Armenian youth rally for detained activist

While the international community continues to follow the case of two detained video bloggers and youth activists in Azerbaijan, the plight of another taken into police custody several days earlier in neighbouring Armenia remains unnoticed. Despite his diminutive size, Tigran Arakelian is accused of assaulting three policemen at the beginning of July and, like Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli, is currently in two-months pre-trial detention on charges of "hooliganism."

Both actions against youth activists in Armenia and Azerbaijan represent new moves by the two respective regimes to silence critical voices and to suppress emerging oppositional youth movements by using Soviet-era tactics.

Detentions for “hooliganism” are an old Soviet tactic; they have no place in a country that has ratified numerous European agreements on human rights and that aims for closer relations with the European community of nations. link

Recent attempts in Armenia to promote a pro-government youth movement along the lines of the Russian Nashi in light of the emergence of the opposition Hima! youth group obviously failed, but if the authorities in Yerevan hoped it might serve as a warning sign to other youth willing to take to the streets, that seems to have backfired too. Yesterday, a few dozen Hima! members rallied in support of their imprisoned fellow activist as well as recently detained newspaper editor Nikol Pashinian.

Opposition Hima! youth activists march in support of Tigran Arakelian, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian / Oneworld Multimedia

Opposition youth reading the newspaper of imprisoned editor Nikol Pashinian, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian / Oneworld Multimedia

 Opposition Hima! youth activists march in support of Tigran Arakelian, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian / Oneworld Multimedia

Despite its past record even for women’s marches, police presence was remarkably low and actually, non-existent although some did materialize to deny access to the controversial Northern Avenue. Nevertheless, the hour long demonstration passed without incident although as with Hajizade and Milli the fate of Tigran Arakelian remains uncertain. 

Opposition Hima! youth activists march in support of Tigran Arakelian, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian / Oneworld Multimedia