This is the third day since the events of Monday night/Tuesday morning. I wish I could say that out of that night of terror new dialogue or healthy discourse has emerged, but it hasn't. In fact, the same stagnated, tired words are repeated over and over again. I've had a difficult time concentrating on much else. Because of my work, I get to deal with the current political stale mate in Armenia, and so, I don't really have a break from the ever-changing events in this regard.
I've also followed the logs and in those rare moments of silence, have tried to come up with workable solutions to figure out what the answer is. I must say that at least on the logs, it seems, people are finally talking about these events from a variety of perspectives. It's good and healthy. Each one of us doesn't need to agree with every perspective expressed, but at least there is talk and discussion, which is more than one can say about the rest of our communities.
After reading the comments section and some of the logs on both pages, I felt the need to make a distinction in what I see to be important when talking about the events in Armenia in the last few weeks. I think whether one agrees with the opposition or not, is a personal/political issue. No one here, including I, will not presume to impose personal politics on others, and certainly I'm very conscious of not infusing my political ideology into what I write on the logs. So, when writing about the demonstrations prior to Monday night, what most of us were writing was about the Armenian people's right to stand up and speak for themselves. I understand that many believe that they are paid to be out there. Fine, if we assume that 90 percent are there not out of genuine interest in change, then we have to support the rights of the 10 percent to be able to voice their concerns in a safe environment.
I strongly believe that the focus has completely shifted since Monday. It is not longer about people voicing their concerns, but it's fighting blatant abuses of human rights. I don't care what party you are from, and what political affiliation you have, if you consider yourself a person of good conscience, then you will stand up and defend the right of any human being, any journalist, any NGO representative, and any activist to peacefully express his/her opinion without fearing reprisals from any authority. What occurred on Monday night was a violation of human rights. It was not an attempt to disperse protestors, it was not about shutting down a demonstrations. It was about inflicting terror of the worst kind. It was about physical and psychological terror, and it was about a severe political crackdown, that has turned Yerevan into a police zone.
And I hope the symbolism of April is in fact not lost on anyone. Oppression is oppression—whether it comes in the form of genocide, political terror, discrimination based on arbitrary social stratification—it is oppression, and of all people, we Armenians will not stand for oppression anywhere, much less in our own land.
At the same time, we have to begin thinking about how to ensure that the state institutions in Armenia are strengthened in a substantive way so that in another five years we don’t go through the same episodes. But parallel to this, we absolutely must stand and demand that human rights in Armenia are observed and protected not just theoretically but functionally.
Today opposition and coalition representative, as well as other factions in parliament gave their post Monday assessment, and there was not much new in what they said. New calls for dialogue were made on one side, and demands of accountability on the other. Some political figures have been set free, with pending criminal charges. New demonstrations have been called. NGO and youth organizations this evening had a small rally at the Matenadaran, and it drew a good number of people standing up for human rights.
There is much to be done, and we each have a role, starting with disseminating information about these events, and making sure that people understand what this struggle is about, and not allowing those with specific agendas to hijack this issue for their gain. This is about human rights and nothing more.
"Tolerance implies a respect for another person, not because he is wrong or even because he is right, but because he is human."
-- John Cogley Commonweal
I've also followed the logs and in those rare moments of silence, have tried to come up with workable solutions to figure out what the answer is. I must say that at least on the logs, it seems, people are finally talking about these events from a variety of perspectives. It's good and healthy. Each one of us doesn't need to agree with every perspective expressed, but at least there is talk and discussion, which is more than one can say about the rest of our communities.
After reading the comments section and some of the logs on both pages, I felt the need to make a distinction in what I see to be important when talking about the events in Armenia in the last few weeks. I think whether one agrees with the opposition or not, is a personal/political issue. No one here, including I, will not presume to impose personal politics on others, and certainly I'm very conscious of not infusing my political ideology into what I write on the logs. So, when writing about the demonstrations prior to Monday night, what most of us were writing was about the Armenian people's right to stand up and speak for themselves. I understand that many believe that they are paid to be out there. Fine, if we assume that 90 percent are there not out of genuine interest in change, then we have to support the rights of the 10 percent to be able to voice their concerns in a safe environment.
I strongly believe that the focus has completely shifted since Monday. It is not longer about people voicing their concerns, but it's fighting blatant abuses of human rights. I don't care what party you are from, and what political affiliation you have, if you consider yourself a person of good conscience, then you will stand up and defend the right of any human being, any journalist, any NGO representative, and any activist to peacefully express his/her opinion without fearing reprisals from any authority. What occurred on Monday night was a violation of human rights. It was not an attempt to disperse protestors, it was not about shutting down a demonstrations. It was about inflicting terror of the worst kind. It was about physical and psychological terror, and it was about a severe political crackdown, that has turned Yerevan into a police zone.
And I hope the symbolism of April is in fact not lost on anyone. Oppression is oppression—whether it comes in the form of genocide, political terror, discrimination based on arbitrary social stratification—it is oppression, and of all people, we Armenians will not stand for oppression anywhere, much less in our own land.
At the same time, we have to begin thinking about how to ensure that the state institutions in Armenia are strengthened in a substantive way so that in another five years we don’t go through the same episodes. But parallel to this, we absolutely must stand and demand that human rights in Armenia are observed and protected not just theoretically but functionally.
Today opposition and coalition representative, as well as other factions in parliament gave their post Monday assessment, and there was not much new in what they said. New calls for dialogue were made on one side, and demands of accountability on the other. Some political figures have been set free, with pending criminal charges. New demonstrations have been called. NGO and youth organizations this evening had a small rally at the Matenadaran, and it drew a good number of people standing up for human rights.
There is much to be done, and we each have a role, starting with disseminating information about these events, and making sure that people understand what this struggle is about, and not allowing those with specific agendas to hijack this issue for their gain. This is about human rights and nothing more.
"Tolerance implies a respect for another person, not because he is wrong or even because he is right, but because he is human."
-- John Cogley Commonweal
posted by Alex at 1:40 AM
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