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PROTESTORS CONTINUE IN YEREVAN; SIT-IN AT CITY HALL
http://asbarez.com/112018/protestors-continue-in-yerevan-sit-in-at-city-hall/
Friday, July 26th, 2013
Protesters at Yerevan's municipal building (photo by hetq.am)
YEREVAN-Hundreds of young activists continued to protest at City Hall
Friday, staging a sit-in when police did not allow them to enter the
municipality building to present their demands for the resignation
of the city's transportation department head, Henrik Navasardyan.
On Thursday, Yerevan Mayor Taron Margaryan suspended a decision to
increase public transportation fares from 100 drams to 150 drams. The
fare increase sparked demonstrations and protests across Yerevan for
six days.
The demonstrators on Friday demanded the immediate resignation
of Transportation Department Head Henrik Navasardyan and Misak
Hambardzoumyan, Director of Yerevan Trans Ltd. Navasadyan's family
reportedly owns one of the many city transit lines, in a scheme where
the municipality does not own transit routes but rather political
officials and businessmen with ties to the government control the
routes and any financial profit they make.
The demonstrators also demanded that the mayor make public the
documents and reports, based on which the City Council voted for a 50
percent hike in fares. They also demanded that the Yerevan municipality
assume 100 percent control of the public transportation system.
On Monday, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation's Supreme Council
of Armenia issued an announcement condemning the fare hike decision
and urged the city government to re-evaluate the increases that were
becoming a burden on the people of Yerevan.
In its announcement, the ARF condemned the Armenian government's
shortsighted policies; demanded that the decision to increase public
transportation prices be halted and any fare increases be carried out
through a transparent mechanism corresponding to the increase of wages.
The party also suggested the establishment of a public-expert group, to
develop and propose a legal-collective system that includes multiple
rate plans, discount systems and the formation of transportation
cooperatives.
More importantly, the ARF welcomed and expressed its solidarity with
protester groups and youth who are expressing their anger at this
disgraceful decision and through their activism are defending their
and the public's rights.
"This is a victory but we won a battle, not war, and the struggle
will continue," one of the activists, Sonia Msrian, told RFE/RL's
Armenian service (Azatutyun.am). "We will achieve systemic changes
in the public transport sector."
Markarian also faced more challenges from the opposition minority
in the municipal council. The opposition bloc Barev Yerevan (Hello
Yerevan) said it will go ahead with plans to challenge the legality
of the price hikes in court. Barev Yerevan leaders say the measure
was illegal because the authorities began enforcing it before the
publication of a corresponding order signed by the mayor.
Anahit Bakhshian, a leader of the bloc connected to Raffi
Hovannisian's Zharangutyun (Heritage) party, said Barev Yerevan will
demand Markarian's resignation if the order is deemed illegal. "We
will be fully exposing the series of incompetent decisions made by
these authorities and their penchant for protecting their personal
interests," she said.
http://asbarez.com/112018/protestors-continue-in-yerevan-sit-in-at-city-hall/
Friday, July 26th, 2013
Protesters at Yerevan's municipal building (photo by hetq.am)
YEREVAN-Hundreds of young activists continued to protest at City Hall
Friday, staging a sit-in when police did not allow them to enter the
municipality building to present their demands for the resignation
of the city's transportation department head, Henrik Navasardyan.
On Thursday, Yerevan Mayor Taron Margaryan suspended a decision to
increase public transportation fares from 100 drams to 150 drams. The
fare increase sparked demonstrations and protests across Yerevan for
six days.
The demonstrators on Friday demanded the immediate resignation
of Transportation Department Head Henrik Navasardyan and Misak
Hambardzoumyan, Director of Yerevan Trans Ltd. Navasadyan's family
reportedly owns one of the many city transit lines, in a scheme where
the municipality does not own transit routes but rather political
officials and businessmen with ties to the government control the
routes and any financial profit they make.
The demonstrators also demanded that the mayor make public the
documents and reports, based on which the City Council voted for a 50
percent hike in fares. They also demanded that the Yerevan municipality
assume 100 percent control of the public transportation system.
On Monday, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation's Supreme Council
of Armenia issued an announcement condemning the fare hike decision
and urged the city government to re-evaluate the increases that were
becoming a burden on the people of Yerevan.
In its announcement, the ARF condemned the Armenian government's
shortsighted policies; demanded that the decision to increase public
transportation prices be halted and any fare increases be carried out
through a transparent mechanism corresponding to the increase of wages.
The party also suggested the establishment of a public-expert group, to
develop and propose a legal-collective system that includes multiple
rate plans, discount systems and the formation of transportation
cooperatives.
More importantly, the ARF welcomed and expressed its solidarity with
protester groups and youth who are expressing their anger at this
disgraceful decision and through their activism are defending their
and the public's rights.
"This is a victory but we won a battle, not war, and the struggle
will continue," one of the activists, Sonia Msrian, told RFE/RL's
Armenian service (Azatutyun.am). "We will achieve systemic changes
in the public transport sector."
Markarian also faced more challenges from the opposition minority
in the municipal council. The opposition bloc Barev Yerevan (Hello
Yerevan) said it will go ahead with plans to challenge the legality
of the price hikes in court. Barev Yerevan leaders say the measure
was illegal because the authorities began enforcing it before the
publication of a corresponding order signed by the mayor.
Anahit Bakhshian, a leader of the bloc connected to Raffi
Hovannisian's Zharangutyun (Heritage) party, said Barev Yerevan will
demand Markarian's resignation if the order is deemed illegal. "We
will be fully exposing the series of incompetent decisions made by
these authorities and their penchant for protecting their personal
interests," she said.