Sasna Tsrer: The ARF Position in Context

Haig Kaiserian

 

Like most Armenians who followed the developments in Erebuni over the past two weeks, I am deeply passionate about the status of Armenia—our nation, as well as its inhabitants.

On July 17, an armed group calling themselves the “Sasna Tsrer”, primarily made up of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabagh/NKR) war veterans, stormed the Armenian Police Yerevan City Patrol Regiment Building in the suburb of Erebuni, announcing the start of an “uprising.” They took officers as hostages, demanding immediate regime change with the resignation of President Serzh Sargsyan and the release of “political prisoners”, especially the leader of the “Founding Parliament” movement, Jirair Sefilyan, himself an Artsakh war veteran.

President Serge Sarkisian Breaks Silence After Two-Week Standoff

A day after the surrender by the group “Daredevils of Sasoun,” who occupied a police compound in the Erebuni district of Yerevan from July 17-31, President Serge Sargsyan broke his silence and addressed the crisis that ensued in Armenia.

On August 1, 2016, Sargsyan hosted what his press service called “representatives of the different segments of the society group,” among them cultural figures, medical professional, members of the legislative and executive branches of the government, as well as clergy headed by Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II.

Political Violence Through a Different Lens

Aram Ghoogasian

The 20th century, violent as it was, saw the rise of nonviolence as a prominent strategy. Consequently, it also changed the public perception of violent uprisings.

Erebuni, a district in the Armenian capital, is currently the site of such an uprising, one that comes on the heels of the Armenian government’s overreaction to a hostage standoff at a Yerevan police station.

The motives of the hostage takers and the protesters who are responding to the detention of civilians without charge have been commented on extensively enough in the press. But many professional and amateur commentators alike have attempted to moralize the use of violence, often prefacing their columns with the disclaimer that they in no way condone violence committed by either the state or the populace.

Three Questions and Two Observations on the Stand-off in Yerevan

Nareg Seferian

What is the plan for an endgame?

Getting into a situation without knowing how to get out is a desperate act. The group calling itself Sasna Tsrer must have had some idea as to how this whole scenario would play out. It does not seem too clear, however. The demands are quite clear. But they are also very extreme. Do the members of Sasna Tsrerhonestly expect their demands to be fully met? If not, then how do they imagine this stand-off ending? Do they imagine that ending to be of some benefit to the country, to the people of Armenia?

Maybe I am physically and figuratively at a distance from Erebouni, but it simply does not make full sense to me.

I Am an Accomplice

Patrick Azadian

 

Every nation suffers from certain illnesses and insecurities. The Armenian people are no different. While we are not a homogeneous bunch by any means, the absence of genuine self-criticism and loyalty to absolutism in our society are plagues that have sapped our potential as a nation and have bred victimhood and helplessness at every juncture of our recent history. They also hinder our progress as a people on our ancestral lands.

The recent events in Armenia, the taking of hostages in the Erebuni district of Yerevan by a group of war veterans and the killing of an Armenian citizen, has brought to fore some of the worst features in our people. While some politicians and self-proclaimed leaders are busy labeling the armed takeover of the police station in a negative light, others are outspoken in blindly throwing their support behind the armed activists, justifying the act based on the fact that some government officials have done worse things to our people. And they have. But once again, we have forgotten our collective responsibility of how we have arrived at this unpleasant crossroad. Many of us are satisfying our desire (not a hunger, because if we all had an insatiable hunger, we wouldn’t be where we are today) for positive change by proclaiming symbolic statements in support of the armed group and looking for saviors. Others are using the opportunity to strike a more ‘moderate’ note by claiming that acts of violence are not a solution to the ills of our society and implying that we are slowly and diligently making progress.

Oldest Street Discovered in Yerevan

A group of archaeologists hailing from Armenia, France, and Iran discovered Yerevan’s most ancient street. On July 7, the group announced in a press conference that it had found the 30-meter-long, tile-paved street in the Erebuni fortress, near the temple of Haldi, during its archaeological expedition. The group estimates that the ancient street is 2,700 years old, reported Armenia’s Arka news outlet.

The heads of each country’s expedition team spoke at a news conference about the historic discovery. “This is a unique and unprecedented discovery that may change completely our idea of the Urartu civilization,” said Mikael Badalyan of the Armenian team.