The 2018 Armenian Revolution, most commonly known in
Armenia
Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''Ox ...
as #MerzhirSerzhin ( hy, ՄերժիրՍերժին, meaning "#RejectSerzh"), was a series of anti-government protests in Armenia from April to May 2018 staged by various political and civil groups led by a member of the Armenian parliament —
Nikol Pashinyan
Nikol Vovayi Pashinyan ( hy, Նիկոլ Վովայի Փաշինյան, ; born 1 June 1975) is an Armenian politician serving as the prime minister of Armenia since 8 May 2018.
A journalist by profession, Pashinyan founded his own newspaper in 1 ...
(head of the
Civil Contract party). Protests and marches took place initially in response to
Serzh Sargsyan's third consecutive term as the most powerful figure in the government of Armenia and later against the
Republican Party
Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party.
Republican Party may also refer to:
Africa
*Republican Party (Liberia)
* Republican Part ...
-controlled government in general. Pashinyan declared it a Velvet Revolution ( hy, Թավշյա հեղափոխություն).
On April 22, Pashinyan was arrested and held in solitary confinement overnight, then released on April 23, the same day that Sargsyan resigned, saying "I was wrong, while Nikol Pashinyan was right". The event is referred to by some as a
peaceful revolution
The Peaceful Revolution (german: Friedliche Revolution), as a part of the Revolutions of 1989, was the process of sociopolitical change that led to the opening of East Germany's borders with the West, the end of the ruling of the Socialist Unity ...
akin to
revolutions in other post-Soviet states. By the evening of April 25, the Republican Party’s coalition partner ARF-Dashnaktsutyun had withdrawn from the coalition.
By April 28, all of the opposition parties in Armenia's parliament had announced they would support Pashinyan's candidacy. A vote was scheduled in the
National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...
for May 1; for Pashinyan to be elected Prime Minister, which required 53 votes, he would have had to win the votes of at least six members of the Republican Party. Pashinyan was the only candidate who was put forward for the vote. However, the Republican Party unanimously voted against Pashinyan – 102 MPs were present, out of which 56 voted against his candidacy and 45 voted for it. One week later, on May 8, the second vote took place. Pashinyan was elected Prime Minister with 59 votes.
Preceding situation
In 2012–2017 reported levels of trust in national government (25%) and confidence in judicial system (29%) in Armenia were below of all its neighbouring countries.
Nomination of Sargsyan for the post of Prime Minister
Demonstrations and protests began in March 2018, when members of the
Republican Party
Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party.
Republican Party may also refer to:
Africa
*Republican Party (Liberia)
* Republican Part ...
did not exclude the option of nominating
Serzh Sargsyan
Serzh Azati Sargsyan ( hy, Սերժ Ազատի Սարգսյան, ; born 30 June 1954)[Of ...](_blank)
for the prime minister's post. This meant a continuation of Sargsyan's rule (as either Prime Minister or President) since March 2007. He had
amended the constitution in 2015 to remove term limits which would have prevented him doing this.
Protesters had vowed to block the party's headquarters on April 14, where leaders were going to gather to formally nominate Serzh Sargsyan for prime minister. The
Republican Party
Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party.
Republican Party may also refer to:
Africa
*Republican Party (Liberia)
* Republican Part ...
held its meeting outside of capital
Yerevan
Yerevan ( , , hy, Երևան , sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Y ...
and unanimously voted to formally nominate Serzh Sargsyan for the office of
prime minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
.
The coalition partner
Armenian Revolutionary Federation-Dashnaksutyun (ARF-D) supported the ruling Republican Party’s decision, as did most of the opposition
Prosperous Armenia
Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP; hy, Բարգավաճ Հայաստան կուսակցություն, Bargavatch Hayastan kusaktsut’yun, abbreviated as ԲՀԿ BHK), is a conservative political party in Armenia. It was founded by businessman Gagik ...
Party caucus.
