A Wake-Up Call for Armenia and the Diaspora

Houri Mayissian

Two weeks ago a few hundred Armenian citizens and activists heeded to Shant Harutyunyan’s call for revolution. Armed with homemade explosives, batons, and rocks they started marching toward the Presidential Palace, clashing with police on the way. Harutyunyan and several of his followers were arrested and remain in jail.

They say the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Harutyunyan had justified his call for revolution by the need to “protect dignified life.” However, in the barrage of information that has since emerged, two alarming facts stand out: Harutyunyan is the leader of a party by the name of Tseghagron and, as he has said himself in an interview, Hitler has been one of the figures who have played a formative role in the development of his ideas.

"Gasoline" Revolution in Yerevan?

Violence erupted on Mashtots Avenue in Yerevan on Nov. 5 as dozens of protesters clashed with police. The demonstration was sparked by a call for revolution by activist Shant Harutyunyan.

As over a hundred protesters gathered to embark on what police say was an “unauthorized” march to the Presidential Palace, they encountered resistance by law enforcement officials. Some of the activists hurled small gas-filled bottles that exploded upon impact. Others swung wooden batons at officers. Reportedly, up to 200 law-enforcement officials—including Special Forces and SWAT teams—were deployed to the scene. Some 20 activists were arrested, including Harutyunyan, while around ten police officers suffered injuries.

Dozens Detained In Yerevan After "Revolution" Bid

Hovannes Movsisian

A maverick Armenian opposition activist and more than three dozen of his supporters were detained in downtown Yerevan on Tuesday [November 5, 2013] in violent clashes with riot police that followed what he called an attempt to carry out an anti-government “revolution.”