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MAIDAN IN THE EYES OF ARMENIAN POLITICAL SCIENTIST
On February 2-9 Armenian civil activists Karen Harutiunyan, Haik
Sahakyan and Suren Sahakyan were on Kiev's Euromaidan. We held an
interview with the political scientist Haik Sahakyan.
Why did you go to Euromaidan? What is going on there?
Yes, I have recently returned from Maidan. Three representatives of
Armenia including me went to Kiev to attend a seminar as part of the
New Ideas of Civility for Europe Project. A lot has been said about
the struggle that is taking place there but what I would like to
emphasize is not the integrity and diversity of the movement. When
you step inside the barricades, you meet people of different layers
of the society with different degrees of organization. Aside from the
ongoing political civil struggle, some of them are recruiting centuries
(mostly political parties which have the biggest number of centuries,
which are the main means of organizing defense from Berkut's attacks),
there are students and civil groups, feminists who want to recruit a
century of women, there are groups with different political views,
ranging from anarchism to nationalism, with their own visions,
interests and plans about the methods and process of fight. Their
interests do not always overlap and cause conflicts and clashes but in
the result they are able to find a common format to act together. As
one of the representatives of automaidan said, Euromaidan is like a
body with its weaknesses and strengths, painful spots.
If we compare with Armenia, what are the similarities and differences?
There are very few terms to compare the situation in Ukraine and
Armenia. There the fight of the dissatisfied mass against the ruling
regime has reached the final stage, we are far from that stage. In
Kiev very different layers of the society, well-off people, officials
complain openly, the army is displaying loyalty to the developments
in Maidan. There is dissatisfaction in our country as well but it
is mostly hidden, especially among the citizens who are part of the
system. However, the most important difference is at the level of
thinking. They are not going to leave their country, emigrate to
a safer place. "This is my country, my home, I want to live here,
I want to live here well, and I, not someone else must build my
dream country."
As an obvious difference I should mention the population number. It
is easier to generate ideas, apply them in life in a country with
many millions of people. In our country, the critical mass has mostly
emigrated. We need to encourage people to come back to Armenia, not
only through repatriation of those who have already left. Thanks to
repatriates of Syria, i.e. population and quality, we will be able
to achieve change of the state, whereas the monotony that is imposed
on us leads to state building and degradation of the society.
Today security of citizens is on agenda. What solutions do you see
and how should a citizen defend themselves of different threats
and assaults?
The issue of our citizens is growing more serious, and we need to
find a more effective means of solution. This is a sensitive issue
and it must be addressed without emotions otherwise it will result in
alternate clashes. In Kiev active citizens also undergo violence, the
entire city is divided to two conflicting sides. Titushky are hunting
on citizens, beat them cruelly, while the activists of Euromaidan
hunt on titushky but instead of beating them they take them to Maidan
and make them carry water, chop wood, do other manual work for them,
confess that they cooperate with the government. In other words,
they are unmasked and handed to judgment by the society.
I would not want a similar situation here but if the police continue
not to punish the people who use violence, threaten our citizens, such
developments will be quite realistic. Nevertheless, I think that public
pressure on the police must be boosted, more constructive relations
need to be formed and accountability to law and the society must be
ensured. They must ensure the security of citizens irrespective of
the political views of citizens.
Tehmine Yenokyan, Reporter 13:19 20/02/2014 Story from Lragir.am News:
http://www.lragir.am/index/eng/0/interview/view/31947
On February 2-9 Armenian civil activists Karen Harutiunyan, Haik
Sahakyan and Suren Sahakyan were on Kiev's Euromaidan. We held an
interview with the political scientist Haik Sahakyan.
Why did you go to Euromaidan? What is going on there?
Yes, I have recently returned from Maidan. Three representatives of
Armenia including me went to Kiev to attend a seminar as part of the
New Ideas of Civility for Europe Project. A lot has been said about
the struggle that is taking place there but what I would like to
emphasize is not the integrity and diversity of the movement. When
you step inside the barricades, you meet people of different layers
of the society with different degrees of organization. Aside from the
ongoing political civil struggle, some of them are recruiting centuries
(mostly political parties which have the biggest number of centuries,
which are the main means of organizing defense from Berkut's attacks),
there are students and civil groups, feminists who want to recruit a
century of women, there are groups with different political views,
ranging from anarchism to nationalism, with their own visions,
interests and plans about the methods and process of fight. Their
interests do not always overlap and cause conflicts and clashes but in
the result they are able to find a common format to act together. As
one of the representatives of automaidan said, Euromaidan is like a
body with its weaknesses and strengths, painful spots.
If we compare with Armenia, what are the similarities and differences?
There are very few terms to compare the situation in Ukraine and
Armenia. There the fight of the dissatisfied mass against the ruling
regime has reached the final stage, we are far from that stage. In
Kiev very different layers of the society, well-off people, officials
complain openly, the army is displaying loyalty to the developments
in Maidan. There is dissatisfaction in our country as well but it
is mostly hidden, especially among the citizens who are part of the
system. However, the most important difference is at the level of
thinking. They are not going to leave their country, emigrate to
a safer place. "This is my country, my home, I want to live here,
I want to live here well, and I, not someone else must build my
dream country."
As an obvious difference I should mention the population number. It
is easier to generate ideas, apply them in life in a country with
many millions of people. In our country, the critical mass has mostly
emigrated. We need to encourage people to come back to Armenia, not
only through repatriation of those who have already left. Thanks to
repatriates of Syria, i.e. population and quality, we will be able
to achieve change of the state, whereas the monotony that is imposed
on us leads to state building and degradation of the society.
Today security of citizens is on agenda. What solutions do you see
and how should a citizen defend themselves of different threats
and assaults?
The issue of our citizens is growing more serious, and we need to
find a more effective means of solution. This is a sensitive issue
and it must be addressed without emotions otherwise it will result in
alternate clashes. In Kiev active citizens also undergo violence, the
entire city is divided to two conflicting sides. Titushky are hunting
on citizens, beat them cruelly, while the activists of Euromaidan
hunt on titushky but instead of beating them they take them to Maidan
and make them carry water, chop wood, do other manual work for them,
confess that they cooperate with the government. In other words,
they are unmasked and handed to judgment by the society.
I would not want a similar situation here but if the police continue
not to punish the people who use violence, threaten our citizens, such
developments will be quite realistic. Nevertheless, I think that public
pressure on the police must be boosted, more constructive relations
need to be formed and accountability to law and the society must be
ensured. They must ensure the security of citizens irrespective of
the political views of citizens.
Tehmine Yenokyan, Reporter 13:19 20/02/2014 Story from Lragir.am News:
http://www.lragir.am/index/eng/0/interview/view/31947