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ARMENIA: AT LEAST 2 DEAD IN YEREVAN VIOLENCE, AS KOCHARIAN DECLARES STATE OF EMERGENCY
3/01/08
EurasiaNet, NY
March 1 2008
After riot police failed to disperse an anti-government rally in the
Armenian capital of Yerevan, President Robert Kocharian resorted to
declaring a state of emergency. The president issued declaration
as security forces and supporters of presidential candidate Levon
Ter-Petrosian waged running street battles that involved shots fired
and Molotov cocktails tossed. Military armored personnel carriers
were also seen taking up positions in the capital.
Ter-Petrosian supporters had been staging a permanent protest
in central Yerevan, demanding that the results of the February 19
presidential election be nullified. Ter-Petrosian finished a distant
second to Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian, a close Kocharian political
ally, according to the official results. But Ter-Petrosian and his
backers insist that the government engaged in widespread fraud to
ensure Sarkisian's election.
The trigger for unrest on March 1 was a pre-dawn attempt by security
forces to break up the permanent protest. Ter-Petrosian supporters
initially fell back, but quickly regrouped, despite the fact that
Ter-Petrosian was placed under house arrest and a number of his aides
were detained. Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian disputed the notion
that Ter-Petrosian was under arrest. Speaking to journalists, Oskanian
instead portrayed Ter-Petrosian as being under state protection.
Toward the evening of March 1, thousands of anti-government protesters
had reassembled in downtown Yerevan, forming barricades with busses
and other vehicles. A few hours later, the center of the city was
engulfed in violence. Security troops fired shots into the air,
sending red tracers streaming over the cityscape. However, according
to some eyewitnesses, some shots also were aimed at the crowd. In
response, Ter-Petrosian supporters from behind barricades lobbed
Molotov cocktails in the direction of security forces.
According to sources at Emergency Hospital No. 3, at least two people
- one civilian and one member of the security forces - are confirmed
to have been killed amid the violence. There are also reports of
numerous wounded.
Kocharian's state of emergency order will be in effect for at least 20
days. Under the state media outlets are prohibited from publishing news
other than official government communiques. A presidential statement
justified the declaration of a state of emergency "to prevent a threat
to constitutional order."
3/01/08
EurasiaNet, NY
March 1 2008
After riot police failed to disperse an anti-government rally in the
Armenian capital of Yerevan, President Robert Kocharian resorted to
declaring a state of emergency. The president issued declaration
as security forces and supporters of presidential candidate Levon
Ter-Petrosian waged running street battles that involved shots fired
and Molotov cocktails tossed. Military armored personnel carriers
were also seen taking up positions in the capital.
Ter-Petrosian supporters had been staging a permanent protest
in central Yerevan, demanding that the results of the February 19
presidential election be nullified. Ter-Petrosian finished a distant
second to Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian, a close Kocharian political
ally, according to the official results. But Ter-Petrosian and his
backers insist that the government engaged in widespread fraud to
ensure Sarkisian's election.
The trigger for unrest on March 1 was a pre-dawn attempt by security
forces to break up the permanent protest. Ter-Petrosian supporters
initially fell back, but quickly regrouped, despite the fact that
Ter-Petrosian was placed under house arrest and a number of his aides
were detained. Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian disputed the notion
that Ter-Petrosian was under arrest. Speaking to journalists, Oskanian
instead portrayed Ter-Petrosian as being under state protection.
Toward the evening of March 1, thousands of anti-government protesters
had reassembled in downtown Yerevan, forming barricades with busses
and other vehicles. A few hours later, the center of the city was
engulfed in violence. Security troops fired shots into the air,
sending red tracers streaming over the cityscape. However, according
to some eyewitnesses, some shots also were aimed at the crowd. In
response, Ter-Petrosian supporters from behind barricades lobbed
Molotov cocktails in the direction of security forces.
According to sources at Emergency Hospital No. 3, at least two people
- one civilian and one member of the security forces - are confirmed
to have been killed amid the violence. There are also reports of
numerous wounded.
Kocharian's state of emergency order will be in effect for at least 20
days. Under the state media outlets are prohibited from publishing news
other than official government communiques. A presidential statement
justified the declaration of a state of emergency "to prevent a threat
to constitutional order."