Tag: coronavirus

MENA Green Building Congress Collaborates on Sustainable Urban Planning

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Home to over 381 million people, the MENA region’s urban population is expected to double between 2010 to 2050 as rural populations migrate to cities in search of education and employment opportunities. As governments prepare to accommodate increased urban populations, attention is growing on how to build “greener” cities. 

From June 22 to 26, leaders from regional governments, international organizations, and business and NGOs, including Google, Multiplex, Siemens, UN Habitat, and WHO, met online for the second MENA Green Building Congress. The stakeholders came together to discuss how the region can use green buildings to create healthier communities and contribute to climate change mitigation. 

Addressing the conference, UAE Minister of Climate Change and Environment, Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, explained how “the building and construction sector is the largest contributor to energy-related greenhouse gas emissions worldwide at 39%, while accounting for 36 percent of global energy use.”

The congress, organized by the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC), was an opportunity to share best practice techniques from around the world and promote the use of new building technologies in the MENA region. The WorldGBC is a global network of 70 in-country GBCs dedicated to eliminating the building and construction sector’s emissions by 2050. The council advocates for the adoption of green buildings and construction practices to make the built environment healthier and more sustainable.

As the world continues to battle the coronavirus pandemic, Ibrahim Al-Zu’bi, chief sustainability officer at Majid Al Futtaim Holding, believes green construction has an important role in ensuring the health of communities: “We need to focus on harmonizing the health and well-being of our communities, and achieving energy efficiency and resilience.”

Urban density and COVID-19

COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted poorer urban communities living in highly populated areas. Across the world these communities have recorded higher rates of infection and death. People in poor urban areas often live in cramped spaces lacking proper ventilation or in buildings with shared kitchen and bathroom facilities. 

In addition, pre-existing health conditions, some of which are derived from the poor sanitary environment, have compounded the impact of COVID-19. 

While the pandemic has encouraged some, including New York Mayor Andrew Cuomo, to argue for reducing population density, policy experts disagree. They suggest that the pandemic should not indicate the end of high-density urban living but rather serve as an opportunity to rethink how space is used. 

Suggestions have included providing more urban green spaces, ensuring the use of sustainable high quality materials in all buildings, and working to stop overcrowding in apartments. 

Ken Greenberg of Toronto’s urban design firm Greenberg Consultants argues that “buildings and neighbourhoods need designs that are easily adaptable during times of crisis such as the pandemic, or climate-based disasters, for alternative uses.” Achieving this will require greater collaboration between public health officials and planners. 

Future-proofing against another pandemic and reducing the climate impact of urbanization includes rethinking city planning to address the dangers of high-density, low quality buildings. Facilitating conversations between experts, as the MENA Green Building Congress did last week, is an important first step in encouraging change. 

Beirut NGOs Launch Emergency Fund for Lebanon’s Struggling Art Scene

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In May two Beirut-based organizations, the Arab Fund For Arts and Culture (Afac) and Culture Resource (Al Mawred Al Thaqafy), launched a $1 million dollar fund to support cultural institutions struggling to survive in Lebanon. 

The country is currently experiencing the worst financial crisis in its history with its currency losing 70% of its value against the Dollar since October 2019. Anti-corruption protests, which began late last year, led to the toppling of Prime Minister Saad Hariri and his government in December. The coronavirus crisis has worsened the country’s economic woes with almost half of the country’s population thought to be living below the poverty line. 

The economic crisis limits the income citizens have to spend on leisure activities, including cultural endeavors. Earlier this year, Beirut’s Metropolis Empire Sofil cinema was closed down due to a lack of funds. The art-house cinema was the home of screenings, festivals, and events in the capital for more than a decade.  

With economic stress continuing and the country’s banks limiting access to US dollars, many artists and organizations are unable to access much needed funds. In addition, artistic institutions, many of which rely on revenues from ticket sales, have been forced to close due to COVID-19. 

Much needed support 

Grants offered by Afac and Culture Resource will vary in value between $20,000 – $80,000 and can be spent on whatever the winning organizations deem necessary. Afac Executive Director Rima Mismar says, “We do not expect these organisations, at this point in time, to actually have a full strategy or vision on how they will adapt to the situation.” 

This flexibility will allow organizations to cover essential costs, such as staff salaries and rent, whilst planning how to engage with communities in the post-COVID-19 world. In addition to the support given to organizations, both Afac and Cultural Resource are operating region-wide funds to support individual artists. 

