Epress.am News from Armenia
The numbers of those protesting kiosks construction in the Mashtots Ave. park (between Aram and Buzand streets) in Yerevan today blossomed to around 50, after information spread among news media and social networks alerted the public to an altercation between activists and police who asked that the plastic sheet they put up for shelter be removed.
Also arriving on scene to support the activists were Heritage Party MP Zaruhi Postanjyan and commander of the Shushi battalion during the Nagorno-Karabakh War and one of the founders of the Sardarapat movement Jirair Sefilian. Representatives of the Human Rights Defender’s Officer were also on scene.
As reported by the Epress.am correspondent on site, contractors attempted to resume work on building the kiosks when activists stopped them, saying what they’re doing is illegal. To this the contractors answered that they have the necessary papers to resume construction. Currently, the activists are waiting for workers to show them these documents.
Recall, at a meeting with Yerevan mayor Taron Margaryan yesterday, activists were assured that construction wouldn’t resume until this matter was discussed by a specially created ad-hoc committee.
A statement issued by local civic group “We are the owners of this city” states that city hall, in allowing this construction in the park, has made an arbitrary decision in favor of a handful of property owners to the detriment of the Yerevan public, and city employees cannot explain why kiosks dismantled from one public area were moved to another public area — and green space at that.
“If Yerevan City Hall doesn’t wish to abide by the law then the citizens standing guard for days in Mashtots park have the understanding of this law and see no other option than continuing their sit-in of an indeterminate period until the final liberation of the park,” reads the statement.