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| leadfigures1 = '''[[Nikol Pashinyan]]''' MP (detained from 22 April to 23 April)<ref>[http://panarmenian.net/m/rus/news/254618 Арестованный лидер армянской оппозиции вышел на свободу]</ref>
| leadfigures1 = '''[[Nikol Pashinyan]]''' MP (detained from 22 April to 23 April)<ref>[http://panarmenian.net/m/rus/news/254618 Арестованный лидер армянской оппозиции вышел на свободу]</ref>
| leadfigures2 = '''[[Serzh Sargsyan]]''' <small>(ex-president, incumbent-Prime Minister)</small>
| leadfigures2 = '''[[Serzh Sargsyan]]''' <small>(ex-president, incumbent-Prime Minister)</small>
| howmany1 = 5,000 in Glendale, California only<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://abc7.com/politics/socal-armenians-protest-election-results-in-their-homeland/3380671/|title=SoCal Armenians protest election results in their homeland|last=about|first=Melissa MacBride, bio,|date=2018-04-23|work=ABC7 Los Angeles|access-date=2018-04-23|language=en-US}}</ref>
| howmany1 = Tens of thousands in Yerevan<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.dw.com/en/armenia-tens-of-thousands-call-for-pm-serzh-sargsyan-to-step-down-after-power-grab/a-43479239|title=Armenia: Tens of thousands call for PM Serzh Sargsyan to step down after 'power grab'|last=about|first=|date=2018-04-21|work=Deutsche Welle|access-date=2018-04-23|language=en-US}}</ref> <br> 5,000 in Glendale, California only<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://abc7.com/politics/socal-armenians-protest-election-results-in-their-homeland/3380671/|title=SoCal Armenians protest election results in their homeland|last=about|first=Melissa MacBride, bio,|date=2018-04-23|work=ABC7 Los Angeles|access-date=2018-04-23|language=en-US}}</ref>
| howmany2 =
| howmany2 =
| casualties1 = 40 (opposition estimate)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.armradio.am/hy/2018/04/16/an-3/|title=Հոսպիտալացվել է 46 քաղաքացի, այդ թվում՝ 6 ոստիկան|language=hy|accessdate=2018-04-16}}</ref>
| casualties1 = 40 (opposition estimate)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.armradio.am/hy/2018/04/16/an-3/|title=Հոսպիտալացվել է 46 քաղաքացի, այդ թվում՝ 6 ոստիկան|language=hy|accessdate=2018-04-16}}</ref>

Revision as of 13:24, 23 April 2018

2018 Armenian protests
Protesters on 22 April, 2018
Date12 April 2018 – ongoing
(6 years and 6 months)
Location
Armenia: Yerevan, Gyumri, Vanadzor, Abovyan, Sevan, Artashat, Armavir, Ashtarak, Vagharshapat, Kapan
Armenian diaspora: Glendale, California ,[1] Moscow,[2] Marseille[3]
Caused byElection of Serzh Sargsyan to the post of Prime Minister
Goals
MethodsDemonstrations, sit-ins, student protest, civil disobedience, online activism[citation needed]
StatusOngoing
ConcessionsSerzh Sargsyan resigned as the Prime Minister
Parties

Political opposition
Civil Contract
Supported by:

Various groups

Armenian government

Political parties:

Lead figures

Nikol Pashinyan MP (detained from 22 April to 23 April)[10]

Serzh Sargsyan (ex-president, incumbent-Prime Minister)

Number
Tens of thousands in Yerevan[11]
5,000 in Glendale, California only[12]
Casualties and losses
40 (opposition estimate)[13]
6 policemen (opposition estimate)[14]

Various political and civil groups led by MP Nikol Pashinyan (head of Civil Contract party) staged anti-government protests in Armenia (most commonly known as #MerzhirSerzhin (Armenian: ՄերժիրՍերժին for "#RejectSerzh") in 2018. Protests and marches are against Serzh Sargsyan's third consecutive term as the most powerful figure in the government of the Republic of Armenia.

