Ararat Cement plant employees holding a protest following plant`s  shutdown

ArmInfo.  Employees of the Ararat Cement plant, owned by Gagik Tsarukyan, leader of the Prosperous Armenia Party, are holding a protest on the premises, demanding the  plant's resumption of operations following investigative actions  conducted by law enforcement agencies.

According to live broadcasts from the scene, a significant number of  Armenian Ministry of Internal Affairs police officers are on duty at  the plant. The plant has been idle for four days, following  investigative actions conducted at the plant on July 6.

Hundreds of plant employees came to their workplaces today, demanding  the resumption of operations.  Citizens complain that the plant's  downtime is putting them in a desperate situation, as many have loan  repayments that must be made monthly. According to protesters, the  building is sealed, the accounting department is closed, and they  have no hope of receiving their salaries.

As a reminder, on July 6, law enforcement officers conducted searches  at the home of party leader Gagik Tsarukyan, as well as at most  companies within the Multi Group concern. Following the completion of  the investigation, Tsarukyan was detained and taken to the  Investigative Committee of Armenia. He is charged with alleged fraud  and large-scale money laundering. Tsarukyan denies the charges,  noting that what is happening is politically motivated pressure from  the ruling authorities.

In the parliamentary elections on June 7, 2026, the Prosperous  Armenia party, led by Gagik Tsarukyan, received 3.9893% of the vote.  Since the party failed to overcome the 4% threshold established by  law, it did not enter the new National Assembly. However, the  opposition claims that the elections were rigged and carried out with  numerous violations.