EcoLur
On 24 February we have a new program for Mashtots Park. “I Oppose to Killing Dogs” exhibition will begin at15:00. Architect Gurgen Musheghyan, one of authors of Yerevan master plan, will talk about the incompatibility of ongoing constructions with the master plan at 16:30 p.m. “Civic Tribune” will host Tigran Khzmalyan, Film Director and member of “Sardarapat” Civic Initiative at 17:30.
CNN about Mashtots park
Yerkir.am
CNN has turned to the events taking place in Armenia's capital Yerevan and mainly to the protests in Mashtots park, which is about to be turned to a bunch of boutiques.
This is mainly said in the article of CNN:
"It has been several days that environmentalists and citizens of Armenia and, especially, Yerevan (capital city) fight for preserving Mashtots park in Yerevan city center.
People went to the city hall, but the city mayor wasn't that
open to hear the needs of the citizens. He allegedly said: "An Armenian cannot claim anything else from another Armenian" in response to the claims of the citizens. When the environmentalists saw there is nothing to hope for on the account of authorities, the movement went spontaneous; the activists and citizens broke in into the small area which was barricaded and protected by less than a dozen of policemen. The police were about to attack after some help joined them, but they didn't do so; human rights defenders, politicians and some celebrities were present. That was yesterday.
Today, one of the prominent warriors, Bayandur Poghossian, started a hunger strike; the situation was the following: the police were to protect the area at the night time after the prise de la Boutique, and the police promised that nothing will be done in night time (especially, taking into account that a hospital is just few feet away). Yet, small boutiques, which are being built on the account of green area and hurting trees, were glassed and barricaded overnight. Now, the members of the movement, which has no particular political nor religious agenda nor organisations standing behind it, are discussing possible ways of acting upon unlawful actions of city mayor of Yerevan, Taron Margaryan which is already nicknamed 'Taron the Boutique'. Bayandur Poghosyan will be striking for eight days by protesting against illegal actions of city authorities.
For general information; some boutiques were taken away from one of arterial streets of Yerevan, Abovyan, few months ago. It created problems for people that could not earn money otherwise; that was the only source for them to survive. Now, some boutiques are said to be removed to the new location. Yet, as head of headquarter of Transparency International anti corruption center of Yerevan Sona Ayvazyan put it in one of the articles (azatutyun.am): "These booths are not booths belonging to ordinary citizens, it is a matter of high financial expenses, and some high-ranking officials or oligarkhs are involved in this, therefore, it will not be easy to come to a decision on this. Yet, - she continued, - the mayor should prove he is the mayor of citizens of city of Yerevan, not of a group of oligarchs, and he shall resolve the matter in favour of the public good." The whole action was obviously full of flaws from legislative standpoint, and all these misdimeanors are registered by a group of activists and supporting people who filed a report on the case".
February 24, 2012 at 12:07