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EurasiaNet, NY
May 11 2007
Police, Opposition Members Clash in Yerevan
By Marianna Grigoryan
Published May 10, 2007
Police and opposition protestors clashed on May 9 in downtown Yerevan
amidst a protest against what activists claim is a government plan to
rig Armeniais parliamentary vote. The brawl, the first such
well-publicized incident of the campaign, came just over a day before
official campaigning for the May 12 election ends.
The demonstration was the second joint rally taken by the Republic
and New Times Parties and Impeachment election bloc. An initial
gathering was held by the recently assembled coalition in Yerevan on
May 3. Republic Party leader Aram Sarkisian has pledged that the
group will hold another demonstration on May 13 ito prove that the
master of this country is the peoplei if the parliamentary vote is
not ifair,i
Opposition supporters had marched to the National Security Service
headquarters in Yerevan to protest the recent arrest of opposition
activist and former Foreign Minister Alexander Arzumanian for alleged
money laundering as well as what they describe as an atmosphere of
fear on the eve of the May 12 parliamentary elections. [For details,
see the Eurasia Insight archive.]
Numbers for the size of the protest vary widely n and wildly.
Organizers claim more than 35,000 people took part in the rally; some
local observers estimate 20,000, while police say 4,000. Lights on
the street were switched off, however, immediately after the
protestorsi arrival in front of the NSS.
The demonstration had started blocks away, in front of Yerevanis
Manuscript Museum. There, with raised fists and cries of
iImpeachment!,i hundreds of demonstrators -- primarily men, though
also children, some waving huge Republic Party flags -- yelled for
the resignation of President Robert Kocharian and Prime Minister
Serzh Sarkisian, and the end of iDodization,i a reference to the
nickname for pro-government Prosperous Armenia Party leader Gagik
Tsarukian, iDodi Gago.i)
A gaggle of uniformed police gathered at the bottom of the street,
had initially looked on with disinterest or talked among themselves.
As protestors approached the NSS, Armeniais former KGB, that mood
changed.
Armed with truncheons and shields, police and members of a special
anti-terrorism squad took up positions in front of the security
servicesi building. Police used tear gas several times to dispel the
crowd. In what some onlookers assumed was an attempt by police to
confuse protestors, men in civilian dress yelled that the
demonstrationis leaders ihave run away!i
Officials reported that three policemen were taken to the hospital
following the clash with supporters. No statement has been released
about the number of protestors injured, though badly bruised
participants were noted. The general prosecutoris office is
investigating the incident.
Impeachment bloc leader David Matevosian along with several other
individuals was arrested, though later released.
In a May 10 statement, officials put blame for the violence on
protestors, who, they implied, were spoiling for a fight. Rally
participantsi behavior, police said, was icynical and disrespectful.i
iAppeals instigating hooligan activities were made also during the
previous rallies of the given parties, but due to the restrained and
equilibrated behavior on the part of the police it was possible to
control the situation and avoid unwelcome consequences,i the police
statement said.
A subsequent call to protestors by newspaper editor Nikol Pashinian,
one of the leaders of the Impeachment bloc, will no doubt do little
to dispel such an impression: i[A]fter all these things, is there
still anybody, who doubts that we will win?i he cried to protestors
in nearby Liberty Square after the clash.
That question, and whether protestors will feel inclined to join
demonstrations against perceived vote rigging, remains unanswered,
though. In 2004, opposition demonstrations against the 2003
presidential elections were sparsely attended and brutally put down.
[For details, see the Eurasia Insight archive.]
Independent political analyst David Petrosian contends that the
Republic Party-New Times-Impeachment trio is largely united -- for
now at least -- in their campaign. Other opposition parties could
conceivably join a post-election rally, he said, though noted that a
forecast of heavy rain for May 13 could reduce attendance.
One cab driver approaching the Manuscript Museum demonstration took a
skeptical view: iThereis going to be politics there,i he warned with
a laugh. iWho wants that?i
Editoris Note: Marianna Grigoryan is a reporter for the online
independent ArmeniaNow weekly in Yerevan. Elizabeth Owen,
EurasiaNetis Caucasus news editor, also contributed reporting to this
article.
