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GEORGIAN NGOS RALLY IN TBILISI IN PROTEST AT ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT'S USE OF FORCE
Channel 1 TV
March 2, 2008 Sunday
Georgia
[Presenter] Representatives of the Armenian community of Georgia
and the Georgian nongovernmental sector havecondemned the violent
dispersal of peaceful protests in Yerevan. They held a protest rally
today outside the Armenianembassy in Tbilisi, where they signed a
joint statement which they later gave to the staff of the embassy.
The statementurges the EU and OSCE to pay more attention to the
situation in Armenia.
[Arno Stepanyan, head of the Multiethnic Georgia NGO] What happened
yesterday in the Armenian capital is absolutelyunacceptable to us. We
have information that approximately 20 people have been killed and
more than 100 taken to varioushospitals. It is absolutely unacceptable
to us when people's rights are violated, when violence is used and
whenthe fundamental principles of democracy are violated.
[Nino Tsikhistavi, head of the Women's Network of the Caucasus] We,
representatives of nongovernmentalorganizations and representatives
of the Armenian diaspora, have gathered here in order to firmly
express our solidaritywith the Armenian public and the Armenian
people. We understand very well what kind of unrest has broken out
there. Webelieve the measures used by the Armenian authorities are
absolutely unacceptable.
[Georgian Imedi Radio at 1330 gmt broadcast comments made at the rally
by Lasha Chkhartishvili, a prominent member ofthe Equality Institute, a
pro-opposition Georgian NGO. "Based on the information I have received
from television,the scenario being played out there very much resembles
the events of 7 November [forceful dispersal of oppositionprotests
in Tbilisi] because there, too, the use of force was unjustified and
a state of emergency was declaredafterwards so that other details of
the crime that the government committed could be covered up," he said.]
Channel 1 TV
March 2, 2008 Sunday
Georgia
[Presenter] Representatives of the Armenian community of Georgia
and the Georgian nongovernmental sector havecondemned the violent
dispersal of peaceful protests in Yerevan. They held a protest rally
today outside the Armenianembassy in Tbilisi, where they signed a
joint statement which they later gave to the staff of the embassy.
The statementurges the EU and OSCE to pay more attention to the
situation in Armenia.
[Arno Stepanyan, head of the Multiethnic Georgia NGO] What happened
yesterday in the Armenian capital is absolutelyunacceptable to us. We
have information that approximately 20 people have been killed and
more than 100 taken to varioushospitals. It is absolutely unacceptable
to us when people's rights are violated, when violence is used and
whenthe fundamental principles of democracy are violated.
[Nino Tsikhistavi, head of the Women's Network of the Caucasus] We,
representatives of nongovernmentalorganizations and representatives
of the Armenian diaspora, have gathered here in order to firmly
express our solidaritywith the Armenian public and the Armenian
people. We understand very well what kind of unrest has broken out
there. Webelieve the measures used by the Armenian authorities are
absolutely unacceptable.
[Georgian Imedi Radio at 1330 gmt broadcast comments made at the rally
by Lasha Chkhartishvili, a prominent member ofthe Equality Institute, a
pro-opposition Georgian NGO. "Based on the information I have received
from television,the scenario being played out there very much resembles
the events of 7 November [forceful dispersal of oppositionprotests
in Tbilisi] because there, too, the use of force was unjustified and
a state of emergency was declaredafterwards so that other details of
the crime that the government committed could be covered up," he said.]