Armenian health minister defends order on use of Zarya-3 grenades against protesters

Armenian Health Minister Anahit Avanesyan on Thursday defended the order allowing riot police to use Russian-made Zarya-3 grenades against anti-government protesters and journalists in Yerevan on June 12.

Avanesyan added the powerful stun grenades to the ministry’s list of authorized crowd control weapons later on June 26.

“Life is changing and certain situations necessitate changes to legal acts,” she told reporters on Thursday, commenting on her decision.

The minister assured compliance with a set procedure for amending orders.

Avanesyan said that the decision was based on the opinion of specialized institutions, adding she was unaware of the claims that Zarya-3 grenades were intended for use against terrorists rather than peaceful demonstrators.