Armenian police arrest 200 at protest over energy prices

More than 200 people have been arrested in Armenia during protests about rising electricity prices. BBC reports.

Some 5,000 demonstrators marched to the presidential headquarters in the capital, Yerevan, but were stopped by riot police with water cannon.
The protesters then sat on the road to block traffic, before officers moved in to disperse them early on Tuesday morning.

Violent clashes erupted, with seven demonstrators and 11 police injured.

The marchers were demanding that the government reconsider a decision to increase electricity prices for households by 17-22% from 1 August.

Armenia's electricity network is owned by a Russian company, which says the rise is necessary because of a fall in the value of the national currency, reports the BBC's South Caucasus correspondent Rayhan Demytrie.

There have been a number of demonstrations in Yerevan in recent weeks, reflecting public discontent with the country's faltering economy, our correspondent adds.

The protest was organised by young activists with no affiliation to any political parties, according to Reuters.

Armenian police spokesman Ashot Agaronian said that 237 demonstrators had been detained after some officers were hit with rocks.

Police responded by beating protesters with truncheons and launching water cannon.

A similar march was held in the western city of Gyumri, where 12 people were reportedly detained.

The landlocked country has faced economic isolation since the closure of its borders with Turkey and Azerbaijan, over a land dispute regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh region.