Sasna Tsrer takes new hostages

/By Azernews/

By Rashid Shirinov

An armed group, which earlier seized a police building in Yerevan, took hostage of doctors, who arrived to assist the wounded in the shootout. 

Despite the recent surrender of two members of the Sasna Tsrer group, now the armed group took 4 ambulance doctors hostage.

On July 26 night, the police opened fire from behind a fence near the seized patrol station, shooting two of the group members.  After the shootout, Gagik Egiazaryan and Aram Akopyan – have surrendered to police. Being wounded, attackers Pavel Manukyan and his son Aram were transferred to the hospital. Other members of the Sasna Tsrer still stay in the station resisting the police.

The armed group reported that there are two wounded on the territory of the PPS regiment. Law enforcement officers proposed to assist the wounded and were refused.

“Later, the armed group demanded a doctor stating that the condition of the wounded is heavy. The arrived doctors, who arrived to help the wounded, have been taken hostage,” the head of the Armenian Police’s press service Ashot Aharonyan claimed.

Currently, the law enforcement officers are taking measures to release the doctors through negotiations.

The group of 31 people armed with assault rifles and pistols, seized the building of the police station in Yerevan on July 17. During capture of the building, one policeman was killed and six people, including five policemen, were injured.

The group demanded the resignation of President Serzh Sargsyan and the release of the leader of the radical opposition movement in Armenia Jirair Sefilyan, who was arrested in late June on charges of illegal possession of weapons.

Following the long-lasting talks, the armed group on July 23 released all of the previous hostages.