Police resort to MPs’ mediation for unblocking Baghramyan Avenue from demonstrators in Armenia
24.06.2015,
11:57
Armenia’s law-enforcement bodies hope that lawmakers will help unblock Baghramyan Avenue from demonstrators protesting against electricity price rise, head of Yerevan police major-general Ashot Karapetyan said.
YEREVAN, June 24. /ARKA/. Armenia’s law-enforcement bodies hope that lawmakers will help unblock Baghramyan Avenue from demonstrators protesting against electricity price rise, head of Yerevan police major-general Ashot Karapetyan said.
“We are negotiating and we reckon on a successful outcome,” the head of the police said.
He also said the police shower tolerance, but if the avenue was not unblocked, law breakers would be held responsible.
The police will act within the bounds of the law, Karapetyan said.
Deputy head of Armenia’s police Hunan Poghosyan said they would not interfere in demonstrators’ peaceful actions.
On the night into Wednesday the police made no attempts to disperse the protesters. Members of the parliament, show business celebrities stayed in the avenue overnight having built a ‘live’ wall in between the protesters and the police cordons to prevent any violence.
On June 23 early morning the riot police used water cannon to disperse several hundred demonstrators. Several thousands protesters had marched towards the presidential palace yesterday evening to protest against the rise in power tariffs. After the police blocked the street several hundred people remained overnight, holding a sit-in and blocking traffic on central Baghramyan Avenue. According to police, some 250 people were detained.
Hundreds of activists spent Tuesday night in Baghramyan.
On June 17 Armenia’s Public Services Regulatory Commission (PSRC) formally raised the prices of electricity by over 16 percent, down from 40 percent rise sought by Armenia’s Russian-owned power distribution company - the Electricity Networks of Armenia (ENA). This means that the daytime electricity price for households will rise from 42 drams to almost 49 drams (10 U.S. cents) per kilowatt/hour. The households will pay almost 39 drams per kilowatt/hour during night hours.
The daytime electricity price for households already went up by 27 percent in July 2013 because of the increased cost of Russian natural gas generating more than one-third of Armenia’s electricity. The PSRC raised it by another 10 percent in July 2014.
The Electricity Networks of Armenia is a 100% subsidiary of Russian INTER RAO UES. –
“We are negotiating and we reckon on a successful outcome,” the head of the police said.
He also said the police shower tolerance, but if the avenue was not unblocked, law breakers would be held responsible.
The police will act within the bounds of the law, Karapetyan said.
Deputy head of Armenia’s police Hunan Poghosyan said they would not interfere in demonstrators’ peaceful actions.
On the night into Wednesday the police made no attempts to disperse the protesters. Members of the parliament, show business celebrities stayed in the avenue overnight having built a ‘live’ wall in between the protesters and the police cordons to prevent any violence.
On June 23 early morning the riot police used water cannon to disperse several hundred demonstrators. Several thousands protesters had marched towards the presidential palace yesterday evening to protest against the rise in power tariffs. After the police blocked the street several hundred people remained overnight, holding a sit-in and blocking traffic on central Baghramyan Avenue. According to police, some 250 people were detained.
Hundreds of activists spent Tuesday night in Baghramyan.
On June 17 Armenia’s Public Services Regulatory Commission (PSRC) formally raised the prices of electricity by over 16 percent, down from 40 percent rise sought by Armenia’s Russian-owned power distribution company - the Electricity Networks of Armenia (ENA). This means that the daytime electricity price for households will rise from 42 drams to almost 49 drams (10 U.S. cents) per kilowatt/hour. The households will pay almost 39 drams per kilowatt/hour during night hours.
The daytime electricity price for households already went up by 27 percent in July 2013 because of the increased cost of Russian natural gas generating more than one-third of Armenia’s electricity. The PSRC raised it by another 10 percent in July 2014.
The Electricity Networks of Armenia is a 100% subsidiary of Russian INTER RAO UES. –
