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CIVIL ACTIVISTS CELEBRATING VICTORY, REMAIN WARY OF FURTHER SNAGS AS MAYOR SUSPENDS DECISION ON BUS FARE HIKE - VIDEO
http://www.armenianow.com/society/48050/armenia_transport_fare_rise_protest_movement_victo ry
SOCIETY | 26.07.13 | 10:25
Photolure
By SIRANUYSH GEVORGYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter
As civil activists and ordinary people celebrated yesterday's
announcement by Mayor Taron Margaryan that the rise in bus fares
would be suspended, many also realized that it is just a temporary
respite and more efforts are still needed to complete what has been
described as another civil society victory in Armenia.
"Mayor Taron Margaryan simply announced the suspension and not
cancellation of his two decisions of July 19, 2013. It means that
the two mentioned decisions may become valid again when the wave of
public protest subsides and the commission to be set up finds that
the 'frozen' decisions should be revitalized," said Stepan Safaryan,
a member of the Yerevan Council of Elders with the opposition Hello
Yerevan faction.
Safaryan said that a group of their lawyers would continue to work
in this direction, and he did not exclude the possibility that these
'frozen' decisions will be disputed in court.
In an address to the public on Thursday Mayor Margaryan, in fact,
bowed to pressure from civil activists, who have been demonstrating
against bus fare hikes for days. He said that while the decision
remained suspended a commission of specialists will be set up to work
on mechanisms to ensure that the socially vulnerable groups of the
population are not affected.
Still, the mayor described the unpopular measure as beneficial for
the city and its transport system in the long term.
He said that increasing the public transport fare from 100 drams
(about 25 cents) to 150 drams is the price that has to be paid. "We
simply have no alternative," he underscored.
After the announcement of the suspension of the decision many young
men and women in Yerevan again took to the streets but this time to
celebrate their victory. Armenian users of Facebook and other online
social networks were also celebrating the success of the movement that
was dubbed '100 Drams' congratulating each other by sharing posts,
photographs and videos of memorable moments.
Meanwhile, lawyer Vahe Grigoryan said that what the mayor did was
simply avoiding responsibility. Had he canceled his decision instead
of suspending it he and all persons who enforced its application
would have had to take the consequences for it, he said.
"This decision must be invalidated, if not by him then by court. The
rest is just empty talk. The only way to finish this case is to achieve
the invalidation of this decision and to bring those who made it and
enforced it to account," said the well-known lawyer.
Members of the 'We Pay 100 Dram' civil initiative plan to gather near
the municipality building later today to make their demands to the
mayor regarding transportation system reforms, including the demand
that his controversial decision to raise bus fares be invalidated
rather than just suspended.
http://www.armenianow.com/society/48050/armenia_transport_fare_rise_protest_movement_victo ry
SOCIETY | 26.07.13 | 10:25
Photolure
By SIRANUYSH GEVORGYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter
As civil activists and ordinary people celebrated yesterday's
announcement by Mayor Taron Margaryan that the rise in bus fares
would be suspended, many also realized that it is just a temporary
respite and more efforts are still needed to complete what has been
described as another civil society victory in Armenia.
"Mayor Taron Margaryan simply announced the suspension and not
cancellation of his two decisions of July 19, 2013. It means that
the two mentioned decisions may become valid again when the wave of
public protest subsides and the commission to be set up finds that
the 'frozen' decisions should be revitalized," said Stepan Safaryan,
a member of the Yerevan Council of Elders with the opposition Hello
Yerevan faction.
Safaryan said that a group of their lawyers would continue to work
in this direction, and he did not exclude the possibility that these
'frozen' decisions will be disputed in court.
In an address to the public on Thursday Mayor Margaryan, in fact,
bowed to pressure from civil activists, who have been demonstrating
against bus fare hikes for days. He said that while the decision
remained suspended a commission of specialists will be set up to work
on mechanisms to ensure that the socially vulnerable groups of the
population are not affected.
Still, the mayor described the unpopular measure as beneficial for
the city and its transport system in the long term.
He said that increasing the public transport fare from 100 drams
(about 25 cents) to 150 drams is the price that has to be paid. "We
simply have no alternative," he underscored.
After the announcement of the suspension of the decision many young
men and women in Yerevan again took to the streets but this time to
celebrate their victory. Armenian users of Facebook and other online
social networks were also celebrating the success of the movement that
was dubbed '100 Drams' congratulating each other by sharing posts,
photographs and videos of memorable moments.
Meanwhile, lawyer Vahe Grigoryan said that what the mayor did was
simply avoiding responsibility. Had he canceled his decision instead
of suspending it he and all persons who enforced its application
would have had to take the consequences for it, he said.
"This decision must be invalidated, if not by him then by court. The
rest is just empty talk. The only way to finish this case is to achieve
the invalidation of this decision and to bring those who made it and
enforced it to account," said the well-known lawyer.
Members of the 'We Pay 100 Dram' civil initiative plan to gather near
the municipality building later today to make their demands to the
mayor regarding transportation system reforms, including the demand
that his controversial decision to raise bus fares be invalidated
rather than just suspended.