Armenia: Electric Yerevan protesters march and block streets

An off-shoot of the so-called Electric Yerevan protest movement in Armenia blocked streets as they marched through Yerevan, Friday. Protesters marched from the Yerevan Opera theatre through Republic square, ending at Mesrop Mashtots Avenue, where they blocked traffic from entering the city centre briefly before rejoining the main protesters on Baghramyan Avenue. On June 17 the Public Services Regulatory Committee (PSRC) announced that energy prices would be increased by 16 percent, raising them for the third time in three years. Protesters have been taking to the streets since Friday, even after 200 were arrested and the police started to deploy water cannons. Wednesday's rally remained peaceful, but protesters continue to call for the government to release the detained demonstrators. The Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan has reportedly offered to meet a small group of activists, but the protesters have reportedly rejected the proposition.