Cultural Resource aims to support 40 individual artists unable to earn a living at the moment through their Be With Art grant. In June, Afac launched its own regional scheme to sponsor up to 150 artists with $3,000 each. 

Hope remains for the art scene

Despite the struggles artists and cultural institutions are facing, Culture Resource Managing Director Helena Nassif remains hopeful for the future of the arts in Lebanon. She suggests the crisis in Lebanon has provided opportunity for reflection on “the value system we carry and the role of the arts in contributing to creating and imagining a better or different kind of society.”

Mismar seconds this, adding, “There are definitely challenges and negative impacts. At the same time, it does somehow open a moment to think of things differently. This is where aligning immediate needs with longer-term strategies needs to be balanced well.”

In spite of current difficulties, creative projects are continuing in Lebanon. Earlier this year, Beirut-based artist Abed Al-Kadiri launched “Cities Under Quarantine: The Mailbox Project.” The project saw 50 hand-stitched books sent to 50 Middle Eastern artists around the world, with participants asked to use the books to create art and document the crisis. 

Al-Kadiri hopes to publish a collection of the artists’ work in the future. 

Europe to Reopen Borders to Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia

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On Friday evening, officials met in Brussels to continue discussions on the list of approved countries the 27 member states of the European Union will reopen their borders to on July 1. 

Among the fourteen countries currently listed are Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia. All three countries have large diaspora communities in Europe, members of which regularly travel back to the Maghreb during the summer period. With Eid al-Adha fast approaching, the possibility of passing the celebration with family will no doubt be a source of joy for many in both Europe and the Maghreb. 

The other countries on the list are Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Montenegro, New Zealand, Rwanda, Serbia, South Korea, Thailand, and Uruguay. 

The EU deemed key European partners including the United States, Russia, and Turkey, not to have the virus sufficiently under control and excluded them from the list. Chinese visitors will be authorized to visit Europe on the condition that China opens its borders to European citizens.

European states will officially adopt this list, which remains subject to modification, on Monday. 

 Tourism in the Maghreb

Tourism is of vital importance to the economies of Morocco and Tunisia with the industry accounting for approximately 20% and 15% of GDP in 2018, respectively. In 2019, Morocco welcomed a record-breaking 13 million visitors.The vast majority of tourists who visit Morocco and Tunisia are European. 

By contrast, tourism remains relatively underdeveloped in Algeria. Last year 2.5 to 3.5 million people visited Algeria, but the majority, according to the tourism ministry, were Algerians living abroad. 

Prior to COVID-19, Algeria announced plans to increase tourism to the country. The country hopes to welcome five million tourists per year by 2025, focusing on wealthier visitors seeking out luxury experiences and adventure tourists. The country also plans to expand the port in Algiers to allow for cruise ships to dock and to develop at least one resort along the Mediterranean coast. 

Under the country’s plans to expand tourism, which will target both European travelers and those from further afield including the United States, China, and Canada, tourism’s share of GDP will triple to 4.5% by 2025. This remains considerably less than the contribution tourism makes to the GDP of Morocco and Tunisia. 

Uncertainty remains for Moroccans and Algerians

Whilst Tunisia reopened its borders earlier today, Morocco and Algeria are yet to confirm a reopening date. Like Tunisia, both countries closed their borders in mid-March in an attempt to stop the importation of the virus from abroad. The state of emergency declared in Morocco, as a result of coronavirus, is in place until at least July 10. 

While Morocco has yet to make an official announcement, Bladi reports that British Ambassador to Morocco Thomas Reilly tweeted earlier this week the borders would reopen on July 10. The tweet is no longer available. 

Moroccan sources have indicated that the borders are likely to reopen after the 10th, however no date has been set. 

There has been no indication from the Algerian government as to when its borders will reopen to tourists.

Egypt Takes $5.2 Billion IMF Loan to Support Economy

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The International Monetary Fund in Washington DC has approved Cairo’s request for a $5.2 billion one-year loan. The loan that will have to be repaid within a year adds to a separate $2.77 billion package of “emergency support” granted to Egypt on May 11, to assist the country in its struggle to stop its COVID-19 epidemic.

The IMF considers Egypt to be somewhat of a pre-coronavirus success story as it complied with IMF demands for increased privatization, cutting public spending, and deregulation of industry. In May, an IMF statement said, “as the crisis abates, measures to lower the debt level would need to resume along with continued implementation of structural reforms to increase the role of the private sector.”

