by Stephen Lendman

On June 19, Armenians began protesting an announced 17 - 22% electricity price increase amounting to about $85 more annually for most Armenians.

Utility and other price increases happen often in countries worldwide - not generally a cause for large street protests continuing for days, at times violent resulting in police using water cannons and making mass arrests.

So-called Electric Yerevan in Armenia's capital bears disturbing similarity to Ukraine's EuroMaidan uprising, recent Macedonian protests, ongoing Ecuadorean ones, earlier ones in Venezuela, and numerous other past US attempted color revolutions - some succeeding, other failing.

They're staged for the same reason - wanting independent governments replaced with pro-Western ones Washington controls.

Armenia and Russia are strategic allies. They're Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and Eurasian Customs (Economic) Union members.

Russia is Armenia's largest trade partner. Over two million diaspora Armenians reside in Russia. Yerevan lets Russian military forces use two bases on its territory.

Washington wants Russia marginalized, weakened, contained and isolated. It wants it stripped of allies. It wants its sovereign independence destroyed.

It wants regime change like in all other independent countries. Electric Yerevan has all the earmarks of another US attempted step in this direction.

President Serzh Sargsyan expressed willingness to meet with protesters saying:

"Make up a group of three to five people and the president of Armenia will see them. The rest of the protest participants have to return to Freedom Square" in central Yerevan.

They refused demanding the announced electricity price hike be cancelled. Washington responded to what's ongoing, saying:

"(W)e are concerned about reports of excessive police use of force to disperse the crowd on the morning of June 23, as well as several reports of abuse while in police custody."

"In addition, we are troubled by reports that journalists and their equipment were specifically targeted during the operation."

"It is imperative that the Government conduct a full and transparent investigation of reports of the excessive use of force by the police to the full extent of Armenian law."

When around 250,000 Brits rallied in London against punishing austerity days earlier, US officials were silent.

Nor is Israel criticized for daily persecution of Palestinians, mass political imprisonments, torture, wars of aggression and other high crimes - vicious state terror by any standard.

When killer cops in America murder defense Blacks hundreds of times annually, nothing is done at the federal, state or local levels to stop them.

When governments of independent nations react responsibly to violent protesters, fierce US criticism follows.

It bears repeating. Electric Yerevan has all the earmarks of another attempted US orchestrated color revolution. Protests continuing for days with leaders inciting them are well planned and orchestrated.

In early June, a so-called Civic Contract group was formed - led by government opposition member Nikol Pashinyan, previously convicted of organizing disruptive protests.

In May 2012, he became an Armenian National Assembly member. He was involved in violent protests following 2008 presidential elections.

He was wanted along with others for "committing premeditated actions intended to seizing of state power by force, of provocation and organization of mass disorders accompanied with murder in Yerevan."

After two years in prison, he was granted amnesty and released - along with several other opposition government figures.

He wants President Serzh Sargsyan ousted by snap elections or other means. During Civic Contract's founding weeks earlier, he said:

"We are setting up a party that does not intend to be in opposition for long and expects to assume power in the republic of Armenia in the foreseeable future by gaining a popular vote of confidence."

Indications are George Soros is involved in what's ongoing - funding opposition protesters. US dirty hands orchestrate disruptive actions in numerous countries worldwide. Armenia appears one of the latest.

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Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks World War III".

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.

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