ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

Skip to main content

Tens of thousands rally to demand Armenian PM's resignation

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Moscow, Russia, on April 20, 2022. (Dmitry Astakhov, Sputnik, Government Pool Photo via AP) Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Moscow, Russia, on April 20, 2022. (Dmitry Astakhov, Sputnik, Government Pool Photo via AP)
Share
YEREVAN, Armenia -

Tens of thousands of protesters blocked streets and gathered around government buildings in Armenia's capital on Wednesday to demand the prime minister's resignation over his calls for a formal peace agreement with neighboring Azerbaijan.

The demonstrators used cement mixers and trucks to close off roads and bridges leading to the center of Yerevan. They marched, chanting "Armenia without Nikol," referring to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Clashes broke out with police and several arrests were reported.

Anti-government demonstrations have taken place almost daily since April 17. The prime minister became a renewed target of rancor after he spoke in parliament about the need to sign a peace deal with Azerbaijan.

The two countries have clashed for decades over the separatist region of Nagorno-Karabakh, which is part of Azerbaijan but has been under Armenian control since early 1990s. During a six-week war in 2020, Azerbaijan reclaimed control over some of the region before signing a Russia-brokered truce with Armenia.

"We can speak with the authorities about only one thing -- their immediate departure," said opposition politician Ishkhan Saghatelyan, vice president of the country's parliament. He called on all Armenians to join the civil disobedience and for protests to continue daily.

Police arrested some of the protesters, and security officials warned them against trying to storm the parliament building, but they massed outside, as well as near the Interior Ministry and elsewhere in the capital. Inside parliament, opposition politicians demanded Pashinyan's resignation in his presence. He said he would address the grievances but opponents walked out before he could do so

Correction

This story has been corrected to show that the protesters were blocking roads and bridges, not Armenian authorities.

CTVNews.ca ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

Police have arrested an 18-year-old woman who allegedly stole a Porsche and then ran over its owner in an incident that was captured on video.

Since she was a young girl growing up in Vancouver, Ginny Lam says her mom Yat Hei Law made it very clear she favoured her son William, because he was her male heir.

Advocates have identified the woman who died this week after being shot by police in Surrey, B.C., as a South American refugee who was raising a young daughter.

Three men were injured after trying to subdue a man armed with a knife during afternoon prayers at a Montreal-area mosque Friday afternoon.

A 15-year-old boy who was the subject of an emergency alert in New Brunswick has been arrested.

The search for a missing six-year-old boy in Shamattawa is continuing Friday as RCMP hope recent tips can help lead to a happy conclusion.

Provincial police investigating the death of a cat that was allegedly set on fire in Orillia earlier this week released surveillance video of a person of interest in the case.

Local Spotlight

Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

A Good Samaritan in New Brunswick has replaced a man's stolen bottle cart so he can continue to collect cans and bottles in his Moncton neighbourhood.