Open letter to the Yerevan City Hall,

ArmInfo.It’s a Friday night after a hot summer day and Yerevan is buzzing with its vibrant nightlife. From the perspective of a small or medium sized business owner in the food and beverage industry, this is the beginning of high season.

After months of sporadic customer flows associated with the winter season, the summer is when tourists begin to arrive, students start their vacations and bars and pubs thrive. For many bar owners, the profits made during this season help to cover the expenses (and lack of profit) from the remaining months of the year. Needless to say, every day counts.

With the revolution came a new breath, a moment of hope that the conditions for business owners would improve. Reassuring words from Nikol Pashinyan regarding a new Armenia, where small and medium businesses will be able to prosper and grow sparked a buzz of excitement. Promises of a crackdown on illusive major brands and businesses owned by oligarchs gave people hope that the underdogs will have a fighting chance to (not compete, but at least) survive.

Friday, June 29, there was an orchestrated attack on the nightlife industry. It was unfounded, it was well organized, and it was a clear power play that had more to do with politics and a show of power than any violations on the part of the businesses themselves. It was a shattering experience that led to chaos, confusion and frustration. It was also an attack on the youth, the same liberal-minded youth which were known to have taken to the streets months before, revolutionary youth.

When it comes to Yerevan, everyone knows everyone. Moreover, everyone working in the food and beverage industry (from bartenders and waitresses to business owners, accountants and distributors) know everyone else. Relations between staff and customers of different venues are friendly, if not brotherly. This is why news spread like wildfire about the raids which were taking place across the city.

The news was unnerving, but as the night progressed, the picture became more bleak. Bartenders would say, “they shut us down…” Perhaps 15 minutes later, another employee from from another well known youth hotspot, in complete bewilderment said, “Did you hear what has been going on? They’re going everywhere! They shut us down too!” One by one phones would ring and buzz with messages and phone calls. One by one bars, pubs and clubs had encounters with police. The reason? They were told to turn off the music and close the bar after midnight.

While it is true that there is a law on closing at midnight affecting bars that are located in residential areas in the city, there is a license which business owners can apply for which grants them the right to operate 24 hours. Once approved by the City Hall, the business owner will make certain payments (no small fee), and receive a piece of paper, proving that they have the right to operate after midnight. Once a year bar owners apply, get approved, pay a fee, give the receipts to their accountants, and receive a slip of paper giving them the right to operate after midnight.

The issue was as followed: We, the bar owners had gotten approval, paid for the license, and were registered as a bar with the right to operate, however, we have been waiting for a few weeks, some even months, for the municipality to give us the permit paper. The police were not necessarily to blame, but neither were bar owners. We were not breaking any laws, we had every right to conduct our business at that time, the City Hall and the municipality were to blame. The City Hall had collected the money, given approval but had failed to provide that final and necessary permit document.

Everything from small quiet pubs to large scale nightclubs, one by one the police were shutting us down. Seven police officers wielding cameras entered a bar without a warrant. Did the police have a right to enter without a warrant? No. Towards the end of the night the police were heard saying, “Listen, we’ve been to 20 places today, and they all have the same story…” The buzz from customers was also chaotic. Many of them had gone from place to place. Places that were shut down not long before to places that were about to get shut down. While there were some jokes and jabs at Nikol and the new government, the atmosphere was one of shock, agitation, anger and frustration. “What is happening,” and “is this going to be an ongoing issue?”

“Is this what we will come to expect from the new Armenia?” “Surely this is harmful to both tourism and small and medium business owners?’ “Who is to blame?” “Should we start protests again?” “It’s a Friday night and everywhere is closed!” From their perspective, it was as though the government was imposing a curfew.

So many questions were discussed. How could this happen? Why would it happen? What were the legal grounds, and why were these places targeted? Some expressed thoughts that Nikol Pashinyan’s words of cracking down would affect small and medium businesses more than the big fish. That these places were collateral damage. Others pointed out that these raids were extremely targeted. Some thought that perhaps this is a power play on Taron Markaryan’s part, as he is responsible for the going ons in the City Hall.

Why were they so slow to give the license papers this year, in the first place? After all, the incident was more one of bullying than anything else. No laws were broken, yet these businesses lost the profits for a Friday night in the summer. Again, for business owners such as ourselves, every day counts, especially Fridays. Perhaps this was some kind of strange reaction from Taron Markaryan following rumors of his resignation. As though to say, ‘I am here, I still have power.’ Everything is up for speculation.

We are these business owners. Our rights have been violated. We are still waiting for explanations. Still sitting at the edge of our seats, trying to understand what steps should be taken. Conveniently, the City Hall won’t be open until Monday. We wait and try to gather our thoughts amid the panic, shock and confusion. During times of political instability, it’s the small fish that suffer the hardest blows.

Sincerely, The Venue Pub Ace of Spades Barcode Adzoukh 26 Irish Pub Mane Cocktail Bar Simona Cocktail Bar Process The Basement The Kond House Paparazzi Club Daboo Bar Hemingways Eden Cafe Pub The Beatles Pub Calumet