Student protest not to take place

PanARMENIAN.Net - Members of the National Neoconservative Movement said that a student protest scheduled for May 14 will not take place, being postponed due to actions of Yerevan Mayor’s Office, Chairman of the Student Union Arthur Baghdasaryan said.

“Initially, the Mayor’s Office permitted the action in front of the central building of Yerevan State University; however, later it offered to organize the event near Vardan Mamikonyan’s monument on May 15. Nevertheless, this was not a final decision either,” Baghdasaryan told a press conference in Yerevan.

Member of the Movement Hovik Muradyan added that the Mayor’s Office does not authorize to the action, saying that it may hinder the University’s educational process, cause problems to the city traffic, etc.

The Movement decided to postpone the protest to avoid clashes with law-enforcers. Chairman of the Organizational Committee Ararat Stepanyan said that they are going to meet with Armenian Minister of Education and Science Armen Ashotyan on May 15, and decide on further activity thereupon. “We are ready to organize even unauthorized protest actions,” said Hovik Muradyan.

It should be noted that the Movement submitted its demands in an open letter to Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan and Minister of Science and Education Armen Ashotyan. The Student Union demands to restore seats in MA and post-graduate courses, which guarantee draft deferment, decrease university fees by 20%, increase scholarships as well as lecturers’ salary, as well as to provide students from Armenia’s remote regions and foreign students with dormitories suitable for living.