Egypt-IMF relationship

But the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on tourism, global trade and oil prices has significantly impacted Egypt’s economy. Egypt relies heavily on revenues from its hotels and resorts on the Red Sea as well as tourism to its historic landmarks. Reductions in global trade have meant Egyptian state coffers see shipping fees from its vital Suez Canal reduced significantly while oil and gas revenues from Egypt’s growing energy sector similarly fell dramatically.

The fact that Egypt had recently completed a three-year economic reform plan as part of a $12 billion IMF loan that concluded in 2019 appears to have done little for the country’s economic resilience, but further austerity and privatization would eventually produce better results, according to the Fund.

Foreign priorities

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi had received praise from his Western backers and international bankers for implementing unpopular austerity measures that caused a dramatic rise in prices for essential goods for poor and middle class Egyptians, including a large increase in the price of electricity and drinking water. But the moves have helped “attract foreign investment,” justifying praise from the Egyptian government’s financiers.

Egypt’s transition to the neoliberal economy that foreign powers mandate has done little to produce an effective COVID-19 response. Like other countries that follow this economic mantra, such as Brazil, the US, the UK and India, COVID-19 cases have exploded with little government assistance to the country’s poorest and most vulnerable communities.

Local suffering

Egypt’s government has distributed monthly assistance of $31 for informal workers, who make up a significant section of those working in its hospitality industry. The limited support for Egyptian citizens has seen 73% of Egyptian households report a decline in their incomes over the past months.

Like Brazil, the US, and the UK, Egypt is now rushing to reopen its economy, even though it recorded 1,625 new cases on June 26, with 62,755 total confirmed cases and 2,620 deaths. The necessity to bring in revenue appears to have outweighed any desire to control the local epidemic as hygiene standards and social distancing are seen as sufficient to again receive foreign tourists.

Egyptian citizens will have to again brace for austerity measures that cut government support for the poor and increase the cost of living, while the government hopes that this time, the IMF’s demands will produce the “resilient” economy that its financiers have repeatedly promised.

Egyptian farmers hit hard by COVID-19 remittances slump

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COVID-19 has pushed Egyptians migrant workers who would normally support their families by working in GCC countries or Europe back home and into the fields, slashing remittance income for poor farming families and cutting agricultural output.

Agriculture is considered the most resilient sector of Egypt’s economy but that has not stopped poor farming families from feeling the brunt of the global COVID-19 pandemic. In April, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) warned that poor households—and especially those in rural areas— would likely suffer the most from lower remittances. 

Two months on, farmers such as Abdel-Qader Mustafa, from Qena in Upper Egypt, are feeling the reality of the global economic crisis caused by COVID-19.

Mustafa’s son used to work in Saudi Arabia, sending back roughly LE 2,000 ($124) to supplement his family’s income each month.  

“Due to the coronavirus, my son could not go back to his work in Saudi Arabia after the end of his annual vacation in February. Since then, he has been taking money from us,” Mustafa told Egypt Today.  

As a result, all seven members of Mustafa’s family have been pushed back into working the agricultural fields where they earn as little as LE 15 to LE 20 ($0.90 to $1.20) per day.  

Mustafa’s son is amongst the 20,000 Egyptian workers that have been either repatriated or deported from Gulf Cooperation Countries and European nations as a result of COVID-19 shutdowns and declining oil revenues.  

Egypt’s higher-income households who rely mostly on the services sector for their income have seen the largest COVID-19 losses in absolute terms, but the IFPRI says “the poor may find it harder to cope.”

The rural-urban differentiation 

“Rural households also lose, but less than their urban counterparts.” IFPRI says this is explained mostly by stronger economic growth in the agricultural sector and its ability to keep operating through the virus crisis. 

“While the income losses of the rural and urban poor are smaller compared to the non-poor in absolute terms, poor households are likely to find it harder than wealthier households to cope with such income losses.” 

That is in part because they already have significantly lower monthly incomes than their urban counterparts, meaning even a small reduction could push them closer to poverty. They are also more heavily reliant on remittances, a fact that Egyptian Farmers Syndicate chief Hussein Abdel-Rahman says is having a big impact on farming families. 

Abdel-Rahman recognizes “the decline in remittances would have a great impact on Egypt generally,” but says farmers and their families who constitute 55 million citizens, around 50% of Egypt’s population, are really feeling the pinch. 

“The plunge of the remittances led to weakness in the purchase power and a decline in the living conditions in the rural areas,” he told Egypt Today on Thursday.

