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2013 in Civil Society: Protests and more protests
Society | 30.12.13 | 12:05
By Siranuysh Gevorgyan
ArmeniaNow reporter
The struggle of civil movements this year has been comprehensive and
diverse with limited success in certain fields due to unified efforts
and active involvement of the civil society.
Despite the rather passive start of the year in terms of civil
movements, the second half of 2013 turned out to be tense with active
developments. Some analysts believe that especially after the February
18 presidential ballot, when current president Serzh Sargsyan won a
decisive victory over his opponents and was re-elected for a second
term, despite the widespread poverty and atmosphere of injustice in
the country, people became even more aware of the fact that is it
impossible to achieve changes via elections and started practicing
their constitutional rights to civil protest and disobedience more
frequently.
Karabakh war veterans' civil standoff has been unprecedented.
Although, every now and then on different occasions they had
complained of their social conditions and of being neglected by the
state , however never before had they come out to hold systematic
rallies and sitting strikes. Retired army colonel Volodya
Avetisyaninitiated the civil standoff in May and in October found
himself behind the bars, with charges of `swindling ...in large
amounts'. Avetisyan's and his comrades-in-arms claim that by bringing
charges the authorities are trying to silence him. The war vets
demanding increase of their pensions and various privileges have now
focused their struggle on various acts of protest in Avetisyan's
support. There is another group of Karabakh war veterans presenting
political demands to the government. Every Thursday they hold small
rallies in Liberty Square and demand that the government resign.
Yerevan mayor Taron Margaryan's decision to raise public bus fare by
50 percent made the hot Yerevan summer even hotter.
The decision was immediately followed by a civil movement when
numerous young activists held a variety of acts of protest during five
consecutive days relentlessly struggling, rebelling against the bus
fare increase and made the municipal government in the Armenian
capital heed the people's voice, forcing them to understand they would
not pay more for using the overloaded, worn-out and hardly functioning
minibuses.
The unified effort yielded results and on July 26 the mayor suspended
the application of his decision temporarily, meaning that the buses
and minibuses continued operating for the same 100 dram fare (around
24 cents). The mayor, however, stated that if residents of Yerevan
wanted to have decent public transport services, they have to be ready
to pay more. Municipal officials and transport companies running the
routes have repeatedly stated after the summer civil standoff that the
rise of bus fare is unavoidable, grounding it by the fact that
everything else has become more expensive except for public transport
services, hence their expenses have grown and they are operating at a
loss.
The departing year has turned out to be rather active also in terms of
public protests against controversial construction projects. In
August, residents of 10 and 12 Sayat-Nova Avenue and 5 Komitas
streets, in Yerevan, rebelled against construction in their
neighborhoods. These people claim that the construction licenses in
densely populated zones of the city are illegal, violate the seismic
resistance norms, and block their light. Despite the variety of
measures the residents have resorted to, even lying down in front of
construction machines to block their way, no tangible results have
been achieved; their struggle is ongoing (h).
Despite a drawn-out battle to preserve unchanged Yerevan's Pak Shuka
(`Covered Market'), on the list of historical-cultural heritage and
belonging to businessman MP Samvel Alexanyan, opened its doors after
two years of repairs, but now as a fashionable supermarket, rather
than the produce market it used to be. Although ruling Republican MP
Alexanyan kept the façade, a very small area has been provided to
produce vendors previously working at the market. Scores of activists
representing the civil initiative founded after the Pak Shuka's
opening and calling itself `Let's Liberate the Monument From the
Oligarch' continues holding acts of protest claiming that Alexanyan
has distorted a cultural monument, has reconstructed it illegally,
with numerous violations of construction norms.
Late in 2013, a new front of civil fight opened up with the new law on
pension reform. While it is about retirement pensions, the protests
were held by young professionals rather than elderly citizens of
Armenia, because the new law on mandatory savings funds to come into
effect in January 2014 refers to those born after January 1, 1974, who
will be obliged to make monthly payments equivalent to five percent of
their salaries to annuity savings funds under state control.
The young people protesting against the new law are mostly highly-paid
IT professionals, who will have to transfer more money to the savings
fund on a monthly basis. They say they do not trust the authorities
and doubt whether they would get their savings back once they reach
retirement age of 63. The government says it has no intentions on
giving up the pension reforms, while the youth say they will not just
sit and do nothing and state their determination to continue the
struggle.
http://www.armenianow.com/society/51152/armenia_civil_society_year2013_review
Society | 30.12.13 | 12:05
By Siranuysh Gevorgyan
ArmeniaNow reporter
The struggle of civil movements this year has been comprehensive and
diverse with limited success in certain fields due to unified efforts
and active involvement of the civil society.
