Armenia on Thursday arrested 10 prominent opposition figures for their role in violent unrest that erupted after Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed a peace agreement with Azerbaijan, ceding swathes of disputed territory.
Ten opposition figures were arrested for "organizing illegal violent mass disorder," prosecutors said, hours before critics of Pashinyan were due to demonstrate in the capital Yerevan against the Russian-brokered peace accord over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, the subject of six weeks of fighting.
The Armenian defense ministry declared a no-fly zone in Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, except for military aircraft, Russia's Interfax news agency reported on Thursday.
The Armenian parliament on Wednesday failed to discuss the prime minister's resignation.
Pashinyan has said he had no choice but to sign the agreement to prevent further territorial losses. He said he was taking personal responsibility for the setbacks, but rejected calls to step down.
Parliament announced it would hold a special session on Wednesday evening to discuss the calls for his resignation, but it was not held as the parliament, dominated by Pashinyan's supporters, failed to have a quorum.
Opposition leaders called on protesters outside the parliament to leave and promised to share their future plans on Thursday.
The ceasefire halted military action in and around Nagorno-Karabakh, an enclave internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan but populated by ethnic Armenians. Under the agreement, 2,000 Russian peacekeeping troops are being deployed to the region.