Protests
On March 31, Nikol Pashinyan began his Im Qayl (my step) protest walk, starting in the city of
Gyumri
Gyumri ( hy, Գյումրի, ) is an urban municipal community and the second-largest city in Armenia, serving as the administrative center of Shirak Province in the northwestern part of the country. By the end of the 19th century, when the city w ...
, and walking through cities and towns such as
Vanadzor
Vanadzor ( hy, Վանաձոր) is an urban municipal community and the third-largest city in Armenia, serving as the capital of Lori Province in the northern part of the country. It is located about north of the capital Yerevan. As of the 2011 cen ...
,
Dilijan
Dilijan ( hy, Դիլիջան) is a spa town and urban municipal community in the Tavush Province of Armenia. The town is one of the most important resorts in Armenia, situated within the Dilijan National Park. The forested town is home to numer ...
,
Hrazdan
Hrazdan ( hy, wikt:Հրազդան, Հրազդան), is a town and urban municipal community in Armenia serving as the administrative centre of Kotayk Province, located northeast of the capital Yerevan. As of the 2011 census, the population of the ...
, and
Abovyan
Abovyan or Abovian ( hy, Աբովյան), is a town and urban municipal community in Armenia within the Kotayk Province. It is located northeast of Yerevan and southeast of the province centre Hrazdan. As of the 2011 census, the population of t ...
, before finally reaching Yerevan on April 13 and holding a small rally.
About 100 protesters stayed overnight on France Square after the first day of protests, and an equal number did the same on Saturday night, some sleeping in tents, others gathered around fires. As of Sunday morning, the Armenian police had made no effort to disrupt the demonstrations.
On Monday April 16, the "Take a Step, Reject Serzh" campaign began actions of civil disobedience. On April 17, the day that the prime minister's election was scheduled, the protesters intended to block entrances to the building of the
National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...
in order to prevent the vote from taking place. Lines of riot police stopped them from advancing further towards the National Assembly building.
After the election of the former president Serzh Sargsyan as the new prime minister, the protests continued to grow, despite hundreds of people being detained by police. The prime minister in response asked the government to take back the presidential mansion which it had given him a few weeks earlier. The crowds reached 50,000 on the night of April 21, with countless sporadic street closures in the capital, which also began to spread across the country.
As the crowds grew, the new prime minister called repeatedly for talks with the leader of the protest movement, Nikol Pashinyan, but Pashinyan said he was only willing to discuss the terms of the Prime Minister's resignation. After Pashinyan's rally was visited by the Armenian President on the evening of April 21 for a brief chat with Pashinyan, Pashinyan agreed to meet the prime minister at 10 am on April 22, saying he believed the topic would be Serzh Sargsyan's resignation.
April 22
The meeting, which lasted for a mere three minutes, failed to achieve anything, with Sargsyan walking out of it and accusing the opposition of "blackmail" when Pashinyan stated he had only agreed to discuss terms of the Prime Minister's resignation and nothing else. During the meeting, Sargsyan asked Pashinyan not to speak on behalf of the people and not to issue ultimatums to the government, given the low level of support for his political alliance (less than 10 percent of the vote in the past parliamentary elections). He also warned that Pashinyan had not "learned the lessons of March 1", a reference to the protestors killed by police while contesting the validity of the election results of Sargsyan's election 10 years earlier, amounting to an open threat of violence against the protesters gathering daily in around the nation.
Immediately after the meeting, Pashinyan led a group of supporters from the site of the meeting by
Republic Square on a long march down Tigran Mets and Artsakh streets to the Erebuni district, where they were met by riot police and stun grenades as Pashinyan was detained followed by mass detentions of protestors, including opposition lawmakers
Sasun Mikayelyan and
Ararat Mirzoyan
Ararat Samveli Mirzoyan ( hy, Արարատ Սամվելի Միրզոյան; born 23 November 1979) is an Armenian politician currently serving as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia. Before this, he served as President of the National A ...
