Yerkrapah
| Yerkrapah | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active | July 1993[1]—present |
| Country |  Armenia |
| Role | Paramilitary |
| Size | 5,000-30,000[2] |
| Motto(s) | Defenders of the Land |
| Engagements | Nagorno-Karabakh War |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Vazgen Sargsyan |
Yerkrapah Volunteer Union (Template:Lang-hy «Yerkrapah» kamavorakan miut'yun, YeKM) or Yerkrapah Union of Veterans, meaning Defenders of the Land, is a non-governmental group that consisted of 6,000 Nagorno-Karabakh War veterans, formed by Vazgen Sargsyan.[3] The Yerkrapah is a large and influential veteran group.[4] The Yerkrapah Union was actively involved in the Nagorno-Karabakh War although after the death of Sargsyan, Yerkrapah began to decline in support in politics.[5] Yerkrapah had incorporated between 5,000 and 30,000 veterans.[2] According to Thomas de Waal, after 1994 "the veterans' group Yerkrapah became the most powerful organization in the country."[6]
Yerkrapah Day
Yerkrapah Day (Armenian: Երկրապահի օր) is a professional holiday for all members of Yerkrapah[7], celebrated annually in Armenia on 8 May.[8] The official status of Yerkrapah Day holiday was conceived after the entry of a law which President Robert Kocharyan signed on 6 January 2001 and which the Parliament of Armenia approved on 24 July that year.[9] It is associated with Shushi Liberation Day.[10] Yerkrapah Day is not a non-working day if, depending on the year, it does not fall on a weekend.
See also
References
- ^ "Համառոտ բնութագիր (Brief description)" (in Armenian). Official site of Union of Yerkrapah Volunteers. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
- ^ a b Levitsky, Steven. Competitive Authoritarianism: Hybrid Regimes After the Cold War. p. 209.
- ^ P. Croissant, Michael. The Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict: causes and implications. p. 123.
- ^ "Armenian War Veterans Divided Over 2008 Election". Armtown. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
- ^ Lowell, Barrington (2006). After Independence: Making and Protecting the Nation in Postcolonial & Postcommunist States. University of Michigan Press. p. 241.
- ^ De Waal, Thomas. Black Garden: Armenia and Azerbaijan Through Peace and War. p. 244.
- ^ Новости — Армения
- ^ "В Армении отмечают день «Еркрапа»" (in Russian). Regnum. 8 May 2006. Retrieved 13 August 2010.
- ^ Legislation: National Assemly of RA
- ^ День Еркрапа в Армении — 8 мая. История и особенности праздника в проекте Календарь Праздников 2010
External links