Public distrust of government growing in Armenia

By AzerNews

The Armenian population's distrust of the authorities keeps growing, as the government ignores the citizens who have pinned hope on them to resolve their problems.

The governmental building in Yerevan is almost the scene of every day protests. The mothers of died soldiers in non-combat conditions continue to hold protest rallies in front of the building. They are still in search of justice, despite several appeals to the prime minister and the justice minister.

The desperate mothers pinned great hope on human rights defender, but Ombudsman said at a meeting with them that he has no right to interfere in judicial proceedings.

Also, the judicial system in Armenia is corrupt. A survey on rights violations by the judicial system conducted earlier by Ombudsman's office indicated that 69 percent of the respondents in Armenia believe that the judicial system is corrupt or extremely corrupt and the amount of bribes ranges from $500 to $50,000.

Prime Minister Ovik Abramyan has personally met several protesters during his two months tenure. The last protest rally was held on June 11. The participants were against the pension reforms initiated by the government. Abramyan asked the protesters to wait for a new law on pensions and then criticize his government. The protesters heckled Abramyan chanting "Shame" and booed him.

Armenia's judicial system and the executive power are at the top positions among the state bodies which don't have the citizens' trust, the Caucasus Research Resource Center's recent survey indicated. The government's continuous ignorance of citizens' problems will further boost population's distrust of the authorities.