The Rallying Call

I attended another rally today in Freedom Square in protest of the recent presidential elections. Several people gave speeches criticizing the ruling regime, calling for true democracy in the country, and celebrating the "victory" of the people. This latter refrain was repeated throughout, referring to Raffi Hovhannesian being the true winner of the presidential elections, as well as the notion that the people voting for him and attending his rallies have broken the stereotype of Armenian citizens as hopeless and apathetic.

Raffi's speech seemed to suggest that the movement was going to be a prolonged one, as he asked the audience if they were ready to stick it out with him in the long haul. He also asked the crowd whether they thought he should submit his case to the Constitutional Court and whether they should present to the people his administration's future governmental posts. 

It was also announced that a commemoration of the March 1st events would be held by Raffi tomorrow, which the Armenian National Congress has joined onto, and that a concert would be held on Saturday in Liberty Square, where Raffi promised to reveal where his movement would be going.

If the momentum generated by Raffi's campaign can be transformed into a healthy, unified, and sustained opposition to the regime, these election developments have the potential to be a positive turning point for the country. There is definitely a rising tide of civic discontent displayed by the turnout at the rallies across the country.

But it would do well to remember that it's not the first time this has happened. Presidential elections in Armenia from 1996 to 2008 have seen even larger outpourings of protest with not much of an effect. It remains to be seen what action will come out of these developments and if the crowd gathering can be turned from spectators to organized and active citizens of change. I certainly hope that will be the outcome.

My sense is that even the people at the rallies are getting impatient with speeches. Everyone is eager to see what the next steps will be. 

Meanwhile, following the rally, a group of university students involved in the recent
4-day student strike held a public meeting in the square about how they would move forward with their initiative. They discussed their agenda and then opened the floor for people, both young and old, to speak their mind. Again, the overriding criticism expressed by speakers from the crowd was that there was no long-term plan or clearly expressed end goal of the campaign.

"Thought without action is a dream" -Alexander Herzen

Think Global, Act Local

I had the opportunity this past weekend to travel throughout southern Armenia as part of a delegation from the Foundation Against the Violation of Law (FAVL) NGO.

We went to Civic Centers the organization has been operating in Vayq, Kapan, Meghri, Sisian, and Yeghegnadzor for the last several years, working to develop civic engagement and grassroots participation in local governance in the remote regions of Armenia. 

The main purpose of the trip was to go over the local strategy and public relations for the upcoming year with the staff and volunteers at each of the centers. The emphasis for 2013 will be on working with women and youth to mobilize them around issues facing their communities.

It is worth noting that women and youth make up a majority of Armenian society and face a multitude of social, economic, and political issues. Yet, they are glaringly absent from the reigning public discourse and off the radar of most of the main political forces, especially in the regions. 

It was inspiring, to say the least, to be able to meet and discuss issues with men and women working to improve their towns, cities, and villages. An added bonus of the trip was the ability to see the breathtaking view and beautiful mountainous geography of Armenia's south.

The strength of the country is definitely beyond simply Yerevan. The nation begins from the smallest unit and builds from the bottom upward. From the ruralest of villages to the biggest of cities.

I'm convinced that the way forward is to galvanize popular democracy from local communities on up, and not the other way around.

I'm heading to the Vayq Center again today.

Beautification in Bangladesh

Today, I met up with a longtime friend of mine named Ani in the Malatia district of Yerevan, commonly referred to as "Bangladesh".

As we were waiting for a "Marshrutka" at a stop near the large Holy Trinity Church there, we unexpectedly noticed a group of workers chainsawing about 15-20 trees in the middle of a green space across from the church.

Ani (who is an environmental activist and extremely outspoken young citizen) was immediately struck by the scene. She approached the workers and asked what they were doing cutting these trees into stumps, and who gave them permission to do so.

The responded saying they are "putting in order" and "beautifying" the space by cutting the trees in order to cover the area with grass. In their words, the trees were obstructing the views of cars so it was decided to chop them down. They said they had the proper permission to do so but were visibly shaken by someone daring to ask what was going on. We could also see that the stumps were being covered over with soil and leaves so as to hide the sawing that was taking place.

With both of us dumbfounded by their explanation and the situation, we both began recording what was going on and Ani demanded to see documentation showing they had permission. When they said they didn't have it on them, she called the police.

While we waited for the police to show up, passerby's began stopping and supporting our efforts to stop what they had long seen taking place. One citizen even gave us the number to Aravot newspaper, urging us to call them to cover what was happening. We contacted them and any other media outlets we had information for.

 Civilnet reporters were the only ones who showed up on the scene, while journalists from Ecolur and Aravot spoke to us over the phone (here is Ecolur's and Civilnet's coverage of the incident).

We also both went to the police station and filed an official report about what happened. The police said they will pursue the matter and find out whether there is city permission for the cutting or whether this is an illegal operation. By the time we left, the workers still had not submitted any documentation showing permission.

Such acts often turn out to be private endeavors, with local property owners or private businessmen hiring a company to "beautify" an area near their establishment without the proper paperwork. It was clear from talking to the workers at the site that they worked for a private firm and seemed uneasy about their cutting down of healthy trees, though they still sought to justify it as it was putting some income in their hands.

Ani's action served to stop the cutting at least for the day, something which the local, mostly older residents were clearly in support of--but apparently not bold enough to express on their own. She spread the news to her fellow activists and took down the information for the police officer and his vehicle, promising to follow up and take next steps.

For me, Ani's action showed that the problems facing the city and larger society are only a reflection of a passivity among the public and lack of organization which younger activists like her are seeking to break. She is a firm believer that changing the future of the country requires people to change how they deal with such violations and injustices they see around them. For her, passive complaints and proclamations are meaningless without action, direct and unadulterated.

It was an inspirational and educational moment, to say the least.

The Day After

A rally was held today in Armenia's liberty square by Raffi Hovannesian, the main challenger to the President in Monday's elections. Hovannesian, who official results claim lost with 37% of the vote, insists that independent precinct reports and widespread documentation of fraud prove he received upwards of 80% of the vote and is the true winner of the race. He called on President Sargsyan to transfer over power to him within 24 hours, wherein another rally will be held at 5 pm tomorrow.

I was expecting a much larger turnout at the rally given the widespread disgruntlement of the population with the ruling regime, the various reports suggesting Hovannesian won precincts throughout the country, and insistence that he is the real presidential victor. Announcements for the rally were being circulated on Facebook under the rallying cry that "tomorrow the Raffilution begins".

For me, the lower than expected attendance, inability to hear what was being said due to the weak sound system, and general mood of the gathering was somewhat deflating and disappointing.

It will be interesting to see how many people show up for tomorrow's rally.

Meanwhile, a more moving display was an action carried out today by a group of activists who took over a press conference of OSCE observers in Yerevan (see video below). They read a statement protesting the European body's acquiescence and rubber stamping of the violations that took place in the elections, while the officials stood by confused and in dissaray.

Part of the statement read, "Dear political tourists, stop legitimizing fraudulent elections! You are violating the international mechanisms you set yourselves."

"If I can't dance, I don't want to be part of your revolution." -Emma Goldman

Language of Action

"There is no better language that can be spoken the world over and be clearly understood than the language of action" - Քրիստափոր