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Two members of armed group in Yerevan surrender

The organizers of the opposition rally in Yerevan called on their supporters to go home

© EPA/HAYK BAGHDASARYAN/PHOTOLURE

YEREVAN, July 27. /TASS/. Two members of the armed group in Armenia’s capital Yerevan have surrendered to the authorities, a spokesman for the Armenian police has told TASS.

"Gagik Yegiazaryan and Aram Akopyan have surrendered on the territory of the police regiment seizure by the group," Colonel Ashot Agaronyan said.

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He noted that a skirmish occurred, a law enforcer, one of the leaders of the armed group Pavel Manukyan and his son Aram were wounded. All three were immediately taken to hospital. "At the moment the skirmish has stopped, talks are in progress to complete the process of the armed group’s surrender," the spokesman said.

Meanwhile, the organizers of the opposition rally in Yerevan called on their supporters to go home until Wednesday evening. "We have to come back in the evening keeping the powerful energy of today’s rally and march," said Armen Martirosyan, deputy chairman of the opposition Heritage Party who led the march.

The call to disperse sparked anger from some of the participants in the rally who heard the opposition leaders’ statements on their determination to fight to the bitter end. The protesters demand that the organizers come up with a clear action plan, a TASS correspondent reported from the scene. "We in the diaspora are somewhat confused and do not know how to help you," said Arsinee Khanjian, an Armenian-Canadian actress and wife of film director Atom Egoyan. She urged the Armenian president "to heed the people’s opinion, step down and make room for new voices."

On Tuesday, the Armenian police issued a statement demanding to change the venue of rallies and remove them from the seized police regiment. Ignoring this appeal, the opposition held a rally and a march in the evening that brought together up to 2,000 people, the police said.

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