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AP: Protest against electricity price hike is the most serious unrest Armenia has seen in years

23 June 2015 12:48 (UTC +04:00)

Police in the Armenian capital on Tuesday forcefully dispersed demonstrators who blocked a central avenue as part of a protest against a hike in electricity prices, arresting more than 200 people, the Associated Press (AP) reported.

“The scope of the protest and its dispersal represented the most serious unrest Armenia has seen in years, raising concerns about political stability in the impoverished ex-Soviet nation that hosts a Russian military base and is part of a Moscow-dominated economic alliance. About 5,000 demonstrators marched Monday to the presidential headquarters, but were stopped by phalanxes of riot police backed by water cannons. Armenian police spokesman Ashot Agaronian said that 237 demonstrators were detained. He said seven demonstrators and 11 police officers were injured,” said AP.

The landlocked country's economy is hobbled by the longstanding closure of its borders with Azerbaijan and Turkey over the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, according to AP.

According to Reuters, the protest, which was organized by young activists with no affiliation to any political parties, was triggered by the state regulatory commission's decision last week to increase the tariff on electricity by 17 to 22 percent from Aug. 1.

A country of 3.2 million, Armenia has been badly affected by the economic crisis in Russia. Exports to Russia have fallen, as have remittances from Armenians working there, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.

“On Monday, EU foreign ministers agreed to prolong damaging economic sanctions against Russia until January 2016 over Moscow's role in the Ukrainian crisis.

In January, Armenia joined the Russia-led Eurasian Customs Union, further increasing Yerevan's dependence on its former imperial master,” said AFP.