REPORTS: ARMENIA’S SITUATION UNDER CONTROL AFTER RIOTS
Mu Xuequan
Xinhua
March 3 2008
China
MOSCOW, March 3 (Xinhua) — Authorities have fully resumed control
over the situation in the Armenian capital of Yerevan after police
cracked down on street protests that claimed eight lives, Russian
news agencies reported Monday.
Armenian President Robert Kocharian visited a square in front of the
Yerevan mayor’s office, which became the arena of clashes between
demonstrators and police, the press service of the city police was
quoted by the Itar-Tass news agency as saying.
He instructed the mayor to take measures to restore order and a routine
functioning of city services as soon as possible, said the report.
Healthcare Minister Artyom Kushkyan said 131 people, including 59
civilians, had been injured in the clashes.
Kushkyan confirmed that eight people had been killed in protests
staged by opposition parties over an alleged fraud in the Feb. 19
presidential election in the country.
Kocharian announced a state of emergency in Yerevan Saturday that
will remain in effect for 20 days.
Opposition supporters have been rallying in Yerevan to protest the
outcome of the presidential election, in which Prime Minister Serzh
Sargsyan won with 52.8 percent of the vote.
Opposition leader Levon Ter-Petrosyan, who got 21.5 percent of the
vote, claimed the vote was rigged and demanded a rerun of the election.