The union boss also reports that the drop in remittances, and income more generally, has led to a decrease in cultivation with farmers planning to plant three instead of the usual five feddans (1 feddan = 1.037 acres) this year. According to Abdel-Rahman, reduced purchasing power is already pushing poor rural Egyptians towards low-quality imported meat, and lower crop plantings could drive food prices up further in the future. 

Another factor creating hardship for rural Egyptians are limits on cash withdrawals.  

“Also, farmers sometimes find difficulties in taking the remittances as he/she is not allowed [by the banks] to withdraw all [the] amount of the remittances at once from banks,” Abdel-Rahman said. 

 Read also: Lebanon and Egypt to Suffer Severe Impacts of COVID-19 Remittances Slump

 

US Sees New COVID-19 Peak, Trump Aims to Cut Testing

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The United States has set a new unfortunate record in its problematic COVID-19 response, reporting 38,672 new infections on June 24. The epidemic appears to be spreading most rapidly in the urban centers of conservative states with Arizona, Texas, and South Carolina leading the nation in new infections.

But US President Donald Trump has a plan to radically bring down the number of reported infections: Reducing testing. During a campaign rally in Tulsa on June 22, Trump admitted that he asked his team to “slow the testing down please,” which his new plan to stop federal funding for COVID-19 testing sites clearly reflects.

Rising cases

Since the start of the US epidemic, the country has reported more than 2.3 million cases and 120,955 deaths, with the coronavirus now claiming more American lives than World War I. The US has so far performed 28.6 million COVID-19 tests, meaning less than 10% of its population has been tested for the virus.

While the initial outbreak in the US was mostly situated on the East Coast with hot-spots in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, those states appear to have brought transmission down significantly. But while tightly controlled lockdowns helped curb the spread of the virus in the East, resistance to government measures in traditionally conservative states kept the outbreak from ever concluding its first wave.

Florida, Arizona, Texas, and South Carolina all reported record-high cases while California stood out as another new hotspot, recording 5,019 new cases in a single day. The spread of the virus in populous states like California, which is home to 39.5 million, and Texas, where 29 million people live, means the epidemic is likely still on the increase.

Limiting testing

The Trump administration confirmed on Wednesday, June 24, that it plans to end federal funding for some COVID-19 testing sites, many of which are in hard-hit Texas. The move would end funding for 13 testing sites, seven of which are in Texas. The funding would end on July 1 but four US congresspeople are urging the Trump administration to reconsider.

The four legislators called the move “harmful and irresponsible” in a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). “We need the support of Fema now more than ever as our communities and the state of Texas see unprecedented growth in cases of the coronavirus disease,” the congresspeople added.

According to the Guardian, hospitalizations related to COVID-19 have increased by 60% in the last week alone. Limiting testing during a growing epidemic would make it difficult to stop the spread of the coronavirus. According to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, the Trump administration has $14 billion in available funding for testing and tracing.

The fact that the government chose to defund critical testing sites could easily qualify as less a public health consideration and more a public relations strategy.

IRC: Women in Conflict Zones Under-tested for COVID-19

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Data collected by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) reveals mostly men are testing positive for COVID-19 in conflict-affected countries like Somalia, Pakistan, and Yemen. The figures released on Wednesday are fuelling concerns that COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, is spreading silently among women struggling to access already limited testing and treatment facilities in parts of the Middle East and Africa.

The IRC reports that in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Somalia, Yemen, Chad, and Central African Republic the disparities are particularly worrying, with over 70% of COVID-19 cases having been detected in men, and 30% or less in women. Those figures are in stark contrast to the ratio in Europe, for example, where it is roughly a 50/50 split between men and women. 

“This data suggests women are being under tested for COVID-19 in many places where the IRC works,” said IRC Senior Technical Advisor of Emergency Health Stacey Mearns. “Both men and women in conflict-affected countries experience great difficulty in accessing healthcare, but data shows women have a slimmer chance of seeing a doctor than men in countries such as Pakistan.”

Mearns says that in countries where the disparity is at play, women may not have the same freedom of movement as men but often perform caring roles and are front-line workers, placing them at equal or higher risk of contracting the highly contagious virus.

“The numbers do not add up. What we are seeing is a situation in which women are potentially being left out of testing and their health deprioritized,” Mearns argued in a June 24 press release. 

“There is a need for a major increase in testing for everyone in the countries where we work, but we must pay particular attention to ensure women are getting equal access to testing and health care.”