. Protests continue throughout the city. By the evening 232 protestors had been detained or arrested, and, according to
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is a United States government funded organization that broadcasts and reports news, information, and analysis to countries in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Caucasus, and the Middle East where it says tha ...
, tens of thousands gathered in Republic Square to continue to demand the resignation of PM Serzh Sargsyan. The police issued a statement saying that Pashinyan, Mikaelyan and Mirzoyan had been detained for 72 hours; however criminal charges could only be brought against them if the Republican-controlled National Assembly stripped them of their parliamentary immunity.
April 23
Protests resumed on April 23, with media outlets reporting that former and current members of the
Armenian armed forces
The Armed Forces of Armenia ( hy, Հայաստանի զինված ուժեր, Hayastani zinvats uzher), sometimes referred to as the Armenian Army ( hy, Հայկական Բանակ, Haykakan Banak), is the national military of Armenia. It consist ...
, including participants of the
2016 April War, have joined in the rallies for the first time. This information was later confirmed by the Ministry of Defence.
Pashinyan was released at 3pm, and went directly to Republic Square where he spoke briefly, saying he would return at 6:30pm. By 4:30pm, Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan had posted a message on the official website of the prime minister announcing his resignation. Former Prime Minister
Karen Karapetyan
Karen Vilhelmi Karapetyan ( hy, Կարեն Վիլհելմի Կարապետյան; born 14 August 1963) is an Armenian politician who was Prime Minister of Armenia from September 2016 until April 2018. He was previously Mayor of Yerevan, the capi ...
succeeded Sargsyan as acting Prime Minister.
April 24
April 24 is marked as
the national day of remembrance of the
Armenian genocide
The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was ...
. The protesters gathered in masses and walked to
Tsitsernakaberd
The Armenian Genocide Memorial complex ( hy, Հայոց ցեղասպանության զոհերի հուշահամալիր, ''Hayots tseghaspanutyan zoheri hushahamalir'', or Ծիծեռնակաբերդ, '' Tsitsernakaberd'') is Armenia's official ...
,
Armenia's national Genocide Memorial. No protest was held on that day.
April 25
Pashinyan called for renewed protests on 25 April after talks with the Republican Party were cancelled due to Karapetyan’s refusal to accept preconditions laid down by Pashinyan.
Earlier Pashinyan stated that the Republican Party had no right to hold power in Armenia, and that a "people's candidate" should be appointed prime minister prior to holding snap elections.
He added that the protest movement should nominate this transitional prime minister, a position that was rejected by the current government as it would violate the law.
Protesters took to the streets to block the road to Yerevan’s international airport and the road leading to the border with
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
. Meanwhile, the Prosperous Armenia Party and the Armenian Revolutionary Federation both declared their support for Pashinyan's movement, with the latter pulling out of the ruling coalition. Pashinyan vowed to continue the protests until he was appointed prime minister.
April 26
Tens of thousands continued to protest on 26 April, though Pashinyan asked protestors to stop blocking streets. The ruling HHK party announced it was ready to meet with Pashinyan without any preconditions, while Pashinyan offered to negotiate with them while insisting he must become Prime Minister.
April 27
Pashinyan called on his supporters to suspend their rallies in Yerevan for 2 days while he held rallies in Gyumri on 27 April and Vanadzor on 28 April.
In the morning he met with Armenia's largely ceremonial President, leaders of the governing party's former coalition partner the ARF, as well as Parliament's second largest faction BHK.
In an interview on the same day, the president hailed the "New Armenia" that has come about due to the protests, and the chance for "a real democratic state". Meanwhile the ruling HHK party announced that they do not see any regime change occurring in Armenia.
April 28
On 28 April, Pashinyan held rallies in
Vanadzor
Vanadzor ( hy, Վանաձոր) is an urban municipal community and the third-largest city in Armenia, serving as the capital of Lori Province in the northern part of the country. It is located about north of the capital Yerevan. As of the 2011 cen ...
and
Ijevan
Ijevan ( hy, Իջևան) is a town and urban municipal community in Armenia serving as the administrative centre of the Tavush Province. It is located at the center of the region, at the foot of Ijevan ridge of Gugark Mountains, on the shores of ...
