Armenia on verge of political crisis

/By AzerNews/

By Sara Rajabova

Armenia has fallen into a serious political crisis after a brutal police crackdown on a crowd in Yerevan protesting against a recent electricity price hike.

As the protests gained a new speed and dimension, some inside and outside the country have considered that the recent events in Armenia could result in "new Maidan," hinting at the possibility that the current protests would lead to the same consequences that resulted in the overthrow of the government in Ukraine.

While trying to save the national power company, the Electric Networks of Armenia, from bankruptcy, the Armenian government has triggered newer and bigger problems in the country.

The demonstrations against the increase in electricity tariffs haven’t slowed down over the last several days. The protests that resumed on the evening on June 23 continued on June 24.

The first crackdown of protests in Armenia triggered mobilization action among students, other young people and the opposition. The protests were joined by thousands of citizens not only in Yerevan, but also in other cities. Along with Yerevan, protests were also seen in the Armenian cities of Gyumri and Vanadzor.

The sit-in participants marched toward the presidential office on June 23 with a larger crowd, while police again blocked their route. The police have blockaded all movement on Baghramyan Avenue in Yerevan.

They stated that no matter how much the MPs, celebrities, and senior police officials may try to persuade them, they will not leave and they will continue to fight on Baghramyan Avenue.

At the June 19 rally against the electricity price hike, the “No to Plunder” initiative group had announced that it would start a three-day sit-in at Liberty Square in Yerevan, and gave authorities a deadline of 7pm June 22 to address the problem.

Early morning on June 23, the police brutally dispersed the crowd with the help of water cannon, and detained a total of 237 activists and protesters from the sit-in. While dispersing the protesters on Baghramyan Avenue, the police officers also used force against many journalists.

The demonstrators rejected a proposal to meet with President Serzh Sargsyan. They demanded the Armenian president cancel the increase in tariffs for electricity. The protestors said the authorities have one solution: to cancel the decision on electricity price hike, for which no meeting is necessary.

The Commission on Regulation of Public Services in Armenia in its June 17 meeting approved a decision to increase electricity tariffs by 6.93 Armenian drams (about $0.015). As a result, consumers are required to pay 48.78 drams instead of the current 41.85 per 1 kWh per day starting August 1.

Experts don't rule out that the movement, which began as an economic protest will acquire political overtones, and will have extremely unpleasant consequences for the authorities. They believe that the way out of the situation could be to establish dialogue between the leadership of the country and representatives of the Electric Networks of Armenia, a subsidiary of the Russian "Inter RAO" company.

However, protesters are refusing any dialogue with the authorities, urging the government to cancel its decision to increase electricity tariffs.

The situation in Armenian is being closely monitored by the international community. The representatives of several countries and international organization have voiced concern over the tension in the country and the brutal police crackdown on protestors and journalists.

The U.S. Embassy in Armenia has called for respecting freedom of expression and assembly, Mediamax news agency reported.

“We are concerned about reports of excessive police use of force to disperse the crowd on the morning of June 23, as well as several reports of abuse while in police custody,” the U.S. Embassy in Armenia said, adding they are also troubled by reports that journalists and their equipment were specifically targeted during the operation.

In the meantime, the Kremlin has expressed hope for a speedy settlement of the situation in Yerevan.

"We hope that in the near future the situation will be resolved in strict accordance with the law, and that there will be no violations of the law," Tass quoted Dmitry Peskov, press secretary of the Russian president.

Condemning the use of water cannons against peaceful protestors, Amnesty International said in its recent publication that Armenian authorities must provide an objective and independent investigation into allegations of excessive force by the police.

The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatovi? condemned the use of force against journalists, saying journalists’ safety must be ensured at all times.

The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Nils Muiznieks also expressed serious concern about the use of force applied by the police to disperse peaceful protesters in Yerevan.

He called on the Armenian authorities to respect their international human rights obligations, in particular with regard to freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of expression, and to look into possible cases of abuse committed by the law enforcement forces during dispersal and detention.