‘Come Down, Prime Minister, See What Situation We’re In’: Ongoing Protests Outside Government Building

As per usual on Thursdays, different groups of people gathered to protest outside the Armenian government building today: those protesting the ban on street trade, relatives of men killed in non-combat deaths in Armenia’s army, employees of fairs which import goods (complaining about increased import fees) and former residents of Yerevan’s Northern Avenue.

Also outside the government building today were Heritage Party leader Raffi Hovannisian and party member Anahit Bakhshyan, Armenian National Congress members, and a few dozen police officers.

The vendors, seeing the relatives of dead soldiers, who were standing outside holding photos of their sons, began to talk with them:

“Are they human, what have they done, we’re mothers too; what if tomorrow they treat our children also this way? It’s enough, they’re killing our youth, this isn’t a government, it’s a gathering of hooligans,” the women were shouting.

“How will our situation be, a broken mother’s situation, and the son was brutally killed. I’m here so they don’t kill another soldier, I can never bring my son back, at least with this fight of ours these things get stopped, and they no longer kill our sons,” Artak Nazaryan’s mother, Hasmik Hovhannisyan, told Epress.am. Note, Artak Nazaryan died on June 27 in No. 21177 military unit in Tavush marz. According to preliminary data, he committee suicide.

Employees of fairs speaking to Epress.am were complaining that their numbers are low: according to them, everyone has to come out on the streets.

“You see what the people are doing in Egypt; they came out on the street and initiated a regime change. Until our people don’t unite, they won’t get anywhere,” said one vendor.

“What did they do in Egypt? Out of 7 million people [note: Egypt’s population is, in fact, 80 million], 1 million came out, but they won because America wanted it. Here, the Russians don’t allow it; they put pressure [on us]. But not for long, it won’t continue this way [forever],” said another vendor.

As for the former residents of Northern Avenue, they were complaining about unlawful actions carried out against them.

“Serzh Sargsyan–Robert Kocharian criminals should be deprived of their homes, thieves. Come down, ay prime minister, why aren’t you coming down, come down and see what situation we’re in,” they were shouting.

Street traders told Epress.am that their next demonstration will be tomorrow. “We’re going to gather together tomorrow and go to the rally, at 5 pm we’re going to the rally,” they said.

Recall, the rally they were referring to is organized by the opposition group the Armenian National Congress.