The United Nations has also warned that as with conflict situations, the COVID-19 pandemic is likely to deepen pre-existing inequalities between men and women and could undo limited gender equality gains made in recent years. 

“Across every sphere, from health to the economy, security to social protection, the impacts of COVID-19 are exacerbated for women and girls simply by virtue of their sex,” the UN said on April 9 when it released a policy brief detailing the impacts of COVID-19 on women.

In addition to unequal access to health care, women around the world have been subject to an alarming increase in domestic and family violence exacerbated by virus lockdowns, and data shows women have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 job cuts.  

The IRC says it needs an additional $30 million to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and support for its efforts to improve female education and access to COVID-19 testing and treatment. 

Read also: Fighting Continues in South Yemen Despite Ceasefire

Second Wave of COVID-19 Hits Israel, Palestine

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A dreaded and much talked about second wave of COVID-19 hit Israel and Palestine this week. 

On Wednesday morning, Israel’s Health Ministry confirmed it identified 420 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, the largest single day spike in infections since April 22. 

In response to surging case numbers, Israeli authorities reinstated on Wednesday a partial lockdown for the ultra-Orthodox city of Elad in central Israel and several majority ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods in the northern city of Tiberias.  

Israel declared Elad and five suburbs of Tiberias “restricted zones,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday. A day earlier, Netanyahu gave police the go-ahead to fine anyone failing to wear mandatory face masks.  

The “restricted zones” will be closed to external visitors, except essential service providers and students completing exams, for the next seven days. During that period, gatherings of over 50 people are banned and residents can only leave to receive medical care, complete exams, engage in legal proceedings, attend funerals of close relatives, or work.  

There are concerns from residents in the newly restricted zones that the move will do little to slow transmission but rather harm the local economy and stigmatize their community.   

“This is not a real lockdown, you can enter, you can do whatever, this lockdown just hurts businesses and people and nobody cares,” an Elad resident told the Times of Israel on June 23.

The ultra-Orthodox community in Israel has been disproportionately affected by COVID-19. Around 14% of new cases this week came from just five mainly ultra-Orthodox areas, a COVID-19 military task force said on Wednesday. 

 More broadly, ultra-Orthodox patients account for 20% of Israel’s total number of active COVID-19 cases, while only constituting around 12% of the population — a phenomenon put down to close living conditions and the community’s interconnectedness. 

Fresh virus worries for Palestine 

Meanwhile, Palestine is also experiencing an uptick in new virus numbers. On June 24, Palestinian Authority (PA) Health Minister Mai Alkaila announced 142 new cases had been confirmed in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, taking the total number of COVID-19 cases to 1,517. 

The majority, 1,311 of Palestine’s total active cases, are centred around the West Bank. This prompted the PA to place the city of Hebron under lockdown.  

On June 20, Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh ordered a five-day lockdown of Hebron Governorate and a 48-hour complete shutdown of Nablus city, another COVID-19 hotspot. Only essential services are allowed to operate under the fresh wave of restrictions in Hebron, and public gatherings have been banned in all West Bank governorates.  

“There is no longer any room for tolerance in the matter. The safety procedures are very simple: compliance with COVID-19 social distancing orders, and the use of a facemask in markets, public places, workplace and others. This is a compulsory measure that all citizens have to abide by,” Shtayyeh said.

Read also: UAE Diplomat: Israel Annexation Could Reverse Gains for Middle East Peace

 

 

Trump Coins Racist ‘Kung Flu’ Moniker for COVID-19 at Campaign Rallies

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US President Donald Trump has repeated his accusation that China was responsible for the emerging Coronavirus, using the expression “Kung flu.”

The phrase is a play on “kung fu,” which refers to the famous Chinese martial art. Trump introduced the expression during his June 20 campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

During another rally in Phoenix, Arizona, Trump listed several names for the virus, including “Wuhan,” and “kung flu,” which was welcomed by those present during his speech.

He added that some also called it “Chinese flu,” a term which he himself has repeatedly used.

Trump had previously said he was confident that the virus was created in a Chinese virology laboratory.

Since the outbreak in China, several countries and international institutions, including the United States, have accused Beijing of ambiguity and of covering up the spread of the virus, and the US president said that withholding information allowed the epidemic to spread around the world.

White House trade adviser Peter Navarro recently accused China of plotting to “seed” the virus, deliberately spreading it around the world by sending hundreds of thousands of its citizens abroad.

