Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

Armenians seem to have no intention to stop protests against the increase in electricity tariffs.

Demonstrators have started a new rally in Yerevan and Gyumri urging the Armenian president to cancel the decision to raise costs, RIA Novosti reported.

They have given the government a deadline of the first of August and say they will continue to protest if the conditions are not met.

Several dozens of the “No to Plunder” initiative activists, fighting back against electricity price hike, had suddenly launched another sit-in at the junction of Mashtots and Amiryan streets in the center of Yerevan on July 14, Armenian media reported.

The organizers said the sit-in was spontaneous. They were seen holding up photographs of policemen and demanded they be punished for using violence against protestors and journalists during the rallies on June 23 and July 6 in Yerevan’s Baghramyan Avenue.

The protests have been ongoing since the evening of June 23 on one of the main arteries in Yerevan – Marshal Baghramyan Avenue. Protesters barricaded this and other central streets in the city with plastic garbage cans.

The Armenian police brutally dispersed the crowd with the help of water cannons first early morning on June 23 and detained nearly 240 activists and protesters. Police officers also used force against many journalists during the crackdown.

After two weeks of sedentary picketing in Yerevan, police cleared Baghramyan Avenue of demonstrators on July 6, while more than 40 protesters were arrested.

Activist Maxim Sargsyan said sit-in would continue unless the protesters receive guarantees from the prosecutor’s office that the policemen guilty of the violence would be punished.

It was announced that a group of young activists also began a sit-in demonstration in Armenia’s second largest city –Gyumri. The protesters urged citizens to start similar rallies in other cities as well.

The Commission on Regulation of Public Services in Armenia in its June 17 meeting approved a decision to increase electricity tariffs by 6.93 Armenian drams (about $0.015). As a result, starting on August 1 consumers would have been required to pay 48.78 drams instead of the current 41.85 per 1 kWh per day.

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Sara Rajabova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @SaraRajabova

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