On Sunday, an armed group took several police officers hostage at a patrol police station in the capital’s district of Erebuni.
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“It is impossible to negotiate in such conditions”, he said. The hostage takers fired some shots in the air. “We are doing our best to resolve the situation without bloodshed”.
Poghosian said law-enforcement agencies were not ruling out the use of force as a last resort. The situation around the building of police regiment in Yerevan seized by armed attackers is calm, with the area cordoned off by police forces. The group demand the release of Jirair Sefilian, the founder of the Founding Parliament who was arrested on June 20, as he and a group of people had planned to seize premises and communication facilities, including the Yerevan TV tower.
Those gathered in Freedom Square criticised the government’s abuse of power, corruption, and impunity for driving people to take extreme actions, like the occupation of the police station, according to Radio Free Europe/ Radio Liberty’s Armenian service.
Riot police reportedly stopped a group of a hundred demonstrators marching to the police station to declare their solidarity with the assailants on Monday.
The gunmen are members of the Sasna Tsrer movement.
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.
They released two hostages on Sunday and released two more on Monday, the security service said.
Officials have been negotiating with the group, which demands the release of opposition politician Jiray Sefilian and of other political prisoners, as well as a regime change in Armenia.
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Pashinyan and two journalists were earlier permitted by police to enter the secured area to visit the armed group and determine their condition.
