Dozens injured during anti-government demonstration in Armenia

YEREVAN — Dozens of people have been injured in clashes between protesters and police during a protest called in Armenia’s capital to demand Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s resignation.

The crowd threw stones and bottles at the police, who responded with stun grenades, a dpa reporter witnessed at the protest in Yerevan on Wednesday evening.

The Health Ministry said at least 55 people required medical treatment.

Police said that nearly 80 people were detained.

The protests, which have been running for weeks, are being led by Bagrat Galstanyan, Archbishop of the Tavush diocese in north-eastern Armenia.

Galstanyan has emerged as a vocal opponent of Pashinyan.

He has called for protesters to block roads and go on strike as a means of putting so much pressure on the government that it resigns.

Pro-Western Pashinyan has faced huge opposition since Armenia lost total control of the long-disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region to arch-rival Azerbaijan in 2023.

More than 100,000 ethnic Armenians had to flee following Azerbaijan’s lightning offensive.

Azerbaijan has kept up the pressure on Armenia and is now demanding further concessions.

Pashinyan enraged many after indicating a willingness to hand over control of several border villages to the neighbouring country in return for a peace treaty.