Hundreds Arrested At Protests Against Armenian Government

In a statement, Dashnaktsutyun accused the policemen of acting like “street hooligans” and demanded criminal proceedings against them. The Interior Ministry said it has launched an internal inquiry into the incident.

Meanwhile, Galstanyan again marched through the city center together with a hundred supporters. He announced afterwards that they will head to a World War One memorial 50 kilometers west of Yerevan to spend the night there and celebrate the next morning the 106^th anniversary of the establishment of a short-lived independent Armenian republic.

Official ceremonies to mark the public holiday called Republic Day have traditionally been held at the Sardarapat memorial. It was not clear whether Galstanyan planned to try to prevent Pashinyan and other top state officials from visiting the site on Tuesday.

The outspoken archbishop of the Armenian Apostolic Church announced the latest “disobedience” actions on Sunday as he again rallied tens of thousands of supporters in Yerevan as part of his opposition-backed attempts to oust Pashinyan. The massive crowd supported his candidacy for the post of prime minister which appears to enjoy the backing of a wide range of opposition groups.

The 53-year-old archbishop accepted the “nomination,” saying that he has asked the supreme head of the church, Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II, to “freeze my spiritual service.” Karekin’s office reported on Monday that Galstanyan has been relieved of his “ecclesiastical and administrative” duties while retaining his episcopal rank.

Galstanyan has until now headed the church diocese encompassing Armenia’s northern Tavush province. He emerged last month as the leader of angry protests in several local villages against Pashinyan’s controversial decision to cede adjacent border areas to Azerbaijan.