Armenia arrests 38 for protesting against prime minister's political course

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Armenia on Tuesday confirmed the arrest of 38 people who were protesting against Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's political course, as he moves ahead with plans for normalization of ties with neighbor Azerbaijan.

The protesters on Monday blocked the streets in the capital Yerevan, hindering traffic, demanded Pashinyan's resignation, and did not adhere to the legitimate demands of the police, the Interior Ministry said.

Archbishop Bagrat, the spiritual leader of the Tavush for the Motherland opposition movement, had called for pressure on the authorities through actions of civil disobedience.

The clergyman opposes Pashinyan's decision to return border villages in the Tavush region to Azerbaijan and worries that the prime minister's Western-leaning policies may introduce ideas in Armenia that oppose Christian values, threatening the stability of religious beliefs.