Ditord, a tireless blog from Armenia that has been gaining record visits and comments, posts the names of all eight who were killed in the post-election clashes in Armenia. The blogger goes ahead to say that both the current administration and the opposition leader, former president Levon Ter-Petrosyan, are to blame for the dead.

If you have noticed, in the last several days I have simply shared information on the political unrest in Armenia – in an attempt to provide objective information in a very polarized environment. This has made people on both sides angry – including some friends. I have family members and friends who were protesting the elections but I also have friends who are government employees – making for me impossible to choose sides when the father and mother are fighting.

Nonetheless, I must say that I support the Armenian people’s strive for justice and liberty – values that are largely denied by the government and were exploited by the opposition leader – someone who I see as part of the same establishment in charge that needs a radical change. In other words, I do join Ditord in holding both the government and opposition leaders responsible for the violent clashes.

Having said this, we shouldn’t idealize the ordinary people on either side of the issue. Armenians need to start respecting each other – starting from the street. While the strive for justice should be legalized in a better legitimate and democratic government, such revolution should start in Armenian communities with mutual respect and tolerance for different views. 

One pro-Levon blogger left a comment at this blog suggesting that Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh are not Armenians. Until this kind of thinking is radically diminished in our society, justice is a target too far from our path. So before changing Armenia, let’s start changing ourselves. One nation under one sky.