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Armenia: At least 2 dead in Yerevan violence, as Kocharian declares

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  • Armenia: At least 2 dead in Yerevan violence, as Kocharian declares

    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."
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