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ARMENIAN OPPOSITION FIGURES ON TRIAL OVER "COUP ATTEMPT"
www.worldbulletin.net
Dec 19 2008
Turkey
A former Armenian foreign minister and six other opposition figures
went on trial in Yerevan on Friday on charges of seeking to overthrow
the government during protests in March.
Ten people died when protests against the results of presidential
elections in the former Soviet republic turned violent.
The opposition says the trial of former foreign minister Alexander
Arzumanyan and his co-accused is politically motivated, and complain
the government has done little to investigate allegations of police
culpability.
Rights groups and the Council of Europe voiced concern after the
government imposed a state of emergency and arrested over 100 people
after the protests. The opposition said the vote, won by Serzh
Sarksyan, was rigged.
Arzumanyan, a foreign minister in the late 1990s, was campaign chief
for opposition presidential challenger Levon Ter-Petrosyan. Arzumanyan
was detained in March and charged with "usurpation of state power"
and organising the unrest.
"The case is sufficiently proven by the evidence of 500 witnesses,
civilians as well as police officers," chief investigator Vahagn
Harutyunyan told Reuters.
"We have records of telephone conversations, private video
recordings and television footage, and public speeches by opposition
representatives."
Ter-Petrosyan has not been officially charged with any connection to
the unrest.
Arzumanyan's lawyer said the case was "false".
"No one among those charged did anything to violate public order,"
Hovik Arsenyan told Reuters.
More than 100 opposition supporters gathered outside the court on
Friday as the trial got under Way, chanting "We are with you" and
"We'll free you".
Of 140 people charged over the violence, 101 have been convicted,
of which 52 received jail sentences.
www.worldbulletin.net
Dec 19 2008
Turkey
A former Armenian foreign minister and six other opposition figures
went on trial in Yerevan on Friday on charges of seeking to overthrow
the government during protests in March.
Ten people died when protests against the results of presidential
elections in the former Soviet republic turned violent.
The opposition says the trial of former foreign minister Alexander
Arzumanyan and his co-accused is politically motivated, and complain
the government has done little to investigate allegations of police
culpability.
Rights groups and the Council of Europe voiced concern after the
government imposed a state of emergency and arrested over 100 people
after the protests. The opposition said the vote, won by Serzh
Sarksyan, was rigged.
Arzumanyan, a foreign minister in the late 1990s, was campaign chief
for opposition presidential challenger Levon Ter-Petrosyan. Arzumanyan
was detained in March and charged with "usurpation of state power"
and organising the unrest.
"The case is sufficiently proven by the evidence of 500 witnesses,
civilians as well as police officers," chief investigator Vahagn
Harutyunyan told Reuters.
"We have records of telephone conversations, private video
recordings and television footage, and public speeches by opposition
representatives."
Ter-Petrosyan has not been officially charged with any connection to
the unrest.
Arzumanyan's lawyer said the case was "false".
"No one among those charged did anything to violate public order,"
Hovik Arsenyan told Reuters.
More than 100 opposition supporters gathered outside the court on
Friday as the trial got under Way, chanting "We are with you" and
"We'll free you".
Of 140 people charged over the violence, 101 have been convicted,
of which 52 received jail sentences.