Armenian Archbishop Leads Another Anti-Government Protest in Yerevan

Thousands of citizens of Armenia took to the streets of Yerevan on Monday in support of the protest movement "Tavush for Motherland," which demands the resignation of Nikol Pashinyan, the Prime Minister of Armenia, due to the handover of the Tavush border area to Azerbaijan. This protest was led by Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan in the capital of Armenia, and despite reports of police presence in the area, unlike last week's protests against the Armenian government, no violence occurred between the parties. The Armenian police used stun grenades during last Wednesday's protests and arrested about a hundred people, with dozens injured during that demonstration. However, Pashinyan defended the police's use of force against the protesters, deeming their actions "legitimate and professional." Bagrat Galstanyan stated during the Monday protest that forensic officials had refrained from examining the injured from last week's protests until Sunday evening to keep the events of that day hidden. He emphasized that the events of June 12 (22 Khordad) are another stain on the face of this government and its leader, promising that legal actions would be taken against those responsible for the violence of that day. Armenian media reported, citing police officials, that 17 police officers were injured in last Wednesday's clashes. The Armenian Ministry of Internal Affairs also announced that 76 civilians were injured and 98 were detained. Last month, Armenia returned four villages to Azerbaijan, which it had controlled since the early 1990s, after a long halt in peace negotiations with Baku, thus removing a significant obstacle in the negotiations. However, this event fueled the anger of Pashinyan's opponents and triggered a new wave of protests in the country.