Police detains protesters in Armenia

/By AzerNews/

By Laman Sadigova

Armenia is shrinking from the protests wave that are caused by the referendum on constitutional amendments that was held on December 6.

The referendum on constitutional changes that aimed to change the country’s political structure from presidential to parliamentary republic was held in Armenia December 6.

Currently, the rally is being held by members of the “New Armenia” movement and the Armenian National Congress.

The local media said that the police detained several demonstrators. Three activists were taken to police stations from the Freedom Square because they attempted to set up a tent in the area.

The leaders of the protesting movements stressed that those who gathered on the square do not accept the results of the referendum. Ten criminal cases were filed a suit due to various violations during the preparation and conduct of the referendum.

The opposition in Armenia has claimed about massive violations during the referendum, while the authorities say that the violations could not influence the final results.

The local law enforcement authorities have investigated as many as 446 reports submitted by citizens, civil society organizations and the media.

420 reports, which were about clear signs of crime during the referendum, were directed to investigating authorities, while 16 were transferred to the police for verification. Criminal cases were launched on the remaining ten reports.

More than 63 percent of participants of the referendum voted in favor of the adoption of amendments to the Constitution, opposed by over 32 percent of voters, according to preliminary data.

In total, 446 applications were sent to the prosecutor's office, 420 out of which were sent to investigation, 16 posts were sent to the police and 10 criminal cases were initiated.

The Armenian Police received 268 signals about violations of the elections procedures during the voting.