The Rand Research Center found in a recent study that there is strong evidence that the infection number reported in China is nearly 40 times less than the actual number, based on the researchers’ monitoring of commercial air traffic between countries.

The US is currently the worst affected country by the pandemic with over 2.39 million reported cases and more than 123,000 fatalities, as of June 24. 

Scientists are racing time to create a vaccine or treatment in order to successfully curb the coronavirus outbreak.

Trump is seeking re-election in November against former Vice President Joe Biden, 77, who will be the Democratic Party’s candidate.

 

Read also: Trump Campaign Confident of 2020 Victory

Armenian Power Struggle Reaches Secret Service, Supreme Court

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On June 22, the Armenian parliament voted to change the country’s constitution by approving an amendment that allows for the immediate removal of three of the country’s nine supreme court judges. The country’s ruling coalition called a parliamentary emergency session as the government asserts itself against perceived remnants of the former regime that was peacefully overthrown in 2018.

June has been a busy month for Armenian politicians as Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s “My Step Alliance” used its parliamentary majority to bring sweeping changes to the country’s security apparatus. On June 8, the virtually unknown 29-year-old Argishti Kyaramyan was appointed as the director of the country’s National Security Service (NSS) to complete a sweeping round of firings that also saw the removal of the country’s head of police and the chief of staff of the army.

Leadership changes

Artak Davtyan, the chief of staff of the Armenian army, was fired for organizing a large celebration for his son’s wedding during the country’s state of emergency related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The gathering welcomed more than one hundred guests, according to the Armenian press, which led the government to accuse the leaders of the NSS and national police of allowing the event to proceed.

“High-ranking state officials must first and foremost lead by example, demonstrating the importance of following the anti-epidemic regulations,” Prime Minister Pashinyan stated as he announced the sacking of leadership of three of the country’s security branches.

The moves were reported as political action against the country’s poor COVID-19 response, which saw the PM and his family infected with the virus. But the officials who were directly responsible for the country’s coronavirus strategy — Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinyan and Health Minister Arsen Torosyan — held onto their positions amid the controversial round of firings.

“I don’t think it was directly related to COVID,” Washington-based analyst Emil Sanamyan told Eurasianet. “I think Pashinyan wanted to change all three, and he did it.”

The former head of the NSS, Artur Vanestsyan, called the changes at the NSS a “threat to national security” and accused the prime minister of further consolidating power after the June 22 constitutional amendment.

Supreme Court

The country’s highest court will be transformed after three senior judges were dismissed through the constitutional changes approved by parliament. The three judges in question are considered to be hold-overs from the country’s previous regime that blocked the prosecution of opposition politician and business tycoon Gagik Tsarukyan, who is accused of vote-buying and structural corruption.

Attempts to prosecute Tsarukyan led to protests on June 14, when opposition protesters blocked the entrance to NSS headquarters and called for current prime minister Pashingyan to resign as Tsarukyan was called in for NSS questioning. Two days later, parliament voted to strip Taryukyan of his parliamentary immunity to allow prosecution, but a Yerevan court decided not to proceed with prosecution.

Some in the Armenian media have called for an end to investigations on Tsarukyan’s alleged corruption for fears of damaging the country’s “investment climate” and highlighting how prosecution occurred only after Tsarukyan started criticizing the government.

Tsarukyan is one of Armenia’s richest men, having amassed a fortune during the increasingly corrupt and undemocratic rule of Serzh Sargsyan, and receives support from many officials that were part of the former regime. Changing the country’s highest court despite a ruling of the Venice Commission will surely make prosecution of political opponents easier.

Civilian rule

It appears that Nikol Pashinyan, the former journalist-turned-prime minister, is aiming to complete the peaceful revolution against the former regime that started in 2018. Pashinyan himself was harassed and investigated by the NSS for being a political opponent to the government throughout his career.

Pashinyan has witnessed the power of a centralized state and its courts when the NSS, a remnant of the pre-independence local KGB, repeatedly targeted him, resulting in his imprisonment amid a general amnesty. As a political prisoner, Pashinyan saw first-hand how courts could silence opposition and stymie dissent.

The question that remains is whether Pashinyan is attempting to clear the courts and security structures of the former regime’s cronies, or whether he is concentrating power in a similar manner to the regime he helped overthrow.

Since 2018, Armenia has enjoyed greater press freedom and more democratic accountability. Whether the recent controversial changes promote or diminish this trend remains to be seen.

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