Armenians Defy Police at New Energy Price Protests

World | June 23, 2015, Tuesday // 20:00
Bulgaria: Armenians Defy Police at New Energy Price Protests Photo by Bulgarian News Agency

At least 5000 flocked to the streets of Yerevan, Armenia, to urge lower electricity prices after an earlier demonstration was dispersed by security forces.

Reports by the New York Times suggest there could be as many as 7000 in dowtown Yerevan.

More than 240 people were detained after the previous rally in Armenia's capital Yerevan which culminated in the small hours of Tuesday due to activists' refusal to heed police calls and disperse.

Radio Free Europe claimed that law enforcement officers had beaten some of the journalists accredited to cover the demo.

An Armenian civil rights group urged citizens to continue their demonstrations demanding that electricity bills be lowered for households.

The group, whose name is loosely translated as "No To Plunder", also announced on Facebook it insisted that the 240 detainees be released.

An Armenian journalist, quoted by Lenta.ru, says demonstrators are coming up with the single demand that end bills should go down. However, some demonstrators are already chanting against President Serzh Sargsyan and the government.

As of 20:00 EEST the protest can be watched live on YouTube.

Unrest was sparked late last week as the national energy regulator approved new prices of end consumers of electricity from the state utility Armenia Electric Mains.

Russian media outlets have already accused the US of inspiring protests, calling the developments in Yerevan "Electro-Maidan". Demonstrators, however, maintain they are in no way against Moscow.

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Tags: Armenia, electricity, protests

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