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Armenia’s opposition held a rally in downtown Yerevan on Thursday to voice support for a group of detained residents of Syunik Province.

The detentions came after angry protests in the border region during Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s visit on Wednesday.

Before the start of the rally, ARF member Ishkhan Saghatelyan, who coordinates the activities of the opposition Homeland Salvation Movement, reflected on the latest developments in Syunik.

"Today the people of Syunik are facing all the consequences of the current authorities’ actions, they have a moral right to kick out the person holding the PM’s office from Syunik,” he told reporters.

The opposition leader denounced the Armenian authorities for failure to respond to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s latest threats to take Zangezur by force, stating they are instead taking revenge on the people of Syunik.

Also, Saghatelyan condemned the use of force by the National Security Service and Investigative Committee while detaining the Syunik residents as a “disgraceful” move.

"This is a disgrace. The public must properly react to all this," he said.