Armenia’s Deputy Police Chief Hunan Poghosyan on Monday, July 18 said they are negotiating surrender and termination of the hostage situation in Yerevan.

A group of armed people attacked and seized a police HQ in Yerevan, taking everyone inside hostage. The gunmen 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. Five captives have been set free so far. 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.

“The demands of both sides are unchanged, with Sefilian’s involvement in negotiations out of the agenda,” Poghosyan said.

“The number of captives currently stands at 5. Police Chief Vladimir Gasparyan is not participating in negotiations, he is monitoring the overall situation.”

As reported earlier, other hostages were released overnight, with two others having been released on Sunday.

Read also:Gunmen seize police HQ in Yerevan: 1 killed, 4 wounded