Sasna Tsrer lay down arms

PanARMENIAN.Net - On the evening of July 30 police officer Yura Tepanosyan (born 1986) was killed by sniper gunfire in a police car parked over 1,000 feet away from the seized police compound. According to the police statement, Tepanosyan was killed with a shot fired from the police department. The armed group, however, denied any involvement in the officer’s killing.

“The police officer wasn’t killed by us. There was no way for us to see the location where he was stationed, so, in all probability, he was accidentally killed by a police sniper. I don’t mean to say it was premeditated, still I’d like to once again assure that we didn’t fire the shot,” the armed group member Varuzhan Avetisyan said.

He also added that the ambulance personnel weren’t held hostage, they were free to go anytime they wished.

On July 31, it was reported that the doctors held in police compound left the seized building. The doctors were cited as saying that they escaped while the armed group members were sleeping.

Doctor Norayr Tevanyan and nurse Malina Margaryan were the last medical personnel to be released from the seized compound. Paramedic David Tonoyan and doctor Salvador Khechoyan were let go earlier.

On the morning of July 31, the sound of explosions and gunfire was constantly heard around the police compound. The Founding Parliament issued a statement suggesting one of the armed group members was injured.

“According to information we have, Seto Nazaryan was injured in his chest. He was taken away. However, we have no further reports on his state,” the statement said.

Later, Armenian police spokesman Ashot Aharonyan said in his Facebook post that Sedrak Nazaryan was taken to a hospital with a gunshot wound in the morning of July 31 and was offered medical assistance.

Armenia’s Healthcare Ministry announced that the injured member of the armed group was hospitalized in intensive care and put on artificial ventilation. His condition is assessed as serious.

It was later reported that Sedrak Nazaryan’s co-villagers blocked the Yerevan-Meghri road in support of the armed group member.

Also, according to the Ministry of Healthcare, 3 more citizens hospitalized after the July 29 clashes with police were released from Surb Grigor Lusavorich medical center; as of July 31, 22 more people were receiving inpatient treatment.

On the evening of the same day, one of the leaders of Sasna Tsrer Varuzhan Avetisyan announced that the group is ready to lay down arms to avoid bloodshed.

“We have two options, to either continue fighting against police units which would lead to a bloodshed among people who have no connection to the ruling regime or lay down the arms to avoid bloodshed. This was a difficult decision,” Avetisyan said.

At around 9 pm, the National Security Service of Armenia announced the completion of the “anti-terrorist operation” to release the police compound. The detained 20 members of Sasna Tsrer were dubbed “terrorists” by NSS.

"Armenian law enforcers have forced the members of the armed group to lay down arms and surrender to the authorities. 20 terrorists were detained; the territory of the police precinct was freed from terrorists," an NSS statement said.

It was only on July 17 that the members of Sasna Tsrer were called terrorists; later they were referred to as “armed group.”

Late on July 31 evening, a rally to support the surrendered members of the Sasna Tsrer launched at Yerevan’s Liberty Square. Hundreds took to the central streets of the Armenian capital on learning about the decision of the group, that seized the Yerevan police compound, to surrender. Later the demonstrators announced that the rally will continue on August 1, at 7:00 pm.

At 9:28 pm Sasna Tsrer armed group posted the following statement on their Facebook page: “Sasna Tsrer were captured but the struggle is not over. Don’t lose hope and don’t emigrate. The fight will go on.”