Video: City Hall and Police Seize Goods from Street Vendors

The employees of the Yerevan City Hall and police have been patrolling the streets of Yerevan since this morning, seizing goods from street vendors and imposing fines on them.

Aram Gyuhrzadyan, head of the Public Order Service of the Yerevan City Hall, which coordinates these efforts, told reporters that the law requires it: "The goods are currently being confiscated. The Code of Administrative Offenses stipulates that street vending is prohibited. The items are seized and transported to a special location. They have been warned numerous times that this is not allowed. These measures will continue, and you can be sure that the results will be noticeable. This particular citizen has probably been warned around 100 times. For example, if we come here again at 4 PM today, their goods will likely still be here. We have offered them alternatives; there are special markets in Yerevan where they can conduct their trade, but they find it more convenient to do business here. Perhaps they believe street vending is more profitable here," he said.

A citizen whose goods (tomatoes) were just confiscated told journalists, "There is no trade in the market; I went and tried. I can't sell my goods. It's not about the rent. Residents of the building say it’s better to buy here, even if it’s 50 drams more expensive, than to go by transport to reach the market. Does it make sense to go to the market for a kg of tomatoes? Last year, my goods were seized twice and never returned. I also have a fine of 105,000 drams from last year pending. How am I going to pay that? They will fine me again today. They are forcing me to leave the country. I've raised two boys, sent them to the army, and now they won't let me live in my own country. If there’s a war tomorrow, they will come and take my kids. How do you look into your children's eyes? Is this how you make a living?"