Published since 07.2002
Published on July 11, 2008
SEATED TO TAKE A STAND: OPPOSITION SAYS IT WILL CONTINUE SIT-IN TILL AUGUST 1
- Armenia’s political opposition is continuing a sit-in launched last Friday on Northern Avenue – the scene of daily political strolls of the opposition. The ‘strolls’ in Northern Avenue began after the lifting in late March of the emergency rule imposed in the wake of post-election violence that followed a break-up of nonstop opposition protests in nearby Liberty Square on March 1. Until today, Liberty Square remains closed for the opposition. “Liberty Square is a symbol of political struggle in the life of Armenia and when the authorities keep it closed, they keep the political way for struggle closed. Hearing the name of Liberty Square the authorities seem to have a shiver,” says first president Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s spokesman Arman Musinyan. “Be it in a week, in a year, in five months, I don’t know, but the opposition will come to Liberty Square.” Instead, the opposition made itself comfortable on Northern Avenue. The ongoing sit-in is among the first steps of the new tactics adopted by the Ter-Petrosyan-led Popular Movement about which the opposition leader announced during a July 4 rally. The opposition is demanding the release of those it believes to be political prisoners and holding of pre-term presidential elections. “The sit-in will last until August 1 when the Popular Movement will call another all-state rally. In the meantime, the sit-in will contribute to activation of public life,” Musinyan says. Political analyst Sepan Safaryan says that unlike hunger strikes sit-ins in Armenia are more effective means of struggle. Anahit Grigoryan, a teacher by profession, was preparing to spend her third night at Northern Avenue. She says that she struggles for the reestablishment of democracy in the country and putting that democracy on a firm basis. “Otherwise, what remains to do is to leave this country. We do not go home from streets for 3-4 months now, we have cut ourselves from our families, children, but we are also well aware that we have no other option,” she says. Arman Hovhannisyan is among the activists of the sit-in. He says that approximately 100 people spend nights in the avenue. He says the situation is calm, they have no problems with police, they say police understand their action. Safaryan, who is secretary of the opposition Heritage faction in parliament, does not think that the opposition has taken a timeout break with this sit-in until August 1. He points out the slow effect of sit-ins, citing the example of the February 20-29 sit-in in Liberty Square. “It really has effect on the authorities. They get nervous, which entails certain circumstances. I want to be an optimist and I think that the authorities, who haven’t yet digested March 1, will refrain from any drastic action,” he says. Hovhannisyan felt on his own skin the March 1 morning events. He had spent the night before in Liberty Square. “Of course, a sit-in gives a result, otherwise they wouldn’t have beaten us that day, and there wouldn’t have been March 1. But this time there will be no March 1,” he says. According to Musinyan, if the authorities fail to fulfill the opposition demands before August 1, they will triple and toughen the rally rhetoric. “The causes of the current political crisis are two – rigged presidential elections and the attempt to retain power through rigged elections accompanied with the use of lethal weapons and 10 resultant deaths,” says Musinyan. “Let them study the historical experience, such political crises are solved with early presidential elections. A person who has a 70 percent vote of confidence [Serzh Sargsyan] would readily agree to pre-term elections.” Sit-in participants say that their political struggle is defined by law. They say if the authorities are against it, let them change the Constitution, strip people of the right to free assembly. Heritage party leader Raffi Hovannisian thinks that a breakthrough is needed to solve the situation. The steps initiated by the authorities in this direction have changed something, he says, bringing the examples of the customs and tax spheres, however it won’t give any integral result until there is rule of law in the country, according to him. “As a man who opposes any extraordinary solutions, nevertheless I consider that if there is no breakthrough, the way-out is pre-term elections, as otherwise the authorities simply postpone the explosion that will take place because of the accumulated emotions in society,” Hovannisian says.
- Gayane Mkrtchyan
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Today in Armenian history- 1706 First publication of the "Harsmavoork" periodical in Grigor Marzovantsi's publishing house (Constantinople).
- 1886 Birth of Missak Metsarents (poet). He died in 1908.
- 1904 The Mossoon and Zor battles took place under the leadership of Gayl Vahan and Mihran.
- 1905 After the defeat of Russian forces in the Russo - Japanese War, the Tsar proclaimed an edict on the confiscation of the Etshmiadsin church estates.
- 1906 Death of Heinrich Geltser, German armenologist. He was born in 1847.
- 1906 Death of the German armenologist Heinrich Helzer. He was born in 1847.
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