My friend Nieri Avanessian, a young Birthright Armenia volunteer, translated for me on the three hour bus trip to Teghut. The transit time provided an opportunity for the event organizers to educate the rest of us on a variety of topics including the unique habitat of Teghut, its flora, fauna and endangered species. They discussed the numerous laws, statutes and conventions being violated and flaunted in the face of the public. There was a lecture, from an archaeologist, concerning the danger the mine posed to ancient ruins and artifacts in the region. We also had a “pep-talk” from Mariam Sudukhyan who has become the face of the movement. Mariam has been on the front line of almost all environmental protests in Armenia and is fearless in pursuit of environmental justice. Mariam, however, is just one player in this unfolding drama. The purpose of this blog is to introduce the rest. Oligarchs Oligarch is a term freely bantered about in Armenia. These wealthy elites dominate all aspects of Armenian society, from business to government. The Oligarchs control the legislative process through their proxy political parties, the Republican Party and Prosperous Armenia. To call the ...
There were 250 of us at Teghut. It was Sunday, January 15 and we were there to protest the illegal mining operation underway and to hike into the forested area. What we found were road blocks and people organized to protest against us. We, 250 activists from Yerevan and Vanadzor, found ourselves arrayed on a hillside peering down at 150 mine workers and citizens from the nearby villages of Teghut and Shnogh, as well as the city of Alaverdi. It brought to mind the scene in Braveheart where the Scots and English were staring each other down prior to the bloody battle. In the case of Teghut, however, the lines between good and evil were not as clear, primarily because the mine workers and citizens are finding themselves in a very tough spot, forced to choose between protecting their ancestral homeland from irreparable harm, or employment. Like many actions of this nature, “should-be” allies find themselves pitted against each other. In fact, Teghut can be seen as a microcosm of much of Armenia’s problems today which will be the focus of my upcoming entries. This topic is too large for a single entry so I decided to split it into six ...
Something remarkable occurred on Monday, February 20th in Mashtot’s Park. Approximately 150 activists broke through a police cordon and temporary barriers to “re-occupy” kiosks being illegally constructed in this public park. This event was remarkable because, once again, environmental activists refused to quit on the concept that the “rule of law” applies to everyone. The activists would simply not quit on the idea that “public” means “of the people”, and not “of the mayor”. As a participant in this action I felt pride in these young people who simply refuse to quit on their country. The day began peacefully enough. Three hundred activists gathered outside city hall to request that the mayor, Taron Margaryan, meet the activists to discuss events surrounding the park. At issue were the kiosks (mobile home size shops) that were being erected in Mashtot’s Park. These kiosks, formerly located on Abovyan Street, received licenses from the mayor for “temporary” placement in Mashtot’s Park. Members of several local NGO’s objected to this decision on the following grounds: The law requires public hearings when construction of this nature is to be conducted. No public hearings were held. The law requires an environmental ...