The Number of Injured in Yerevan Clashes Rises to 75

Government officials in Armenia have announced that the number of injured in the clashes on Friday night in Armenia has increased to 75, among whom a police officer was killed on Saturday by a sniper's bullet. On the evening of Friday, August 8, clashes between demonstrators and police forces in the capital of Armenia left dozens injured, with at least 25 of them hospitalized according to official sources. Additionally, reports indicate that police forces have arrested 165 demonstrators and transferred them to police stations, of which 26 are still in custody. According to reporters from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, three of whom are among the injured in these clashes, the violence escalated when a group of demonstrators attempted to approach a police station that had been occupied by an armed group. An armed group affiliated with one of the opposition leaders in Armenia has occupied a police building in the Erebuni neighborhood of Yerevan since Sunday, July 27. They had taken many police officers hostage, including the deputy chief of police of Armenia, but despite releasing these hostages, they have refused to surrender to government forces. A scene from the protests on Friday night in Yerevan shows that these armed individuals, numbering around 30, are demanding the release of Jirayr Sefilian, an opposition politician, and are also calling for the president of the country to be ousted from power. Jirayr Sefilian has been imprisoned since June on charges of organizing an armed group to seize the central television building and other important buildings in Yerevan. He accuses the Armenian government of being a 'corrupt government' and is calling for new elections. The demonstrators on Friday night are supporters of Jirayr Sefilian, and when they approached a location overlooking the Erebuni police station, police riot forces prevented their advance towards the police station by throwing stun grenades. The Armenian Human Rights Ombudsman reported on Saturday that it is investigating reports of attacks by government plainclothes forces on journalists during the protests. In response to the injuries sustained by journalists during the clashes on Friday night, Thomas Kent, the president of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, expressed outrage at the attacks on journalists, stating that 'we expect Armenian authorities to bring the attackers to justice and to protect journalists who are carrying out their legal duties.' Earlier, on Wednesday night, July 30, clashes in Yerevan over the hostage situation had left at least 51 injured, 25 of whom were police officers.