On April 23, Sargsyan conceded, saying "I was wrong, while Nikol Pashiniyan was right" and resigned.[16][17]

Nomination

Demonstrations and protests began in March 2018, when members of the Republican Party did not exclude the option of nominating Serzh Sargsyan for the prime minister's post[18][19][20][21]. Protesters had vowed to block the party's headquarters on April 14, where leaders were going to gather to formally nominate Serzh Sargsyan for prime minister. The Republican Party held its meeting outside of capital Yerevan and unanimously voted to formally nominate Serzh Sargsyan for the office of prime minister.[22] The coalition partner Armenian Revolutionary Federation-Dashnaksutyun (ARF-D) supported the ruling Republican Party’s decision.[23]

Protests

About 100 protesters stayed overnight on France Square after the first day of protests, and an equal number did the same on Saturday night, some sleeping in tents, others gathered around fires. As of Sunday morning, the Armenian police had made no effort to disrupt the demonstrations.[22]

On Monday April 16, the "Take a Step, Reject Serzh" campaign began actions of civil disobedience. On April 17, the day that the prime minister's election was scheduled, the protesters intended to block entrances to the building of the National Assembly in order to prevent the vote from taking place.[24] Lines of riot police stopped them from advancing further towards the National Assembly building.[25]

After the election of the former president Serzh Sargsyan as the new prime minister, the protests continued to grow, despite hundreds of people being detained by police.[26][27] The prime minister in response asked the government to take back the presidential mansion which it had gifted him a few weeks earlier.[28] The crowds reached 50,000[29] on the night of April 21, with countless sporadic street closures in the capital, which also began to spread across the country.[30]

As the crowds have grown, the new prime minister has called repeatedly for talks with the leader of the protest movement, Nikol Pashinyan, though Pashinyan has said he is only willing to discuss the terms of the Prime Minister's resignation.[31] After Pashinyan's rally was visited by the Armenian President on the evening of April 21 for a brief chat with Pashinyan,[32] Pashinyan agreed to meet the prime minister at 10 am on April 22, saying he believes the topic will be the Serzh Sarkisian‘s resignation.[33]

April 22

The meeting, which lasted for a mere three minutes,[34] failed to achieve anything, with Sargsyan walking out of it and accusing the opposition of "blackmail."[35] During the meeting, Sargsyan asked Pashinian not to speak on behalf of the people and not to issue ultimatums to the government, given the low level of support for his political alliance (less than 10 percent of the vote). He also warned that Pashinyan had not "learned the lessons of March 1", a reference to the 10 protestors killed by police during protests of his election 10 years earlier, amounting to an open threat of violence[36].

Immediately after the meeting, Pashinyan led a group of supporters from the site of the meeting by Republic Square on a long march down Tigran Mets and Artsakh streets to the Erebuni district, where they were met with riot police and stun grenades as Pashinyan was detained followed by mass detentions of protestors, including opposition lawmakers Sasun Mikaelyan and Ararat Mirzoyan.[37][38] Protests continue throughout the city. By the evening 232 protestors had been arrested,[39] and, according to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, tens of thousands[40] gathered in Republic Square to continue to demand the resignation of Serzh Sargsyan. The police issued a statement saying that Pashinyan, Mikaelyan and Mirzoyan had been detained for 72 hours; criminal charges may only be brought against them if the Republican-controlled National Assembly strips them of their parliamentary immunity.[41]

April 23

Protests resumed on April 23, with media outlets reporting that former and current members of the Armenian armed forces, including participants of the 2016 April War, have joined in the rallies for the first time.[42][43][44][45] This information was later confirmed by the Ministry of Defence.[46]

Reaction

On April 4 Edmon Marukyan, the leader of Bright Armenia party, which cooperates with Civil Contract party lead by Nikol Pashinyan in the Way Out Alliance published an article in Aravot newspaper, in which he stated his preference of formal means of counteraction to the ruling coalition over civil disobedience actions.[47]

Leader of the Free Democrats party Khachatur Kokobelyan, former MP, attended protests and expressed his support to actions. [48]

Many cultural figures have already declared solidarity with the opposition movement. In particular, well-known musician Serj Tankian of System of a Down addressed the activists declaring his solidarity and support, stressing the impermissibility of one-party rule in Armenia.[49] Some organizations of the diaspora, in particular, the Congress of Armenians of Europe, also expressed support for the opposition.[50]

