Epress.am News from Armenia
A group of students of the Armenian State University of Economics' Gyumri campus are boycotting classes and protesting in front of the building and in the corridors of the university, reports GALA TV [AM]. The students disseminated the following statement on Facebook yesterday, inviting everyone to join them in their protest: “Citywide unrest…The student union of the Gyumri branch of the Armenian State University of Economics is not another abode for the [ruling] Republican Party of Armenia [HHK]… Gyumri, rise up!"
According to GALA TV, an independent TV station based in Gyumri, the university is in turmoil. Some of the students are boycotting the election of the president of the student council, since, in their opinion, a group of young Republican lecturers at the university are trying to do everything possible to politicize the student union. The protesting students believe having a major role in all this is head of the HHK youth wing in Gyumri Artak Arakelyan, who is also one of the lecturers at the university.
"Minister [of Education and Science] Armen Ashotyan often makes speeches and says that universities in Armenia are not politicized. However, the fact remains that a group of young Republicans are trying to ‘republicanize’ our university’s student union, which is perhaps considered to be the only independent body among universities in Shirak marz [province]. We know that student unions in all universities are controlled — particularly by the HHK. In the case of our university, we will do everything to prevent this, as a student union is considered an independent, non-partisan structure," said the students.
In their opinion, also having an active involvement in this is Rector of the university's Gyumri branch, HHK member Samson Davoyan. He, the students say, is trying to control the student union through the young Republicans.