Former street traders in Armenia intend to go on a hunger strike in protest against the actions of the authorities

On July, 20, former street traders held a new action of protest in the capital of Armenia, near the Mayor’s office. They state that after prohibition of street trading it has become difficult to support their families because of outrageous prices on the city market tolls. The traders are going to hold a series of hunger strikes near governmental buildings of Yerevan.

Yet at the beginning of 2011 Mayor of Yerevan Karen Karapetyan prohibited street trading suggesting the traders to work at the markets. The Mayor explained his decision by the necessity of ordering trade activities in the city.

It caused indignation of street traders who have been protesting against this decision for several months.

According to the participants of the action, in spite of a strict control of realization of the decision on prohibition of street trading taken on January, 6, the promises to permit trading at mini-markets are not being fulfilled. The traders declared their intention to start a hunger strike.

“Yes, we will hold hunger strikes near Mayor’s office, near the Government, near President’s palace and we will not stop until they hear us. They deprived us of our only source of income and offered nothing instead, just idle promises”, one of the participants of the action said to the “Caucasian Knot” correspondent.

Another woman participating in the action said that the conditions offered by Mayor’s office to market traders were unprofitable for the rent cost 3000 drams (about 8 dollars) a day while a trader’s income made 3000 to 4000 drams. “Under such conditions we have no even money left to buy bread”, our interlocutor said.

At present all illegal trading little tables and counters have been removed from practically all the streets of Armenian capital. Three thousand places were specially allotted for street traders. Nine projects of mini-markets for street traders were suggested for consideration in the Mayor’s office.