May 11 2007
Police, Opposition Members Clash in Yerevan
By Marianna Grigoryan
Published May 10, 2007
Police and opposition protestors clashed on May 9 in downtown Yerevan
amidst a protest against what activists claim is a government plan to
rig Armeniais parliamentary vote. The brawl, the first such
well-publicized incident of the campaign, came just over a day before
official campaigning for the May 12 election ends.
The demonstration was the second joint rally taken by the Republic
and New Times Parties and Impeachment election bloc. An initial
gathering was held by the recently assembled coalition in Yerevan on
May 3. Republic Party leader Aram Sarkisian has pledged that the
group will hold another demonstration on May 13 ito prove that the
master of this country is the peoplei if the parliamentary vote is
not ifair,i
Opposition supporters had marched to the National Security Service
headquarters in Yerevan to protest the recent arrest of opposition
activist and former Foreign Minister Alexander Arzumanian for alleged
money laundering as well as what they describe as an atmosphere of
fear on the eve of the May 12 parliamentary elections. [For details,
see the Eurasia Insight archive.]
Numbers for the size of the protest vary widely n and wildly.
Organizers claim more than 35,000 people took part in the rally; some
local observers estimate 20,000, while police say 4,000. Lights on
the street were switched off, however, immediately after the
protestorsi arrival in front of the NSS.
The demonstration had started blocks away, in front of Yerevanis
Manuscript Museum. There, with raised fists and cries of
iImpeachment!,i hundreds of demonstrators -- primarily men, though
also children, some waving huge Republic Party flags -- yelled for
the resignation of President Robert Kocharian and Prime Minister
Serzh Sarkisian, and the end of iDodization,i a reference to the
nickname for pro-government Prosperous Armenia Party leader Gagik
Tsarukian, iDodi Gago.i)
A gaggle of uniformed police gathered at the bottom of the street,
had initially looked on with disinterest or talked among themselves.
As protestors approached the NSS, Armeniais former KGB, that mood
changed.
Armed with truncheons and shields, police and members of a special
anti-terrorism squad took up positions in front of the security
servicesi building. Police used tear gas several times to dispel the
crowd. In what some onlookers assumed was an attempt by police to
confuse protestors, men in civilian dress yelled that the
demonstrationis leaders ihave run away!i
Officials reported that three policemen were taken to the hospital
following the clash with supporters. No statement has been released
about the number of protestors injured, though badly bruised
participants were noted. The general prosecutoris office is
investigating the incident.
Impeachment bloc leader David Matevosian along with several other
individuals was arrested, though later released.
In a May 10 statement, officials put blame for the violence on
protestors, who, they implied, were spoiling for a fight. Rally
participantsi behavior, police said, was icynical and disrespectful.i
iAppeals instigating hooligan activities were made also during the
previous rallies of the given parties, but due to the restrained and
equilibrated behavior on the part of the police it was possible to
control the situation and avoid unwelcome consequences,i the police
statement said.
A subsequent call to protestors by newspaper editor Nikol Pashinian,
one of the leaders of the Impeachment bloc, will no doubt do little
to dispel such an impression: i[A]fter all these things, is there
still anybody, who doubts that we will win?i he cried to protestors
in nearby Liberty Square after the clash.
That question, and whether protestors will feel inclined to join
demonstrations against perceived vote rigging, remains unanswered,
though. In 2004, opposition demonstrations against the 2003
presidential elections were sparsely attended and brutally put down.
[For details, see the Eurasia Insight archive.]
Independent political analyst David Petrosian contends that the
Republic Party-New Times-Impeachment trio is largely united -- for
now at least -- in their campaign. Other opposition parties could
conceivably join a post-election rally, he said, though noted that a
forecast of heavy rain for May 13 could reduce attendance.
One cab driver approaching the Manuscript Museum demonstration took a
skeptical view: iThereis going to be politics there,i he warned with
a laugh. iWho wants that?i
Editoris Note: Marianna Grigoryan is a reporter for the online
independent ArmeniaNow weekly in Yerevan. Elizabeth Owen,
EurasiaNetis Caucasus news editor, also contributed reporting to this
article.