In April-May 2018 we witnessed the historical change curved in the smallest country of the South Caucasus region. Armenians from all over the world were involved in the phenomenon known as Velvet Revolution. Young people, elders, women and men together as a united power, were performing acts of civil disobedience, protesting against the incumbent regime and demanding the resignation of then PM Serzh Sargsyan. Armenia was in the limelight of the international audience and media.

Women, as active participants of the protests, were the driving force of the revolution. Alongside men, they were protesting, blocking the streets, being arrested and taken to the police stations.

The Project Coordinator of Society Without Violence, Avnik Melikan, gave an interview to Aren Melikyan, who worked in cooperation with the Chai Khana regional media platform, on the role of women in the Velvet Revolution. She highlighted two main features of the movement: first, that the mass protests took place not only in Yerevan, but throughout the entire country, and second, that the participation of men and women of all ages were equal. She introduced how women were behaving throughout the rallies, especially their ability to gather as self-organized groups and their capacity to block the streets by themselves.

You can watch the full interview in the video attached below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crL9-1uieiA