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Nothing extraordinary happened in Yerevan yesterday: some of the protesters expressed a wish to remain on Bagramian Avenue – in response to the question asked from the rostrum about further actions, while some came to Liberty Square, member of ‘No to Robbery’ civic initiative’s coordinating group Vaghinak Shushanyan said during a briefing in Liberty Square today. In his words, they kept their promise to be among the people.

As was reported, yesterday, on June 28 demonstrators against the power tariff hike divided into two groups after blocking Bagramian Avenue in central Yerevan for over a week. The presidential residence, the Armenian parliament, Constitutional Court and several embassies are located on that avenue. Following the statement made by Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan on June 27, the organizers of the rally attended by thousands – members of ‘No to Robbery’ civic initiative called on protesters to leave the avenue and return to Liberty Square nearby. Yet some of the demonstrators refused to leave, but others moved to Liberty Square. Police warned several times that they plan to open the street so that normal traffic could resume.

Shushanyan said that ‘No to Robbery’ civic initiative has members among rally participants in Liberty Square as well as among protesters on Bagramian Avenue. “Our initiative just stopped being an initiator on Bagramian Avenue,” he explained.

When commenting on the reasons for moving to Liberty Square, he said: “We could no longer be in control there as some people came wishing to take the issue to a political level. The situation could get out of control and for that reason we are no longer the initiators on Bagramian Avenue. I can return there as a private person and I already did so once today”.

Shushanyan said there are no disagreements within ‘No to Robbery’ initiative – they just worked hard on their team in recent days. “I did not allow some people to completely gain their end. They were taking the issue to a political level,” Shushanyan stressed again.
According to him, “the majority of protesters yesterday remained on Bagramian Avenue as they were influenced by emotions of those provoking radical actions”. Yet Shushanyan declined to name those people saying that he is not familiar with the leaders of the current protest action on Bagramian Avenue.

More information about further actions of ‘No Robbery’ initiative will be provided later, the activist said. Asked by reporters if they are likely to return to Bagramian Avenue, Shushanyan replied: “Everything is possible. Initiative members are both here and there. I am also going to be both here and there”.

V. Shushanyan said he takes a normal attitude to people who accuse him of ‘betrayal’ as everyone perceives reality in their own way so ‘they can also pelt you with tomatoes”. As for accusations about striking a ‘deal with authorities’, the activist said: “We stated that we will never get into touch with them”.

He said that public pressure should be applied to achieve a rational and urgent solution of their demand at the legal level – the revocation of the decision of Public Services Regulatory Commission of June 17 about a rise in power tariff by 6.93 drams. Shishanyan also said they have not yet made a decision about participation in the audit the Armenian president spoke about on June 27.