Police clash with protesters outside government building in Yerevan
Clashes erupted between riot police and opposition protesters demanding Nikol Pashinyan’s resignation as they blocked a government building housing several ministries in downtown Yerevan on Monday.
MPs from the opposition Hayastan and With Honor (Pativ Unem) blocs wanted to enter the building and meet with ministers to find out their position on an opposition-drafted resolution on Artsakh and relations with Turkey, which has been put on the agenda of a special parliament session on June 3.
"We want to reveal whether, for example, the health minister agrees with the claim that Artsakh cannot be a part of Azerbaijan,” opposition leader and deputy parliament speaker Ishkhan Saghatelyan said, asking law enforcement officers to let them in.
However, the police refused to allow the lawmakers to enter the building. A scuffle started between police officers and protesters as the latter tried to break through the police cordon.
It was revealed later that four people, including two cops and two protesters, were hospitalized after the clashes.
Opposition members and supporters decided to unblock the government building and continue their march in the capital after learning that ministers had left the building through a service exit.