"People tired of being taken for a fool." Protests in Armenia continue


In Belarus, the cost of the kilowatt-hour of electricity is on average 1,000 rubles. Imagine that tariffs have been raised by 16%, and the new price is 1,160 rubles. To have it cancelled, people have been putting roadblocks on one of the main avenues of the capital for three weeks in a row. At first glance, the scenarion is incredible, but that is what has been happening in Armenia.

There have been an ongoing protest in Armenia since June 19. Less than 10 days later, on June 27, the Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan announced his intention not to raise tariffs. Some of the protesters considered it a victory and left the streets. Those who remain say: we want to ensure that the authorities change the practice of patching budget holes using the money of the ordinary citizens.

IZABELA ABGARYAN, SOCIAL ACTIVIST, BLOGGER:

“In Armenia there is a nuclear power plant and a hydro-power plant, we produce our own electricity. The new price is artificial, it has nothing to do with the real cost of electricity. People are already tired of being taken for a fool and pay for someone’s whims and mismanagement.”

The overall social situation in the country is terrible, explains to Belsat the situation in Armenia director of the Human Rights House in Yerevan Mikael Danelyan..

MIKAEL DANELYAN, HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER, DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RIGHTS HOUSE IN YEREVAN:

“Salaries are small. The police are omnipotent, the corts are corrupt. I call Armenia a military-police state with a criminal tinge. This is what is happening in Armenia now, so any protest could and can turn into the fight for freedom.”

It is impossible to draw the parallels between the protests in Yerevan, Stop Petrol rallies and silent protests. However, the local human rights activists also draw parallels between Armenia and Belarus.

MIKAEL DANELYAN, HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER, DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RIGHTS HOUSE IN YEREVAN:

“Mr Sargsyan is no different from Mr Lukashenka, he’s just more nimble. Mr Lukashenka said: democracy is me. Mr Sargsyan says democracy is when you are ready to give me money, and I am ready to build democracy. They given him money and nothing changes.”

In the last 2 years, the price of electricity has risen twice. The planned increase in tariffs by 7 drams was the last straw for the Armenians.

A couple of blocks away from Baghramyan Avenue nothing reminds of the protests. It was similar in Kyiv at the beginning of the revolution. True, they do not like comparisons with Maidan here. However, one thing is clear: electrical energy became social.

Arkadyz Nestsyarenka, Ales Barazyenka, belsat.eu/en/

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