Yerkrapah
| Yerkrapah | |
|---|---|
 Yerkrapah logo | |
| 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 | |
| Current commander | Manvel Grigoryan[3] |
| 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.[4] The Yerkrapah is a large and influential veteran group.[5] 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.[6] 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."[7]
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.
- ^ ""Freedom Fighters" face fight for their own freedom: NKR war veterans among "political prisoners"". ArmeniaNow. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
- ^ 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.