By Grigor Nemet
\nPhotograph: Reuters<\/p>\n
I was motivated to write this response to the unfolding events in Armenia because there is an information divide between Armenia and the diaspora, mostly due to language barriers. I see a large contingent of Armenians seeking clarity as to what\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0084\u00a7s going on and it might be frustrating to see video footage of alarming altercations in Armenia and not knowing where to find more information on the occurrence. Please note that I do not claim to be an authority or expert on the matter, but rather I am an informed diasporan wanting to clarify a tense situation.<\/p>\n
What\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0084\u00a7s Happening?<\/b><\/p>\n
Early morning on Sunday July 17th, an armed group of freedom fighters took control of <\/span>the Erebuni police <\/span>station<\/span><\/a> in Yerevan\u0569\u0082\u0539\u00a0and took hostage of an estimated 8\u0569\u0082\u0539\u00a0police officers\u0569\u0082\u0539\u00a0occupying the grounds. They demanded the release of political prisoners, particularly that of\u0569\u0082\u0539\u00a0Jirayr Sefilian, as well as the resignation of Armenia\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0084\u00a7s president Serge Sargsyan. As a result, the people of Armenia are beginning to support the armed citizens and violence is escalating. Furthermore, they are demanding an end to government corruption and the release of political prisoners.<\/p>\n Chronology of events:<\/i><\/p>\n Who\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0084\u00a7s involved?<\/b><\/p>\n The Founding Parliament is another closely-associated group. Rather than describing itself as a political party, it\u0569\u0082\u0539\u00a0is a movement that seeks regime change in Armenia as well as to uncouple the country from its post-Soviet grip of corruption. Three members of the FPM are also part of the police precinct\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0084\u00a7s takeover, and some, such as presumed leader Jirayr Sefilian, have been detained by authorities and awaiting trial.<\/p>\n Nikol Pashinyan, an Armenian Parliament\u0569\u0082\u0539\u00a0member and outspoken critic of the current government, is the acting intermediary between the authorities and the men inside the precinct. The Devils of Sassoun released a statement reaffirming \u0569\u0082\u0539\u00a0they want a peaceful resolution to the issue.<\/li>\n Government-aligned media are also making great efforts to suppress information. The developing standoff was not mentioned on Armenian TV networks for 2 days, much like US mainstream media in response (or lack thereof) to the Occupy movement. In its fourth day, however, the standoff is gaining more media coverage both within and outside of Armenia.<\/p>\n It\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0084\u00a7s important to note that people in more privileged regions of Armenia and in the diaspora have greater online access to unbiased news, while the majority of rural Armenians obtain information through television and print media.<\/li>\n The citizens of Armenia play an integral part in this standoff. Since its beginning, the Daredevils of Sassoun stated that its purpose was to awaken the nation and bring about real change in governance through active citizen participation. Currently, they are urging people to go into the streets and demand real change.<\/p>\n The group\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0084\u00a7s requests are being met, but slowly.<\/p>\n With the full might of the state against it, the movement is both organic and disorganized. However, as soon as word got out about the precinct takeover, citizens began to venture to areas of popular gathering points, such as Freedom Square to congregate and peaceably assemble.<\/p>\n Police immediately employed a heavy-handed tactic to apprehend anyone who appeared to be engaged in assembly. This further escalated the situation, propelling it to its second day (again, there was no mainstream coverage at the time).<\/p>\n An accelerating number of Armenian people are beginning to demonstrate movement support by congregating in public spaces. Among them are several notable activists and artists who are voicing their concerns of the current status quo, economic stagnation, and authorities\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0084\u00a7 heavy-handed approaches to end this escalating situation.<\/li>\n The diaspora also plays a role in the situation, but has remained\u0569\u0082\u0539\u00a0almost entirely silent. Currently, even the most organized members of the diaspora are unaware, disengaged or carefully watching the development of the situation. In several cases, diasporans and community leaders around the world have voiced concerns and expressed support for the movement.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/ul>\n<\/ul>\n Why is this happening?\u0569\u0082\u0539\u00a0<\/b><\/b><\/p>\n To answer this question, we need to take a broader look at the overall situation in Armenia and the region.<\/p>\n The events could be sparked directly by several events.<\/p>\n The first is the imprisonment of a freedom fighter and FPM member, Jirayr Sefilian, among other conscientious objectors to the current regime. Second, the OSCE Minsk Group is pressuring authorities to give up lands in the Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) Republic. Third, the Armenian people were infuriated at the territorial losses that followed the recent four-day war with Azerbaijan to which the president accidentally admitted on camera. <\/span> More broadly, the widespread evidence of government corruption and military underfunding due to the regime\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0084\u00a7s money laundering also plays a role. Footage of Armenia\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0084\u00a7s ill-equipped soldiers (visual reports showed that soldiers were using tin cans as an early warning system instead of available technology. Others showed a lack of armor on combat vehicles resulting in high rates of casualties.) on the border emerged, while at the same time, investigative reports revealed money laundering operations\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0080\u009clike purchases of multi-million-dollar properties<\/span><\/a> for family members of government ministers, and one army general\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0084\u00a7s offshore accounts in the now famous Panama Papers<\/span><\/b>. Since its independence, Armenia has been ruled by relatively similar group of people who\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0084\u00a7ve divided the territory and its industry. In turn, officials propped up the regime to maintain their wealth, and the ruling establishment has essentially become a monopoly.