At least 15 Armenian opposition leaders arrested following protests in Yerevan

On Thursday, November 12, Armenia’s Special Investigation Service announced the arrest of ten opposition leaders in connection with a criminal case on illegally organizing mass gatherings in Yerevan, Interfax reports.

Several of the opposition figures are also accused of violating the rules for handling documents containing state secrets.

In addition, opposition groups have reported the arrests of five more of their representatives, bringing the total number of arrested opposition figures to 15.

Large-scale protests have been ongoing in the Armenian capital since the night of November 10, when Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed an agreement to end hostilities with Azerbaijan in the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. According to the settlement, nearly half of the region’s will be placed under Azerbaijan’s control.

Protesters in Yerevan are demanding that Pashinyan step down over the settlement. On November 11, opposition parties tried to bring about the prime minister’s resignation through parliament, but were unsuccessful due to a lack of quorum.