PARENTS OF DEAD SOLDIERS PROTESTING IN YEREVAN DID NOT YIELD TO PERSUASION

epress.am
10.14.2011 15:26

More than a hundred people protested at 1 pm today outside the Armenian
president’s residence in Yerevan. Relatives of soldiers killed in the
army during a time of peace, supporters and human rights activists
demanded an end to impunity in Armenia’s Armed Forces and asked that
the Supreme Commander in Chief, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan
come meet with them.

Also participating in today’s demonstration were Heritage Party MP
Zaruhi Postanjyan, Helsinki Association for Human Rights President
Mikael Danielyan, head of the Vanadzor Office of the Helsinki Citizens’
Assembly Artur Sakunts as well as journalists who hadn’t come to
report on the event, but to participate in it.

Note, the decision to protest outside the president’s residence
was made the day before, after local activists heard of yet another
non-combat death in Armenia’s Armed Forces.

During today’s protest, several dozen police officers tried in vain to
block the gate of the residence. Police were even pushing protestors
and trying to persuade them to “find another place,” but protestors
broke through the cordon of police and approached the gates. About
two dozen activists then sat down on the ground with their back to
the building. Standing behind them was a row of activists holding
posters facing the building. Later, protestors could be heard chanting
“Murderers! Murderers!”

Vardan Ghukasyan, assistant to Deputy Defense Minister Vladimir
Gasparyan, approached the relatives of deceased soldiers and invited
them to take part in a board meeting of the military prosecutor’s
office currently underway, in which investigators responsible for
various cases of soldier deaths were participating. However, the
parents refused the officer, saying “We’ve already gone through all
that,” and continued protesting outside.

Demonstrators were calling for Serzh Sargsyan to come meet with them;
however, since that did not happen, a little over an hour after the
protest began, demonstrators crossed the street, stopping traffic on
Baghramyan Ave. for a few minutes. They then began to disperse, and
organizers announced that the next protest would take place on Oct. 20
at 11 am outside the government building in Republic Square. From
there, the group intends to march to the president’s residence.