Regime-opposition standoff gearing up in Armenia
By Mushvig Mehdiyev
The Armenian authorities' call to "isolate" those who seek to launch a massive anti-government rally this week flared up already ardent confrontations with the opposition forces.
Vahram Baghdasaryan, the head of the ruling Republican Party's parliamentary faction, said on April 18 that his party believes the people who intend to launch an anti-regime push should be isolated unconditionally.
Baghdasaryan's address has come in response to the radical opposition group, the Founding Parliament's repeated announcements that it would kick off nonstop anti-government rallies on the day when large-scale public events are planned in Yerevan to mark the so-called “Armenian Genocide Centennial” on April 24.
Being at severe loggerheads with the country's rulers following its top members' arrest on April 7, the radical group called the ruling party's "isolation" threats nonsense.
In a statement released on April 19, the Founding Parliament voiced its concerns that statements from the authorities could lead to the persecution of more of its members in the coming days.
As a result of a sudden and reckless crackdown, police in Yerevan handcuffed seven members of the Founding Parliament. They were all later on charged with planning to hold mass disturbances on April 24.
The Founding Parliament members and supporters emphasized that even though they lost their leadership, their protests will push until the regime, which they call "antinational", steps down.
"Making a demand to isolate those who call for a rally on April
24 is a nonsense both politically and legally. Holding a rally is a
right guaranteed by the Armenian Constitution and international
treaties," the group said.
The group warned that "no illegal action and repression by the
regime can stop their movement from reaching its goal".
Authorities in Yerevan approved the Founding Parliament’s bid to
hold a rally in Yerevan on April 24. However, an overwhelming
opinion in Armenia both among society and political circles
believes that no political protests should be held on the day the
nation will be mourning its so-called "Armenian genocide".
The recent crackdown of Armenia's rulers on the opposition party has backfired as the authorities are now concerned that more rallies will be staged in reaction. Where Yerevan hoped to subdue the opposition it only served to fuel the situation and create a reactionary movement of great intensity. Now the whole country poses to wait for the end of the long-lasting regime-opposition standoff - who will win the final showdown on April 24?
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