DOZENS PROTEST OUTSIDE AS NEW CABINET MEETS
By Shake Avoyan
Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
June 14 2007
Scores of residents affected by massive redevelopment schemes in
downtown Yerevan protested outside the government building on Thursday
as the new Armenian government were holding their first meeting inside.
Activists representing hundreds of citizens controversially evicted
from their city center homes to give way to multimillion construction
projects accused Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian of going back on his
promise to meet them and discuss ways to settle their problems.
Vachagan Hakobian, who set up a nongovernmental organization to
advocate the property rights of evicted citizens, says the authorities’
inaction to provide solutions to their problems made them resort to
a protest action again after a two-month interval.
"During the pre-election campaign we hoped that the premier would
fulfill his promise after the elections. But two months have passed,
people feel disillusioned and have decided to go outside again,"
Hakobian told RFE/RL, adding that the protest was staged at a very
short notice and therefore was not attended by all who would wish to
join the action.
Many residents whose homes were demolished by city developers are
unhappy with the modest amount of compensations they got from the
state, alleging high-level government corruption. Some have resisted
eviction by filing lawsuits and even building barricades as they
protested the government action as illegal and unconstitutional.
"We will push for a meeting with the prime minister," the activist
said. "He’d better personally tell us whether he will keep his promise
or not so that we decide on our further action."
Meanwhile, the Cabinet members sitting inside seemed untroubled by
the protest action and proceeded with their meeting as usual.
Before passing to the discussion of agenda issues, Premier Sarkisian
urged his Cabinet to work as effectively as possible and show
everything it is capable of. According to him, the need for this is
prompted by the short-term nature of the current government, which
is likely to be dissolved in an eight months’ time in view of the
presidential election in the country.
The government plans to finalize its program of action and submit it
to the National Assembly for approval by the end of this month.