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Police officers detained three young men on Bagramyan Avenue in Yerevan after people gathered there to protest a rise in electricity tariffs informed the police the young men were under the influence of alcohol and trying to provoke an argument.

A demonstrator, Vahagn Minasyan, told reporters that the young men were drinking beer on Bagramyan Avenue. “They made attempts to provoke an argument, but they failed as we don’t yield to provocations. We had to go to the police,” he said.

As was reported, on June 28 demonstrators against the power tariff hike divided into two groups after blocking Bagramyan Avenue in central Yerevan for over a week. The presidential residence, the Armenian parliament, Constitutional Court, and several embassies are located on that avenue. Following the statement made by Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan on June 27, the organizers of the rally attended by thousands – members of ‘No to Robbery’ civic initiative called on protesters to leave the avenue and return to Liberty Square nearby. Yet some of the demonstrators refused to leave. Police warned several times that they plan to open the street so normal traffic could resume in the city.