, while the second and third largest parties in Parliament – BHK and ARF – announced they would support his candidacy for PM, and the ruling HHK party announced they would not block Pashinyan's candidacy, and that they would not put forward their own candidate.
May 1
Parliament held elections for a new Prime Minister, with the opposition leader Pashinyan the only nominee, as over 100,000 people watched the 9 hour session being broadcast live at Republic Square. However the majority party blocked his nomination by voting against him with one exception. After the election, prominent Armenian singers such as
Iveta Mukuchyan
Iveta Mukuchyan ( hy, Իվետա Մուկուչյան, ; born 14 October 1986) is an Armenian singer. Born in Yerevan, Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic, she moved to Hamburg, Germany, in 1992. Mukuchyan returned to Armenia in 2009 and placed ...
and
Sona Shahgeldyan
Sona Shahgeldyan ( hy, Սոնա Շահգելդյան, born on November 18, 1986), is an Armenian singer and actress. Her first video clip was released in 2007. She is known for her roles as Sona on ''Domino (Armenian TV series)
''Domino'' is ...
performed for the crowd and made inspiring speeches. Pashinyan walked to Republic Square and told the crowd to go on strike the next day, and block all transportation from 8:15 in the morning until 5 in the evening, then gather for another rally at 7pm in Republic Square.
May 2
The nation ground to a halt as countless streets and highways were peacefully blocked throughout the nation, and many workers and businesses went on strike. The main airport access road was cut off, with some workers striking, and even land crossings were blocked. 150,000 people gathered in another evening rally in
Republic Square to listen to Pashinyan speak, and were told that he had been informed that due to the strike, the ruling party had decided to support his candidacy in the next round of voting on May 8. Protests were suspended in the meantime.
May 8
On May 8
Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
again had a vote on a new Prime Minister, and again Nikol Pashinyan was the only candidate. This time the majority Republican party gave Pashinyan enough votes to win with a 59–42 margin. All the votes against Pashinyan still came from the Republican party.
Reactions
On April 4
Edmon Marukyan
Edmon Hrachiki Marukyan ( hy, Էդմոն Հրաչիկի Մարուքյան) is an Armenian lawyer and politician currently serving as ambassador-at-large of Armenia. He was a member of the National Assembly of Armenia from 2012 to 2021. He was el ...
, leader of the
Bright Armenia
Bright Armenia ( hy, Լուսավոր Հայաստան, translit=Lusavor Hayastan) is a classical liberal political party in Armenia founded on 12 December 2015.
History
In 2017, Bright Armenia launched an educational program aimed at advancing ...
party, which cooperates with the
Civil Contract party lead by
Nikol Pashinyan
Nikol Vovayi Pashinyan ( hy, Նիկոլ Վովայի Փաշինյան, ; born 1 June 1975) is an Armenian politician serving as the prime minister of Armenia since 8 May 2018.
A journalist by profession, Pashinyan founded his own newspaper in 1 ...
in the
Way Out Alliance
The Way Out Alliance ( hy, «Ելք» դաշինք, ԵԼՔ; ''YELK Dashink, YELQ'') or Yelk Alliance or simply Yelk or Way Out was a liberal political alliance of three political parties in Armenia: Civil Contract, Bright Armenia and the Hanrap ...
published an article in
Aravot
__NOTOC__
''Aravot'' ( hy, «Առավոտ», "Morning") is a leading liberal and politically independent daily newspaper based in Yerevan, Armenia. It was founded in 1994. Its editor-in-chief is Aram Abrahamyan.
History and political alignment
...
newspaper, in which he stated his preference for formal means of counteracting the ruling coalition rather than civil disobedience actions.
Leader of the
Free Democrats party and former MP Khachatur Kokobelyan attended protests and expressed his support for the actions.
