Hostage-taking in Yerevan

The people that seized the police station on Sunday morning in Yerevan refuse to release the hostages and surrender. This was said by the Security Service of Armenia on July 18.

Law enforcement agencies are taking "every possible means" for a peaceful resolution of the situation. "We urge the members of the armed group to refrain from actions that could lead to new victims and the dire consequences and to stop armed resistance. For this purpose there is time and opportunity," the Security Service stated.

As a result of negotiations on the night of July 18, they managed to free one of the police, and an ambulance driver, but the life and health of the remaining hostage four police officers is still under threat.

Recall that on the morning of Sunday 25 armed men with machine guns and pistols seized a police building in Yerevan and crashed the gates with a truck. During the attack they killed Police Colonel Arthur Vanoyan. Gunshot wounds were received by Lieutenants Aram Hovhannisyan and Hrachya Hostegyan and Ensign Gagik Mkrtchyan.

 The hijackers held law enforcement officers as hostages, among them - Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Armenia and Deputy Chief of Yerevan Police.

  The assailants demand the release of the opposition leader Zhirayr Sefilyan and the resignation of President Serzh Sargsyan. -02D-