Police detain 27 protesters outside PSRC building

Law enforcers detained 27 citizens participating in a protest outside the building of Armenia’s Public Services Regulatory Commission (PSRC), the correspondent of Aysor.am was informed by the Armenian police press service.

Members of the initiative against the upcoming hike in electricity prices from August 1, 2014, staged a protest today outside the building of OSRC. A scuffle broke out between protesters and the police after policemen blocked the way in order to prevent the protesters from approaching the entrance of PSRC building.

The activists were detained under Article 182 of the Code of Administrative Offences. Materials are being prepared, with relevant infornation on the Internet being examined. 

PSRC Chairman Robert Nazaryan earlier said that starting from August 1, 2014, the electricity tariffs for all the consumer groups will rise by 3.8-4.3 drams/KWh (inclusive of VAT). In his words, the electricity tariff rise is inevitable as Electric Networks of Armenia CJSC may face great financial difficulties: the company’s debt already amounts to 16 billion 600 million drams.