Supporters of Armenian opposition leader Nikol Pashinyan celebrate in Yerevan's Republic Square on May 8, 2018. - Armenia's parliament on May 8, 2018 elected opposition leader Nikol Pashinyan as prime minister after he spearheaded weeks of mass protests against the ruling party, transforming the country's political landscape. (Photo by Sergei GAPON / AFP) (Photo credit should read SERGEI GAPON/AFP/Getty Images)
The documentary film captures a timeline of the unprecedented peaceful people’s revolution of May 2018 in Armenia — a civil disobedience that overthrew an incumbent corrupt, oligarchic government and appointed a new “people’s choice” Prime Minister.
Led by the country’s youth, the revolution was initiated by Parliamentarian, Nikol Pashinyan and his Civil Contract party members who launched a 14-day, 150-mile walk from Armenia’s second largest city, Gyumri, toward Armenia’s capital city, Yerevan’s Liberty Square. The mission? Demanding the immediate resignation of much scorned incumbent president, Serzh Sargsyan’s election as the new Prime Minister following the establishment of a parliamentary government.
In a bolting speed, Pashinyan’s protest march seized full support of the tech savvy, iPhone donning, youth activists – who embraced civil disobedience. The world media captured scenes of Yerevan streets filled to the brims with youth protestors. A social media campaign unleashed the hashtag #RejectSerzh (MerjeerSherzhin) echoing throughout the country of 2.9 million. The protests’ unprecedented momentum surpassed the massive gatherings of the late 1980’s Gharabagh movement when Armenia demanded the return of its historic territories from neighboring Azerbaijan.
Protestors of the new revolution occupied the capital’s streets – blocked traffic – brought daily life to a standstill and vowed to not give up until their demands were met – even as the police forces responded with concussion bombs and arrested the opposition leader, Pashinyan.
The world watched as the small protests turned into a march of hundreds of thousands of youth, women, elders and children – resiliently demanding a change as they flew Armenia’s flag calling an end to corrupt reign and the establishment of a “free, democratic Armenia.” The un-relentless demands led to Sargsyan’s resignation – and admittance of his “wrong” doings – and the election of Pashinyan as the new Prime Minister.
For the first time in a decade-long, openly corrupt regime led by Sargsyan and his infamous brothers, the fraudulent oligarchic regime crumpled as Armenia’s 2.9 million population celebrated their “people’s choice” leader with Pashinyan’s election as their Prime Minister.
Armenia’s civil disobedient, violent free, revolution is an inspiration to other small countries gripped with corrupt oligarchs. Now as a country in transition, Armenia is slowly reversing decades long destructions of its socio-economic, political, and veracity of the nation as its populist leader forges ahead.
