Several hundred Armenians protesting against rising electricity prices have again gathered in Yerevan on Monday night hours after being driven Avenue Bargramian by riot police, but they have avoided reoccupy a major artery of the city.
The gathering in the pedestrian area of the Liberty Square (at the opera) began shortly after police released 46 protesters who were stopped early Monday afternoon when dismantling by police (without water cannon or baton) of a barricade that marked the territory of the non-stop protest installed on the avenue Bagramyan Marshal for two weeks.
People interpelées belong to the group of current leaders of the movement “electric Yerevan” that brought the Armenian government to suspend the 17% increase of energy prices.
Youth leaders affirmed their commitment to continue the movement. But citing the need to avoid further clashes with the police, they gave up starting a new march toward the avenue of Marshal Bagramyan, preferring to call a demonstration in the city center on Thursday.
“We need to rest,” said Narek Ayvazyan, one of the activists, Armenian service of RFE / RL (Azatutyun.am), arguing that he and his comrades are exhausted by non-stop sit-in on the avenue leading to the residence of President Serzh Sargsyan.
“I promise you that we will again go void Bagramyan” said another leader of “electric Yerevan” Davit Sanasarian, the demonstrators. “The police, the authorities are really afraid.”
Sanasarian at the same time regretted that only a small number of people took part in demonstrations last week, which according to him is not enough to move the Armenian authorities. He announced that he would begin a hunger strike in order to draw attention of the population and encourage them to join more heavily in the campaign.
“We are waiting for you,” said another speaker, calling on the nation. “All Armenians should get up for this fight.”
The demonstrations had attracted thousands of people until President Serzh Sargsyan announced on June 27 that the government will bear the increased cost of electricity prices until the results of an audit on service electricity from Armenia. The audit is to determine whether the unpopular measure is economically justified or results of fraud and mismanagement with the Russian company that owns it.
Dozens of protesters tried to march into the evening, but they were stopped by police deployed in the square. The leaders of “electric Yerevan” were not among them.