Civil society in Armenia is the second strongest among the former countries of the former Soviet Union, US Ambassador to Armenia John Heffern said in his regular video blog in Mashtots Park.

“We have recently seen several effective campaigns here of Armenians promoting positive change here,” he said, noting that in June Secretary of State Hilary Clinton and international community honored environmental activists who through a non-violent campaign preserved the Trchkan waterfall and its nationally protected area.

“Some of the same group also succeeded in keeping Mashtots park green,” he stressed, adding that the civil society has also been active on Yerevan’s historic cover market.

“Most recently the Harsnaqar restaurant incident brought out an overwhelming number of protestors demanding accountability for the tragic beating death of an Armenian military doctor. Armenia’s civil society is growing and as you can see from these examples it is getting stronger and more effective everyday,” the US Ambassador said.