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Armenian MP Naira Zohrabyan from Prosperous Armenia party suffered minor wounds during skirmishes near the Opera House in Yerevan. It has been the second day since a group of employees and owners of cafes in downtown Yerevan are staging a protest against the recent decision of Yerevan Municipality to dismantle several cafés located in the vicinity of the Opera House as part of its program to restore green zone around the building.

The protest actions escalated during the day when police tried to disperse and remove the protesters from the scene who were holding a sit-in protest to block the dismantling works.

Arman Abobyan, MP at Armenian National Assembly informed that Zohrabyan fell to ground during the clashes between police forces and protesters, adding his colleague received minor wounds to her leg.

Later, Zohrabyan took to her Facebook page calling on all sides to come to the negotiation table and discuss the matter in a civilized atmosphere. “Violence will lead to nowhere,” Zohrabyan wrote.

Earlier in the morning Yerevan Mayor Hayk Marutyuan issued a statement, stressing the need to recover Yerevan’s cultural features: “Today we fulfil our dream of many years as we are liberating the area surrounding the Opera House [from commercial property] and restore the atmosphere of the cultural hearth.” He also thanked the Yerevan residents for “supporting the authorities in this matter.” “We feel your support,” Marutyan said.