44  28.06.15 - June 28: Protest against electricity price rise
7  28.06.15 - June 28: Baghramyan ave. in the morning after the protest

Demonstrators allowed another night at Baghramyan Ave.

Demonstrators allowed another night at Baghramyan Ave.

PanARMENIAN.Net - The police allowed the protesters against energy price hike to spend one more night at Baghramyan Avenue. The situation was tense on the night of June 28/29.

Deputy Chief of Yerevan Police Valery Osipyan called on minors and women to leave the venue of the campaign and urged the others to desert Bagramyan Avenue and continue the protest at Freedom Square, otherwise the police would use force.

The demonstrators started a sit-in at Baghramyan Avenue in response.

Following the lead of one of the members of the coordinating group, Vaghinak Shushanyan, some protesters left the scene to continue the campaign at Freedom Square, with the majority of picketers still remaining on the avenue. There were instigators in the crowd, trying to exacerbate the already tense situation.

Meanwhile, the Armenian show business representatives and deputies formed a living wall between the protesters and the police cordons.

Early in the morning of June 28, Ospiyan declared that the police "will try to restore public order" after 11.p.m. at Baghramyan Avenue, and whoever breaks the law will be held accountable.

The police once again called on the participants to keep silent, as music and loud shouts violate public order.

On the morning of June 29, demonstrators began to gather the garbage at Baghramyan Avenue, and started discussions on further steps afterwards.

Colonel Arsen Ayvazyan approached the protesters and informed them on the decision to confiscate Sanitek-owned garbage cans, which the demonstrators used to build barricades. The decision was made on the basis of the criminal case opened under article 185 of Criminal Code (intentional destruction or damage of property) following an application by Sanitek employee Ara Karapetian.

The demonstrators, in turn, protested against the confiscation of garbage cans.

On June 27, President Serzh Sargsyan stated that the Armenian government will cover the costs of electricity tariff hike until the results of the audit of the Electric Networks of Armenia (ENA) company are ready. The money, he said, will be taken from resources meant for further strengthening of security.

President Sargsyan and the Co-Chair of the Armenian-Russian intergovernmental commission, Russian Minister of Transport Maxim Sokolov had previously agreed upon conducting an audit of ENA.

Electric Networks of Armenia (ENA) Company earlier submitted a bid to the Public Services Regulatory Commission about a rise in electricity tariffs. The parliamentary opposition considers the move unfounded and initiated to serve the interests of ENA. The current night-time tariff for the population is AMD 31.85 per KWH, the daytime tariff is AMD 41.85. The bid of ENA proposed raising the tariffs to AMD 48 and 58 respectively. Yet the Commission satisfied the bid only partially on June 17, with the increase set at AMD 6.93 instead of AMD 17.

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