Armenia’s Interior Ministry has said that it placed seven people demonstrating in solidarity with protesters in Iran under administrative detention for failing to comply with police orders.
Interior Minister Narek Sargsyan told state-run media outlet Armenpress about the arrests on Saturday.
The protesters had intended to march from Iran’s Embassy to the Blue Mosque in Yerevan, but were not authorised to do so by the authorities.
‘The march is not authorised, which is why the march was banned’, Sargsyan said.
According to Armenia’s administrative offences code, disobeying police results in a fine. It is unclear whether the seven detainees were released.
While Armenpress has not specified the nationalities of the detainees, Civilnet reported that they were Iranian nationals.
According to Civilnet, the protest had been authorised by the Yerevan Municipality on Thursday, but had its permit revoked on Friday. The arrests began as protesters attempted to break through a police cordon.
Civilnet added that the Iranian Embassy was surrounded by a heavy police presence.
During the protest on Saturday, demonstrators accused Yerevan of acquiescing to Tehran’s demands that it put an end to the protests against the Iranian regime.
The demonstrations in solidarity with Iranian protesters were criticised by Iran’s Ambassador to Armenia, Khalil Shirgholami, who issued a statement reminding Armenia that Iran stood by it ‘during the most difficult times’.
‘Now we are in a difficult situation. And the event that takes place now in front of the Iranian Embassy will remain in the historical memory of the Iranian people’, Shirgholami said, adding that a ‘perception is forming that Armenia is becoming a hub for the actions of forces hostile to Iran’.
Armenia’s Interior Ministry responded to the statement saying that Armenia, as a democratic state, is ‘obliged not to impede’ people’s rights to freedom of movement and peaceful assembly.
Prior to these administrative arrests, OC Media learned that several demonstrators near the Iranian Embassy had been summoned by Armenia’s National Security Service for questioning.
Arshaluys Barseghyan
