President Sargsyan meets with heads of law enforcement agencies (video) July 22, 2016 - 14:40 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - President Serzh Sargsyan on Friday, July 22 held a meeting with the heads of the National Security Service, police and prosecution and investigative bodies. The President was briefed about the situation following an armed police HQ takeover in Yerevan, as well as measures taken to address the issue. An armed group that seized a police HQ and took everyone inside hostage. They are members of the Sasna Tsrer movement. One police officer was killed, and three more were wounded in a shootout that broke as the members of the group hit the gates of the police department with a Ural track. Several captives have been set free so far. The hostages include Armenia's deputy police chief General Major Vardan Eghiazaryan and Yerevan deputy police chief Colonel Valeri Osipyan. The group demand the release of Jirair Sefilian, the founder of the Founding Parliament who was arrested on June 20, as he and a group of people had planned to seize premises and communication facilities, including the Yerevan TV tower. Sargsyan stressed the importance of making every effort to reach a peaceful solution of the problem, as well as “ensuring the inevitability of punishment for the guilty.” “No problems will ever be solved through the use of force, attacks and hostage standoffs in Armenia,” he said. “I call on the gunmen who seized the police department and took everyone inside hostage to show restraint. The captives must be freed, and the group must lay down arms.” Also, the President urged the public to exercise their political and civil rights peacefully and acknowledge the real dangers stemming from extreme steps and provocations. Also, he urged the heads of the law enforcement agencies to continue implementing their activities in the most restrained way. Top stories The Cabinet of Ministers decided on Thursday, November 9 to allocated AMD 120 million to arrange the gathering. Michael Roth believes sanctions must be put on the table after Baku‘s ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh. The Yerevan City Council has elected Tigran Avniyan from the ruling Civil Contract as the mayor of the Armenian capital. The Armenian Parliament on Tuesday, October 3 voted to ratify the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Partner news | Biden honors resilience of Armenian people on April 24 U.S. President Joe Biden has issued a statement on the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Ex-Karabakh leader moved to solitary confinement cell in Baku, his son says David Vardanyan is the son of former Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan who who is currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan. Macron says France commemorates 109th anniv. of Armenian genocide Today France commemorates the 109th anniversary of the Armenian genocide of 1915, Macron says. Freedom House concerned by mounting reports of police violence in Armenia Freedom House urged Armenian authorities to investigate this pattern of excessive force and inhumane treatment. |