Despite the rather passive start of the year in terms of civil
movements, the second half of 2013 turned out to be tense with active
developments. Some analysts believe that especially after the February
18 presidential ballot, when current president Serzh Sargsyan won a
decisive victory over his opponents and was re-elected for a second
term, despite the widespread poverty and atmosphere of injustice in
the country, people became even more aware of the fact that is it
impossible to achieve changes via elections and started practicing
their constitutional rights to civil protest and disobedience more
frequently.
Karabakh war veterans' civil standoff has been unprecedented.
Although, every now and then on different occasions they had
complained of their social conditions and of being neglected by the
state , however never before had they come out to hold systematic
rallies and sitting strikes. Retired army colonel Volodya
Avetisyaninitiated the civil standoff in May and in October found
himself behind the bars, with charges of `swindling ...in large
amounts'. Avetisyan's and his comrades-in-arms claim that by bringing
charges the authorities are trying to silence him. The war vets
demanding increase of their pensions and various privileges have now
focused their struggle on various acts of protest in Avetisyan's
support. There is another group of Karabakh war veterans presenting
political demands to the government. Every Thursday they hold small
rallies in Liberty Square and demand that the government resign.
Yerevan mayor Taron Margaryan's decision to raise public bus fare by
50 percent made the hot Yerevan summer even hotter.
The decision was immediately followed by a civil movement when
numerous young activists held a variety of acts of protest during five
consecutive days relentlessly struggling, rebelling against the bus
fare increase and made the municipal government in the Armenian
capital heed the people's voice, forcing them to understand they would
not pay more for using the overloaded, worn-out and hardly functioning
minibuses.
The unified effort yielded results and on July 26 the mayor suspended
the application of his decision temporarily, meaning that the buses
and minibuses continued operating for the same 100 dram fare (around
24 cents). The mayor, however, stated that if residents of Yerevan
wanted to have decent public transport services, they have to be ready
to pay more. Municipal officials and transport companies running the
routes have repeatedly stated after the summer civil standoff that the
rise of bus fare is unavoidable, grounding it by the fact that
everything else has become more expensive except for public transport
services, hence their expenses have grown and they are operating at a
loss.
The departing year has turned out to be rather active also in terms of
public protests against controversial construction projects. In
August, residents of 10 and 12 Sayat-Nova Avenue and 5 Komitas
streets, in Yerevan, rebelled against construction in their
neighborhoods. These people claim that the construction licenses in
densely populated zones of the city are illegal, violate the seismic
resistance norms, and block their light. Despite the variety of
measures the residents have resorted to, even lying down in front of
construction machines to block their way, no tangible results have
been achieved; their struggle is ongoing (h).
Despite a drawn-out battle to preserve unchanged Yerevan's Pak Shuka
(`Covered Market'), on the list of historical-cultural heritage and
belonging to businessman MP Samvel Alexanyan, opened its doors after
two years of repairs, but now as a fashionable supermarket, rather
than the produce market it used to be. Although ruling Republican MP
Alexanyan kept the façade, a very small area has been provided to
produce vendors previously working at the market. Scores of activists
representing the civil initiative founded after the Pak Shuka's
opening and calling itself `Let's Liberate the Monument From the
Oligarch' continues holding acts of protest claiming that Alexanyan
has distorted a cultural monument, has reconstructed it illegally,
with numerous violations of construction norms.
Late in 2013, a new front of civil fight opened up with the new law on
pension reform. While it is about retirement pensions, the protests
were held by young professionals rather than elderly citizens of
Armenia, because the new law on mandatory savings funds to come into
effect in January 2014 refers to those born after January 1, 1974, who
will be obliged to make monthly payments equivalent to five percent of
their salaries to annuity savings funds under state control.
The young people protesting against the new law are mostly highly-paid
IT professionals, who will have to transfer more money to the savings
fund on a monthly basis. They say they do not trust the authorities
and doubt whether they would get their savings back once they reach
retirement age of 63. The government says it has no intentions on
giving up the pension reforms, while the youth say they will not just
sit and do nothing and state their determination to continue the
struggle.
http://www.armenianow.com/society/51152/armenia_civil_society_year2013_review