Many cultural figures had already declared solidarity with the opposition movement. In particular, well-known musician
Serj Tankian of
System of a Down
System of a Down (also known as SoaD or simply System) is an Armenian-American heavy metal band formed in Glendale, California, in 1994. Since 1997, the band has consisted of Serj Tankian (lead vocals, keyboards); Daron Malakian (guitar, voc ...
addressed the activists declaring his solidarity and support, stressing the impermissibility of one-party rule in Armenia. Some organizations of the
diaspora
A diaspora ( ) is a population that is scattered across regions which are separate from its geographic place of origin. Historically, the word was used first in reference to the dispersion of Greeks in the Hellenic world, and later Jews after ...
, in particular the Congress of Armenians of Europe, also expressed support for the opposition.
International reactions
*: On April 24 the head of the EU Delegation to Armenia hailed the success in the civic disobedience campaign in the country, promising a more intensive process towards the ratification of Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement.
*:
Mikheil Saakashvili
Mikheil Saakashvili ( ka, მიხეილ სააკაშვილი ; uk, Міхеіл Саакашвілі ; born 21 December 1967) is a Georgian and Ukrainian politician and jurist. , former president of Georgia, released a video on April 23 congratulating the Armenian people on Sargsyan's resignation. He stated: "Today you have every right to be proud of yourself, to be proud of the fact that you are Armenians, the proud people who could prove to the whole world that they have dignity, that they want to live in normal human conditions, free from corruption. Armenia has a great future; today I was convinced of it again. I support you, we will always be with you. Well done!" He also claimed that the movement is a "rebellion against Russia".
*: Foreign Ministry spokeswoman
Maria Zakharova
Maria Vladimirovna Zakharova (russian: Мария Владимировна Захарова; born 24 December 1975) is the Director of the Information and Press Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation (Spokesw ...
praised the peaceful transition, adding that "Armenia, Russia is always with you!" A statement on the Foreign Ministry official web page reads: "We hope that the situation will develop exclusively in the legal and constitutional field, and all political forces will show responsibility and readiness for a constructive dialogue. We are convinced that the prompt return of life in the country to normal and the restoration of public accord meet the fundamental interests of the fraternal Armenia."
*: On April 23 US Ambassador Richard Mills praised the Armenian police and anti-government protesters led by
Nikol Pashinyan
Nikol Vovayi Pashinyan ( hy, Նիկոլ Վովայի Փաշինյան, ; born 1 June 1975) is an Armenian politician serving as the prime minister of Armenia since 8 May 2018.
A journalist by profession, Pashinyan founded his own newspaper in 1 ...
for avoiding bloodshed during their standoff that led to the resignation of Prime Minister
Serzh Sargsyan
Serzh Azati Sargsyan ( hy, Սերժ Ազատի Սարգսյան, ; born 30 June 1954)[Of ...](_blank)
. A statement by the US State Department expressed hope that his successor will be chosen in a transparent and constitutional manner. The statement also called on Armenia’s leading political groups to “avoid an escalation of the situation and any violent actions.” Protests were held by Armenians in various communities of the United States, with 5,000 protesters gathering in solidarity with those protesting in Armenia on April 22 and additional protests being held on other days, including May 8.
Impact
During the
2020 Belarusian protests, the Armenian revolution was brought up as a model for Belarus for its lack of anti-Russian or pro-Western geopolitical orientation by commentators such as
Carl Bildt
Nils Daniel Carl Bildt (born 15 July 1949) is a Swedish politician and diplomat who was Prime Minister of Sweden from 1991 to 1994. He was the leader of the Moderate Party from 1986 to 1999. Bildt served as Sweden's Minister for Foreign Affairs ...
,
Anders Åslund
Per Anders Åslund (; born 17 February 1952) is a Sweden, Swedish economist and former Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council. He is also a chairman of the International Advisory Council at the Center for Social and Economic Research (CASE).
His ...
