President Aliev sets 26 September as date forr a referendum after the Constitutional Court approves text of proposed changes

Commentary: The Armenian political scene has been caught in a time-warp for the last quarter of a century. There is plurality and competition, but the participants are by and large all veterans of a war that took place in the last century, and who see politics from the prism of that war.

News update, Saturday 23 July 11.00 GMT: The last two hostages held in Erebuni police headquarters in Armenia have been released. The armed men who stormed the building on Sunday have not yet surrendered

The hostage situation at Erebuni is coming to a close, but the political crisis it triggered in Armenia is likely to continue

"Cautious optimism is an essential quality for a peace-builder!"

Commonspace.eu is an initiative of LINKS (DAR) working with NGOs and media outlets in the Caucasus.

In a statement the EU stressed that the use of force to achieve political change is unacceptable and also noted with concern reports on excessive use of force and mass arrests by the police

A night of clashes leaves many wounded and arrested, amid reports of mistreatment by police.

Armenian police clashed with protesters overnight in the Erebuni District of the capital Yerevan in the vicinity of a police station where armed men are holding a number of hostages. There are reports that several people were injured and others arrested as the police tried to disperse a crowd sympathetic to the armed group.

The state of emergency allows the president and cabinet to bypass parliament in passing new laws and to limit rights and freedoms as they deem necessary.