References

  1. ^ "Thousands of SoCal Armenians protest election results in their homeland". KABC-TV. 23 April 2018.
  2. ^ "В Москве у армянской церкви прошла акция в поддержку протестов в Ереване. Митингующих задержали". meduza (in Russian). 22 April 2018.
  3. ^ Ghukasyan, Seda (18 April 2018). "Yerevan: "Reject Serzh" Rally Kicks-Off in Republic Square; March To Baghramyan Avenue". Hetq. He claimed that protesters had removed a photo of Serzh Sargsyan hanging in the Armenian Consulate in Marseille and publicly burnt it.
  4. ^ Yerevan Bracing For Fresh Protests After Detention Of Leader
  5. ^ "Opposition MP Nikol Pashinyan discharged from hospital, joins protesters". {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  6. ^ "Khachatur Kokobelyan and Party Members Join Nikol Pashinyan's Fight - Aravot newspaper". {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  7. ^ "Armenian Police Statement: Those Detaining Citizens in Civilian Dress Are Police Officers". Hetq. 20 April 2018.
  8. ^ "Pashinyan to Negotiate with Authorities 'on Behalf of People' (Live Thread)". epress.am. 21 April 2018. Samvel Aleksanyan, a local oligarch close to Serzh Sargsyan, is personally fighting demonstrators in Malatia district. In a video published on Facebook, Aleksanyan is seen kicking a protester who is then forcibly put into a car.
  9. ^ Atanesian, Grigor (16 April 2018). "Thousands of protesters shut down Armenia's capital, dozens injured in clashes". eurasianet.
  10. ^ Арестованный лидер армянской оппозиции вышел на свободу
  11. ^ about (2018-04-21). "Armenia: Tens of thousands call for PM Serzh Sargsyan to step down after 'power grab'". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 2018-04-23.
  12. ^ about, Melissa MacBride, bio, (2018-04-23). "SoCal Armenians protest election results in their homeland". ABC7 Los Angeles. Retrieved 2018-04-23.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  13. ^ "Հոսպիտալացվել է 46 քաղաքացի, այդ թվում՝ 6 ոստիկան" (in Armenian). Retrieved 2018-04-16.
  14. ^ "Հոսպիտալացվել է 46 քաղաքացի, այդ թվում՝ 6 ոստիկան" (in Armenian). Retrieved 2018-04-16.
  15. ^ "Armenia: Negotiations Fail, Opposition Leaders Detained, Protesters Increase in Numbers". Armenian Weekly. 22 April 2018.
  16. ^ "Премьер-министр Армении Саргсян подал в отставку". РБК. Retrieved 2018-04-23.
  17. ^ Hairenik (2018-04-23). "Breaking: Serge Sarkisian Resigns as Prime Minister". The Armenian Weekly. Retrieved 2018-04-23.
  18. ^ "«Հնարավոր է Սերժ Սարգսյանը դառնա վարչապետ». Շարմազանով". «Ազատ Եվրոպա/Ազատություն» ռադիոկայան (in Armenian). Retrieved 2018-04-08.
  19. ^ "Համոզված եմ, որ Սերժ Սարգսյանը կլինի վարչապետ. Գալուստ Սահակյան". news.am (in Armenian). Retrieved 2018-04-08.
  20. ^ "Ես կհամոզեմ Սերժ Սարգսյանին. գեներալ (տեսանյութ)". 1in.am. Retrieved 2018-04-08.
  21. ^ "«Պատրաստ եմ վարչապետի պաշտոնում առաջադրել Սերժ Սարգսյանի թեկնածությունը». Արմեն Աշոտյան". «Ազատ Եվրոպա/Ազատություն» ռադիոկայան (in Armenian). Retrieved 2018-04-08.
  22. ^ a b "Sargsyan officially nominated for office amid continuing protests". Retrieved 2018-04-16.
  23. ^ "ARF-D backs decision to nominate Serzh Sargsyan for prime minister". www.tert.am. Retrieved 2018-04-16.
  24. ^ "Arminfo: Armenian opposition continues protests against Serzh Sargsyan`s  premiership". Retrieved 2018-04-16. {{cite news}}: no-break space character in |title= at position 73 (help)