<\/p>\n While corruption is choking the economy and stripping the country bare of its resources, the ever-increasing depopulation of Armenia is causing unrest. A 2015 poll showed that, if given the means, over 40% of the current population would emigrate from Armenia<\/span><\/a>. Large parts of rural Armenia are extremely depopulated, and many \u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u056d\u009cbreadwinners\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0084\u00a7 <\/span><\/a>are forced to work in foreign lands as migrant workers, often subjected to harsh working conditions and racial discrimination. About 90% of Armenian refugees, mostly from Syria, Iraq, and Azerbaijan, want to emigrate back to foreign lands as soon as the opportunity is available to them. Further, Armenia\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0084\u00a7s current population is hard to estimate, since government officials don\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0084\u00a7t want to reveal it. <\/span> What\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0084\u00a7s Next, and why should diasporans care? <\/b><\/p>\n While the situation is tense, there exists a societal disconnect throughout Armenia and the diaspora. Currently, the idea of cross-movement intersectionality is lacking.<\/p>\n Armenian independence was born out of the Artsakh movement, and the country has been defined by a series of such movements. During the late 1980s, the people of Armenia gathered to demand their right to self-determination. Recently, a wave of social justice movements swept through the country, like Barevolution (for lawful elections), the DEM movement (against increased bus fares<\/span><\/a>) and Electric Yerevan (against utility price hikes<\/span><\/a>). Each of these movements seemed to work.<\/p>\n But, for this movement, information is hard to find. As I scour the Internet for more sources on the developing situation, I don\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0084\u00a7t see any of the movement\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0084\u00a7s leaders or supporters. I also don\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0084\u00a7t see commentary from otherwise active members of the diaspora (both in Armenia and abroad). More media coverage was given to the Pope\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0084\u00a7s visit to Armenia than to this act of defiance in the face of accumulating hardships. Why? Do we not see similarities between our unified struggles? Are we afraid of what will come next?<\/p>\n What I do know is that the people out in the streets tonight are ordinary folks that are against ongoing injustices, because ultimately, they have the most to lose if things continue in the direction they\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0084\u00a7ve been going for the past two decades. The people in the streets, unlike the Armenian regime, aren\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0084\u00a7t affiliated with the diaspora, Russian-backed oligarchs, or backed NGOs. They\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0084\u00a7re the ordinary citizens fighting for a fair shake in an otherwise rigged economy.<\/p>\n From where we stand here in The diaspora, it\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0084\u00a7s critical that we take a good look at ourselves and assess what we want from<\/i><\/b> and for <\/i><\/b>Armenia. Now is not the time for \u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u056d\u009camot\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0084\u00a7 (shame-fearing) rhetoric in hopes of hiding from our odar (non-Armenian) friends, the imperfections in our motherland.<\/p>\n Is Armenia a place of vacations and picture perfect backdrops? Or is Armenia a place with great people and real world problems? While I don\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0084\u00a7t have a clear solution to this tense situation, I do know that it would be amazing to see those movements of the past come together in a unified front, with support of the diaspora, or at the very least transparency in information flow\/media in the hopes of a better future. We all have a stake in this, and we all stand to lose everything dear in the process.<\/p>\n By Grigor Nemet Photograph: Reuters I was motivated to write this response to the unfolding events in Armenia because there is an information divide between Armenia and the diaspora, mostly due to language barriers. I […]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18314,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kadence_starter_templates_imported_post":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aaeurop.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18313"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aaeurop.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aaeurop.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aaeurop.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aaeurop.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=18313"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.aaeurop.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18313\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aaeurop.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/18314"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aaeurop.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=18313"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aaeurop.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=18313"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aaeurop.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=18313"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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\n<\/i>Videos and images of unlawful and violent detentions spread throughout Armenia and internationally. \u0569\u0082\u0539\u00a0<\/i><\/i><\/li>\n
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\nThe standoff is facilitated by the \u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u056d\u009cDaredevils of Sassoun,\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0084\u00a7 a group made up of predominantly war veterans and Azatamartik, or \u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u056d\u009cfreedom fighters.\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0084\u00a7 \u0569\u0082\u0539\u00a0Many of these men, particularly those who took a heroic stance in the Artsakh war, like Pavlik Manukyan, are household names in Armenia and the diaspora.<\/p>\n
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\n<\/b>Several sources suggest that president Sargsyan was personally informed by the head of the NSS (National Security Service) on the situation. Both the NSS and Yerevan police are the main government branches responding to the situation.<\/p>\n
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\nAll of these could potentially be immediate causes. But, the overarching theme is a greater need to remove the corrupt government that\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0084\u00a7s been in power since Armenia gained independence in 1992.<\/p>\n
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\n<\/span><\/a>Another concern of the people is the country\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0084\u00a7s rigged elections and uneven enforcement of laws. Plenty of evidence during the last presidential election cycle showed ballot stuffing, and an overall disregard for the democratic process. <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n
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