Artsakh war veterans took their protest for better living conditions to the Government Building today in Yerevan.

The vets have been staging a round the clock sit-down demo in Freedom Square since June 4.

Holding aloft the Armenian tri-color and displaying placards reading “Raise the pensions of vets” and “Cut the utility payments of freedom fighters by 50%”, they shouted their demands in front of a row of police barring their way inside the building.

On May 13, the veterans had   filed a letter with the government, demanding that a new law on Artsakh War participants be drafted that would grant them special status and certain allowances and disbursements.

The government passed the letter on to the Ministry of Defense and to the Ministry of Finance for review.

At today’s protest, Alexander Ghazaryan, who heads the Government’s Reception Department, told reporters that pensions for vets are higher than other citizens, thus proving that the government pays special attention to their needs.

Robert Nazaretyan, who fought with the Shushi Special Brigade, told Hetq that prior to 1998 freedom fighters had their utility bills cut by 50%. Now they pay the full amount.

Nazaretyan left for the war at the age of eighteen in 1993. He fought until 1994 and lost a foot and a hand in Martakert in 1995, after joining the regular army.

He gets by on a monthly income of 79,000 AMD ($195). This is his pension and disability allowance. He would like to work but can’t find a job.

Gagik Ginosyan, director of the Garin Traditional Dance Ensemble and himself a war vet, says that he receives no pension and has no expectation of receiving one. He says that he’s in good physical shape and that he’s ready to fight again.

Ginosyan points out that it’s the disabled vets getting around on crutches and the families of the fighters who died on the battle field that are in particular need of assistance.

“It’s not a question of raising the pension by 20-30%. For me, the real issue is maintaining the dignity of these guys, so that they can walk with honor, with their heads held high, in their own country. They have earned such respect,” Ginosyan said.

An hour into the protest, one of the demonstrators said that Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan had promised to receive a four man delegation from the vets either later today or tomorrow.

Some of the veterans saw this as another ploy by the government to evade the issue.

The dissenters shouted, “There is no tomorrow. Right now.”

Volodya Avetisyan, the vet who arranged the meeting with PM Sargsyan, tried to calm them down saying, “Patience. We can wait another day.”

With that, the vets returned to Freedom Square to discuss their future moves.

Photos by Hakob Poghosyan