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YEREVAN. - The violence committed in Armenia a year ago against the participants of the movement against the electricity price hike has not only failed to “extinguish” it, but, conversely, served to mobilize people faster.

Member of the Union of Informed Citizens NGO, Daniel Ioannisyan, said the aforementioned Thursday at the discussion on the topic “Electric Yerevan: Assessments and opinions a year later.”

In his words, the violence made people even angrier. “The operation of the police on June 23 last year motivated people to come out for struggle. This wasn’t a struggle only against the 7 AMD electricity price hike, but one for a more principled issue,” Ioannisyan stressed.

He recalled that the police then detained 237 people, insisting that all of them were suspected of hooliganism. “The the Investigative Committee stated that no hooliganism had taken place. The police haven’t so far responded to the question what massive hallucinations they had when seeing indicia of hooliganism in the actions of 237 people,” Ioannisyan added.   

On June 22 last year, protest against the electricity price hike was staged in Yerevan’s central Baghramyan Avenue. On June 23, the police used force to disperse the sit-in participants and detained 237 people, but the protest resumed in the evening.  After the speech of Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan on June 27, controversies arose among the initiative group. The next day, part of the demonstrators moved to the Liberty Square, the majority staying in Baghramyan Avenue. The authorities manifested stunning patience to the movement, allowing to keep one of the most important avenues of the capital blocked for 14 days on end. The traffic on Baghramyan Avenue was resumed on July 6. 

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