,
Ian Bremmer
Ian Arthur Bremmer (born November 12, 1969) is an American political scientist and author with a focus on global political risk. He is the president and founder of Eurasia Group, a political risk research and consulting firm with principal offic ...
,
Yaroslav Trofimov
Yaroslav Trofimov is a Ukrainian-born Italian author and journalist who serves as chief foreign-affairs correspondent at ''The Wall Street Journal''. Previously he wrote a weekly column on the Greater Middle East, Middle East Crossroads, in ''The ...
,
Ben Judah
Ben Judah (born 1988) is a British journalist and the author of ''This Is London'' and ''Fragile Empire''.
Early life
The son of author Tim Judah and Rosie Whitehouse, he was born in London. He is of Baghdadi Jewish descent. He spent a portion o ...
, and others. Belarusian journalist
Franak Viačorka
Francišak Valancinavič (Franak) Viačorka (Viacorka) ( be, Франці́шак Валянці́навіч Вячо́рка, russian: Франтишек Валентинович Вечёрко, ''Frantishek Valentinovich Vechyorko'', born 26 Ma ...
criticized this notion. Armenia's Foreign Minister
Zohrab Mnatsakanyan
Zohrab Hrachiki Mnatsakanyan ( hy, Զոհրաբ Հրաչիկի Մնացականյան, born 20 March 1966) is an Armenian diplomat. Mnatsakanyan previously served as Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Armenia), Minister of Foreign Affairs and Armenia's ...
also rejected the comparisons. "Armenia followed its own path and it’s not quite correct to draw parallels based on that. True, there might be some common parameters, but on the whole these are different situations," he said.
Armenian Velvet Revolution in Art
The Armenian velvet revolution almost immediately found its response in modern Armenian art. One of the first artists who touched on the topic was the artist
Anna Soghomonyan
Anna may refer to:
People Surname and given name
* Anna (name)
Mononym
* Anna the Prophetess, in the Gospel of Luke
* Anna (wife of Artabasdos) (fl. 715–773)
* Anna (daughter of Boris I) (9th–10th century)
* Anna (Anisia) (fl. 1218 to 1221)
...
with her painting "The Armenian Velvet Revolution". This is a multi-figure composition in a fabulous style inherent in the author, which includes people of different types who participated in the events of spring 2018. According to the author, this painting is very symbolic not only because it was created during a very emotional period and represents a concentrated reflection of these emotions, but also because it was sold on the day of the defeat of the Armenians in the
Second Artsakh War, which, in fact, may symbolize the failure of the hopes of the national awakening of 2018.
In July 2018, in the exhibition hall "Albert and Tove Boyajyan" of the
State Academy of Fine Arts of Armenia, art historian Meri Ghazaryan organized a photo exhibition entitled "Velvet Revolution: Between Picture and Reality", which presented the works of young photographers who caught the fresh breath of the revolution, known and unknown pages of spring events, impressive episodes and faces.
In October 2018, art critic
Vardan Jaloyan
Vardan ( hy, Վարդան; Vartan in Western Armenian transliteration, pronounced in both Eastern and Western Armenian), Varden ( ka, ვარდენ) in Georgian, is an Armenian name of Middle Persian origin (from Mid. Pers. Wardā), popula ...
and a group of artists organized an exhibition of contemporary art "Revolutionary Sensorium" at the
History Museum of Armenia
The History Museum of Armenia (armenian: Հայաստանի պատմության թանգարան) is a museum in Armenia with departments of Archaeology, Numismatics, Ethnography, Modern History and Restoration. It has a national collection of 40 ...
, where the key events of the revolution were presented to museum visitors in a combination of photographs and video installations.
On May 9, 2019, within the framework of the
59th Venice Biennale of Art, the Armenian pavilion was opened, where the project "Revolutionary Sensorium" was presented under the curatorship of art critic
Susanna Gulamiryan. The participants of the project were a group of artists "Artlab Yerevan" (Hovhannes Margaryan, Vardan Jaloyan, Artur Petrosyan, Gagik Charchyan) and artist Narine Arakelyan.
