Yerevan hostage-taking in 2016

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Pawlik Manukjan (center) with two other insurgents on the premises of the captured police station

The storming of a police station in the Armenian capital Yerevan from July 17 to 31, 2016, in which a group of 30 armed government opponents called " Sasna Tsrer " ( Armenian ՍասնաԾռեր 'daredevil of Sasun ' ) in theirs , is described as the hostage-taking of Yerevan Brought violence. They demanded the release of the imprisoned opposition leader Shirair Sefilian and the resignation of President Serzh Sargsyan . Three police officers were killed during the occupation. Up to 60 people were injured in the subsequent demonstrations between opponents of the government and police forces.

background

After the 2013 presidential elections, which resulted in numerous manipulations, the ruling Republican Party of Armenia gradually began to lose popularity and legitimacy among the population. The Lebanon- born opposition politician Shirair Sefilian initiated the “ New Armenian Liberation Front ” and tried to mobilize the disaffected masses against the government of Serzh Sargsyan. In 2006 he was sentenced to 18 months in prison on charges of organizing an anti-government uprising against then President Robert Kocharyan . In 2015, he and some of his supporters were re-accused of the coup, arrested and soon released. On June 20, 2016, Sefilian was arrested for the third time. This time, the special investigation agency of Armenia said that Sefilian and his colleagues had planned to bring the strategically important government buildings, communication facilities and the television tower of Yerevan under their control. When he was charged and brought before the court, the charges previously accused of planning a coup against the government were dropped. The charges were illegal acquisition and possession of weapons.

However, Varushan Awetisian , one of the leaders of Sasna-Tsrer, alleged that Sefilian was arrested for obstructing the Sargsyan government's plans to agree on concessions in the Nagorno- Karabakh conflict and to return some Armenian-occupied territories around Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijan . Only a few months earlier there had been serious clashes between the Armenian and Azerbaijani army units in Nagorno-Karabakh with hundreds of deaths.

hostage taking

The operation of the armed group around Pawlik Manukjan began on July 17, 2016 at around 5:30 am. They drove their vehicle through the front door of the Erebuni Police Station and took it over. One policeman was murdered in the shooting and two others were wounded (one of whom later died in hospital). Vitaly Balasanjan , a veteran of the Nagorno-Karabakh War in the early 1990s, tried to mediate between the insurgents and the government. In order to prevent the spread of information about the hostage situation, the government blocked social media and the websites of some critical media outlets on the same day.

After four days, the Sasna Tsrer men released two hostages on July 21. On July 22nd, Serzh Sargsyan addressed the hostage-takers and asked them to show prudence and not to endanger the lives of others with their "senseless actions". A few hours later, the nationalist Armenian Revolutionary Federation , which at that time formed a coalition government with the Republican Party, condemned the actions of Sasna Tsrer.

Four high-ranking police officers, including Deputy Police Chiefs General Vartan Yegiasarjan and Valery Osipjan, were released on July 23. In the course of the negotiations, the Armenian law enforcement authority allowed around 40 media representatives to enter the occupied police station in a designated zone and to talk to hostage-takers. However, live transmission was not allowed. At the press conference, Pawlik Manukjan criticized the lavish lifestyle of the police in Armenia. On July 25, the gunmen set fire to the third police vehicle in the police headquarters.

After a stalemate over the next five days, the Yerevan police issued an ultimatum to Sasna Tsrer men on July 30 to release the remaining hostages and then surrender. This led to a brief exchange of fire in which a police officer was killed. But the next day the insurgents decided to lay down their arms in order to “avoid even greater bloodshed” and to “continue the resistance from prison”.

Solidarity of the population

On the second day of the hostage-taking, July 18, 1,500 demonstrators went to Yerevan's Freedom Square to demonstrate their solidarity with the gunmen. The first clashes with the police occurred. The participants threw stones at the law enforcement officers, to which they responded with tear gas and stun grenades. On July 28th, the number of protesters rose to 20,000 people, which escalated the situation. The Armenian riot police attacked a group of protesters and journalists with stun and flash grenades, while plainclothes police officers attacked other protesters with metal sticks. 60 people were injured. 14 journalists were attacked by police during the rallies. The demonstrations in Yerevan lasted until August 11th. On August 4, 20 people were taken into police custody.

Information about the victims

The Yerevan Police Department said a total of 136 people were arrested during anti-government operations. Those who were taken to the police stations were tortured and not given any food or water for hours.

In the case of the police officer killed by a sniper on July 30, Sasna Tsrer members rejected all responsibility.

On July 30, a protester named Katschik Grigoryan set himself on fire and died from burns on August 2.

On March 16, 2017, the “breadbringer” Artur Sargsjan, who provided the insurgents with food for two weeks, died in the hospital.

International reactions

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini expressed concern about the harsh punitive actions taken by the Armenian government against the demonstrators and that the conflict situation that has arisen should only be resolved through a dialogue process.

