Residents of Artik have blocked the main road connecting the region with the Aragatsotn region, demanding that officials ensure the safety of approximately 300 students.

Today, October 9, the situation in the Shirak region is tense. Residents of Artik are holding a protest on Narekatsi Street in the extended Artik community, demanding that the relevant authorities hear their voices.
Residents said: “This road connects the Shirak and Aragatsotn regions. Accidents and clashes, including tragic ones, constantly occur here.
The government has completely paved the road, ridding us of potholes, but unfortunately, some drivers drive their cars as if they’ve opened the “gates of hell.”
We have contacted officials several times, and they installed a speedometer, as there is very heavy traffic here, many pedestrians, and Artik School No. 6, which has approximately 300 students, is located nearby. At our request, the speedometer was installed, significantly reducing the number of accidents and hit-and-runs. There had been several tragic incidents before: a Willys from the Artik prison even hit a child who had been undergoing treatment for months.
Much time has passed since the speedometer was removed, and the number of accidents in our area has increased again.
Drivers are driving so fast again that we expect our children to… every day.
Today, we are forced to close the street to make our voices heard. We demand that the speedometer be returned to its place, just as it was removed, because the speedometer saves the lives of thousands of citizens and children. What are we supposed to do now? Every day, we are afraid to send our children to school and meet them home.”
The photojournalist reports that Levon Martirosyan, commander of the Shirak Regional Police Patrol Service Battalion of the RA Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the acting chief of police of the Ani Department, have arrived at the designated location. They negotiated with residents, urging them to open the road and promising to report the problem to the appropriate authorities.
After the road was closed for about 30 minutes, residents reopened it but promised that if the problem wasn’t resolved, their safety would be at risk.