In November 2018, the literary website "Groghutsav", founded by writers Arpi Voskanyan and Hambartsum Hambartsumyan, was relaunched. Since 2011, Groghutsav has rallied writers involved in the opposition, political struggle and not disdaining to bring political and social problems to literature on one platform, but in July 2017, due to lack of financial resources, it ceased its activities. The restarted project has a number of subprojects, one of which is called the "Revolutionary Program". This program is carried out by publishing works that focus on the velvet revolution in Armenia in 2018 with its results and consequences.
See also
*
2008 Armenian presidential election protests
A series of anti-government riots took place in Armenia following presidential elections held on 19 February 2008. Protests broke out in the Armenian capital Yerevan, organized by supporters of presidential candidate and former president Levon ...
, especially clashes that occurred
1 March
Events Pre-1600
*509 BC – Publius Valerius Publicola celebrates the first triumph of the Roman Republic after his victory over the deposed king Lucius Tarquinius Superbus at the Battle of Silva Arsia.
* 293 – Emperor Diocletian and ...
*
2011 Armenian protests
The 2011 Armenian protests were a series of civil demonstrations aimed at provoking political reforms and concessions from both the government of Armenia and the civic government of Yerevan, its capital and largest city. Protesters demanded Presid ...
, triggered over Karen Karapetyan's decision to ban street vendors in Yerevan
*
Mashtots Park Movement
Mashtots Park Movement ( hy, Մաշտոցի պուրակի շարժում), also known as #SaveMashtotsPark and OccupyMashtots began as a sit-in on February 11, 2012 in Mashtots Park, Yerevan. The protest was initiated by "This City Belongs to U ...
, 2012 protests to save green space in Yerevan
*
2013 Armenian protests
Various political and civil groups staged anti-government protests in Armenia in 2013. The first series of protests were held following the 2013 presidential election and were led by the former presidential candidate Raffi Hovannisian. Hovannis ...
, over Serzh Sargsyan's re-election
*
2013 Armenian protests over public transportation fare hikes
*
Electric Yerevan
Electric Yerevan, also known within Armenia as No to Robbery ( hy, Ոչ թալանին, ''Voch t'alanin'') protests, were mass protests which occurred in the summer of 2015 against a 17% hike in electricity rates within Armenia. The protests were ...
, 2015 protests over electricity rate hikes
*
2016 Yerevan hostage crisis demonstrations
*
Colour revolution
Colour revolution (sometimes coloured revolution) is a term used since around 2004 by worldwide media to describe various anti-regime protest movements and accompanying (attempted or successful) changes of government that took place in post ...
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List of protests in the 21st century
This is a list of protests in the 21st century.
Revolutions and uprisings Plants (Colour) revolutions
* Rose Revolution (Georgia, 2003)
* Tulip Revolution (Kyrgyzstan, 2005)
* Cedar Revolution (Lebanon, 2005)
* Orange Revolution (Ukraine, 2 ...
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I Am Not Alone
''I Am Not Alone'' is an Armenian-American documentary film, directed by Garin Hovannisian and released in 2019. The film profiles Armenian politician Nikol Pashinyan and his role in the 2018 Armenian revolution.Graham Isador"System of a Down's S ...
'', a 2019 documentary film about the revolution
Further reading
Lanskoy, Miriam & Suthers, Elspeth. "Armenia's Velvet Revolution." Journal of Democracy, vol. 30 no. 2, 2019, pp. 85–99.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:2018 Armenian Protests
Protests
A protest (also called a demonstration, remonstration or remonstrance) is a public expression of objection, disapproval or dissent towards an idea or action, typically a political one.
Protests can be thought of as acts of coopera ...
Armenian
Armenian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent
** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...
21st-century revolutions
Armenian protests
Armenian protests
Armenian democracy movements
Colour revolutions
Protests in Armenia
Nikol Pashinyan