  25. ^ "More Streets In Yerevan Blocked By Hundreds Opposition Protesters - Aravot newspaper". {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  26. ^ "Armenian Police Struggle To Contain Continuing Protests". «Ազատ Եվրոպա/Ազատություն» ռադիոկայան (in Armenian). Retrieved 2018-04-22.
  27. ^ "More People Detained In Anti-Sarkisian Protests". «Ազատ Եվրոպա/Ազատություն» ռադիոկայան (in Armenian). Retrieved 2018-04-22.
  28. ^ "Sarkisian Gives Up Ownership Of Official Residence". «Ազատ Եվրոպա/Ազատություն» ռադիոկայան (in Armenian). Retrieved 2018-04-22.
  29. ^ Press, Associated (2018-04-21). "Armenia protests: 70 arrested, including 2 suspected bombers". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2018-04-22.
  30. ^ "Armenia: Protesters Shut Down Noyemberyan-Bagratashen Highway - Hetq - News, Articles, Investigations". Retrieved 2018-04-22.
  31. ^ "Armenian PM Wants Urgent Talks With Protest Leader". «Ազատ Եվրոպա/Ազատություն» ռադիոկայան (in Armenian). Retrieved 2018-04-22.
  32. ^ "Armenian President Visits Main Protest Site (UPDATED)". «Ազատ Եվրոպա/Ազատություն» ռադիոկայան (in Armenian). Retrieved 2018-04-22.
  33. ^ "Serzh Sarkisian, Pashinian Agree To Meet". «Ազատ Եվրոպա/Ազատություն» ռադիոկայան (in Armenian). Retrieved 2018-04-22.
  34. ^ "Премьер-министр Армении встретился с лидером протестов. Их переговоры продлились три минуты". Meduza (in Russian). Retrieved 2018-04-23. {{cite news}}: no-break space character in |title= at position 37 (help)
  35. ^ "Tens Of Thousands Fill Yerevan Square As Protest Leader Pashinian Detained". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. Retrieved 2018-04-23.
  36. ^ Agencies (2018-04-22). "Armenian opposition leader detained amid political unrest". the Guardian. Retrieved 2018-04-23.
  37. ^ Власти Армении пошли на силовую акцию против шествия оппозиции в Ереване
  38. ^ Armenian Protest Leader Pashinian Detained
  39. ^ "Число задержанных полицией активистов в Ереване возросло до 232 человек". РБК. Retrieved 2018-04-23.
  40. ^ "Huge Crowds Keep Up Pressure On Armenian PM". «Ազատ Եվրոպա/Ազատություն» ռադիոկայան (in Armenian). Retrieved 2018-04-23.
  41. ^ "Yerevan Bracing For Fresh Protests After Detention Of Leader". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. Retrieved 2018-04-23.
  42. ^ "Live Stream: Fresh Protests In Armenia". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. Retrieved 2018-04-23.
  43. ^ "Group of soldiers joins anti-government protests in Armenia". Retrieved 2018-04-23.
  44. ^ "Armenian soldiers join anti-government protests in Yerevan". DailySabah. Retrieved 2018-04-23.
  45. ^ "К протестам в Ереване присоединились военные". РБК. Retrieved 2018-04-23.
  46. ^ LLC, ZOOM GRAPHICS. "ՀՀ ՊԱՇՏՊԱՆՈՒԹՅԱՆ ՆԱԽԱՐԱՐՈՒԹՅՈՒՆ | Հայտարարություն". www.mil.am. Retrieved 2018-04-23.
  47. ^ "Dilemma of quick defeat and long-term but inevitable victory | www.aravot-en.am". {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  48. ^ "Khachatur Kokobelyan and Party Members Join Nikol Pashinyan's Fight - Aravot newspaper". {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  49. ^ "Serj Tankian on Yerevan protests: Civil disobedience works like a charm when enough people participate". news.am. Retrieved 2018-04-23.
  50. ^ "Arminfo: In Yerevan, the initiative Take a step, turn down Serzhu began the  action of civil disobedience". Retrieved 2018-04-16. {{cite news}}: no-break space character in |title= at position 76 (help)

Template:Anti-government protests in the 21st century Template:Ongoing protests

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