July 24, 2018 - 11:29 AMT
Armed group that stormed police station to run in Armenia polls

The members of the civil movement Founding Parliament and the Sasna Tsrer group, which captured a police department in Yerevan in summer of 2016, have announced that they will join forces to create a party.

According to a statement posted online, the new party will participate in the upcoming snap elections to the Armenian National Assembly.

Sasna Tsrer (Daredevils of Sassoun) stormed a Yerevan police patrol department in mid-July 2016 and took everyone inside hostage. They demanded the release of opposition leader Jirair Sefilian and the resignation of then President Serzh Sargsyan. Throughout the following days, the group released the captives one by one. After negotiations that lasted a little over two weeks, the gunmen agreed to surrender to law enforcement bodies. Three police officers were killed during this period.

Many of the more than 30 members of the group, who were initially imprisoned, have recently been set free. Sefilian is among the released.