Hostage-Takers' Demands Rejected after Armenia’s President Holds Emergency Session

EghtesadOnline: Armenian authorities rejected the demands by a group of armed men who have taken hostages in a police station in the capital, Yerevan after President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan held emergency consultation with the country’s representatives of the law enforcement agencies.

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18 July 2016

National Security Service (NSS) officials also warned the group that it must surrender to security forces to end a standoff that began early on July 17 when the armed men stormed the Erebuni district police headquarters, Trend reported.

General Hunan Poghosian, the first deputy chief of Armenia's police, said one police colonel was killed and four other police officers were wounded during the attack.

The response of the Armenian authorities came after President Serzh Sargsyan held consultation with the representatives of the law enforcement agencies.

They discussed seizure of the police headquarters in Yerevan, news.am reports.

The participants briefed the President on a situation and the actions taken by the police.

It was emphasized that the law enforcement agencies have full control over the situation and take necessary measure to settle the crisis.

The gunmen, members of the opposition group Founding Parliament, are holding an unknown number of hostages at the police station.

NSS and other security officials held negotiations with the gunmen throughout the night of July 17-18 but failed to resolve the standoff.

The attackers issued a statement demanding the release of their leader, Zhirayr Sefilian, a fierce government critic who was arrested last month on charges of weapons possession.

Poghosian ruled out releasing Sefilian and urged the armed men to surrender.

"If they don't listen to our appeal we will neutralize them, because killers cannot be dealt with in any other way," he said on July 17.

But he said negotiations would continue for the time being.

Varuzhan Avetisian, a spokesman for Founding Parliament, announced that "they are starting a rebellion" and an attempt to “overthrow the government” while also trying to secure the "release of political prisoners.”