Epress.am News from Armenia
7:18 pm: Activists decided to end their protest today and return to the park tomorrow morning. As told to Epress.am by one of the activists, Armo Safaryan, their decision is due to the fact that shop construction was stopped for today and the protective barrier which was put up around the pavilions has been removed.
6 pm: Commander of the Shushi battalion during the Nagorno-Karabakh War and one of the founders of the Sardarapat civic movement Jirair Sefilian said: “I joined the movement late today, but it’s very interesting, in 1988, they were chanting Karabakh, today with same tone, these youth are chanting Yerevan. I think that this is very symbolic, because it’s time to liberate Yerevan.”
5:52 pm: Lieutenant Colonel Karen Movsisyan, talking to activists, noted that they are fighting a single act with (several) illegal activities. Several activists have parked themselves inside a kiosk and aren’t preparing to leave. They are demanding the municipality give them a document promising that all construction work in the park will be suspended (if only temporarily).
Heritage Party MP Anahit Bakhshyan is speaking with demonstrators, who say that their protest is peaceful and they aren’t carrying out any unlawful activities.
5:44 pm: Despite the ultimatum of 20 minutes having passed, nothing has yet happened. Police have said the deadline might be extended somewhat.
In response to police warnings, activists say, “What [rule of] law are they talking about in all this unlawfulness?”
5:15 pm: Police warn activists that if they don’t leave the premises, they will be fined. But activists have no intention of leaving.
Police refused to respond to human rights campaigner Avetik Ishkhanyan’s question as to what specific penalty awaits activists if they do not follow police orders.
5:05 pm: Yerevan Deputy Police Chief Robert Melkonyan has given activists protesting shop construction in Mashtots Park 20 minutes to voluntarily leave and stop occupying the partially constructed kiosks — otherwise, police will use lawful means to clear the area.
Despite police orders, activists say they’re not preparing to vacate the premises on which they’ve been camped out for the second week in a row. Earlier, activists were singing Armenia’s national anthem; now, they’re occupying the kiosks and preventing workers from resuming construction.
“Returning from [the march to] Yerevan City Hall, people went into the pavilion and forced the workers to stop their illegal construction and they informed the Ministry of Urban Development that several urban development laws are being broken and they are demanding that a representative come and take note of this fact,” one activist, Apres Zohrabyan, told Epress.am.
According to him, the activists entered the park, while police and construction workers stood aside, as a result of which the activists were able to occupy the pavilion.
“They didn’t resist and we entered, then Yerevan Deputy Police Chief Robert Melkonyan came and negotiated separately with demonstrators about leaving the pavilion,” he said.
The protestors numbering around a 100 currently are being joined by others, including some famous figures.
“[Heritage Party leader] Raffi Hovannisian is currently in the park speaking with demonstrators,” said Zohrabyan, adding that there’s song and dance, and as a result of their work being obstructed, the construction workers have gone home while demonstrators rejoice.