According to Human Rights Watch , on July 29, 2016, the Armenian police used excessive force against the protesters and physically attacked numerous media workers who tried to cover the process of the hostage-taking.

In its 2017 report, Amnesty International describes the excessive arbitrariness of the security forces who indiscriminately attacked and beat up the demonstrators and journalists with stun grenades and tear gas. Many were seriously burned by the exploding grenades.

After the events

The end of the hostage drama was followed by the arbitrary arrest of the participants and the persecution of their family members. Political activists reported harassment, illegal house searches, interrogations, restrictions on legal services, etc. After the revolution in Armenia , Sefilian was released on June 13, 2018.

Others

One of the leading figures of Sauna Tsrer, Varushan Avetisjan, declared that Armenia should not become a province of Russia and described their uprising as a national liberation struggle against Russian colonialism.

During the trial that took place on July 18, 2018, Pawlik Manukjan unexpectedly accused two of his comrades in arms of having shot a police officer or of having blown up an ATM not far from the captured police station. Why he made these statements is unclear.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Police officials held hostage for fourth day in Armenia by Pro-opposition gunmen . In: The New Indian Express . ( newindianexpress.com [accessed October 23, 2018]).
  2. ↑ opposition activist Jirair Sefilian arrested in Armenia . In: PanARMENIAN.Net . ( panarmenian.net [accessed October 23, 2018]).
  3. ↑ Explainer: What Is Armenia's 'Founding Parliament' Movement? Retrieved October 23, 2018 .
  4. ^ Armenian oppositionist Arrested Over 'Coup Plot'. Retrieved October 23, 2018 (Armenian).
  5. ↑ Nagorno-Karabakh clashes kill dozens . In: BBC News . April 3, 2016 ( bbc.com [accessed October 23, 2018]).
  6. ^ What Happened Today in Yerevan and Why (Developing). Retrieved October 23, 2018 (Armenian).
  7. ^ President Sarkisian Breaks Silence on Hostage Situation . In: The Armenian Weekly . July 22, 2016 ( armenianweekly.com [accessed October 23, 2018]).
  8. ↑ ARF Says 'There is a Way Out' | Asbarez.com. Retrieved October 23, 2018 (American English).
  9. ^ Armed Opposition Group Frees All Hostages from Occupied Yerevan Police Station . In: The Armenian Weekly . July 23, 2016 ( armenianweekly.com [accessed October 23, 2018]).
  10. ^ Pavel Manukyan Told Why They Took Their Step. July 23, 2016, accessed October 23, 2018 .
  11. ↑ PressTV-Standoff in Armenia continues . ( presstv.com [accessed October 23, 2018]).
  12. ↑ n-tv news: Government opponents give up hostage-taking . In: n-tv.de . ( n-tv.de [accessed on October 23, 2018]).
  13. ^ Armenia: Protests in Yerevan over hostage crisis turn violent . In: The Indian Express . July 21, 2016 ( indianexpress.com [accessed October 23, 2018]).
  14. ↑ Yerevan: Police and Demonstrators Clash; 60 injured . In: Hetq.am . ( hetq.am [accessed October 23, 2018]).
  15. ↑ About 20 people were arrested at Freedom Square. August 5, 2016, accessed October 23, 2018 (Armenian).
  16. ^ Armenia protesters, police clash over hostage crisis. Retrieved October 23, 2018 .
  17. ^ Armenia protesters, police clash over hostage crisis. Retrieved October 23, 2018 .
  18. ↑ Armenian Protester Dies After Self-Immolation Read more at: https://www.aravot-en.am/2016/08/03/179587/ © 1998 - 2018 Aravot - Armenian News /. August 3, 2016, accessed October 23, 2018 .
  19. ↑ Arthur Sargsyan, 'Bread bringer', passes away. March 17, 2017, accessed October 23, 2018 .
  20. ↑ Armenia: EU calls to refrain from excessive use of force and violence during demonstrations | EU neighbors. Retrieved October 23, 2018 .
  21. ^ HRW Critical Report on Armenia: Excessive Police Force, Stun Grenades, Beatings; Protesters, Journalists Injured - Armenian News By MassisPost . In: Armenian News By MassisPost . August 2, 2016 ( massispost.com [accessed October 23, 2018]).
  22. ↑ Armenia 2017 | Amnesty International. Retrieved October 23, 2018 .
  23. ↑ Sefilian, Other Jailed Opposition Members Released on Bail. In: Asbarez.com. June 13, 2018. Retrieved April 21, 2019 (American English).
  24. ↑ « Сасна црер » спасли Армению - начинается вторая фаза . In: ИноСМИ. Ru . August 1, 2016 ( inosmi.ru [accessed October 23, 2018]).
  25. ↑ Сисак Габриелян: Член " Сасна црер " Павел Манукян сделал в суде громкие заявления . In: Радио Свобода . ( azatutyun.am [accessed October 23, 2018]).