists for questioning over the crisis.
The gunmen were still holding five hostages on Monday, Armenia’s national security service said. They freed two hostages overnight and released one on Sunday.
“Law enforcement agencies are doing everything possible to secure the situation’s peaceful resolution,” the security service said in a statement.
The gunmen, who captured a large arsenal of police weapons and are using their hostages as human shields, have so far refused to surrender.
The hostages include Armenia’s deputy police chief General Major Vardan Egiazaryan and Yerevan deputy police chief Colonel Valeri Osipyan.
The attackers are supporters of Sefilyan, who was previously accused of plotting a violent overthrow of the government.
Sefilyan, the leader of small opposition group the New Armenia Public Salvation Front, and six of his supporters were arrested in June after authorities said they were preparing to seize government buildings and telecommunications facilities in Yerevan.
A fierce critic of the government, Sefilyan was arrested in 2006 over calls for “a violent overthrow of the government” and jailed for 18 months. He was released in 2008.
Last year, Sefilyan and several of his supporters were arrested again on suspicion of preparing a coup, but released shortly afterwards.
Sarkisian, a former military officer, has been president of the tiny country of 2.9 million people since winning a vote in 2008 that saw bloody clashes between police and supporters of the defeated opposition candidate in which 10 people died.
