ARMENIA: UNEASY QUIET SETTLES OVER YEREVAN, RESIDENTS IN SHOCK OVER USE OF FORCE BY KOCHARIAN ADMINISTRATION
EurasiaNet
March 2 2008
NY
Troops on March 2 began enforcing a state of emergency in the Armenian
capital Yerevan, where the streets and squares in the center city
were largely deserted of people, yet still strewn with the detritus
of the previous day’s violent confrontation. At least eight people
died in the melee involving security forces and opposition protesters.
Some witnesses said the confrontation culminated with security forces
opening fire on demonstrators. Gunfire could be heard for over a
half-hour echoing throughout the center of the city. Officials put
the death toll at eight, but witnesses said the final count was
probably much higher. All of those killed, according to police,
died from gunshots.
The government likewise maintains that roughly 130 people suffered
wounds, but a doctor at one hospital said that so many wounded were
brought in so fast, that hospital staff had to place many of the
injured on the floor and in corridors. This would suggest that the
number of casualties was far higher than the official count.
Authorities said an official inquiry was underway into the
circumstances that led to the violence. Speaking on state television,
Health Minister Arutyun Kushkyan said over half of those wounded were
members of security forces.
The morning after, many Yerevan residents reported feeling in a state
of shock. Meanwhile, troops in full battle gear and armored vehicles
patrolled the city. Amid the March 1 confrontation, widespread looting
occurred. Many stores and supermarkets along one of Yerevan’s main
shopping avenues, Mashtots, were emptied of goods.
Under the state of emergency, imposed late on March 1 by President
Robert Kocharian to quell anti-government protests, the government
is tightly controlling the dissemination of information. Armenian
news outlets face prosecution if they distribute news reports that
do not come from official sources.
The state of emergency succeeded in putting an end to the
protests carried out by supporters of presidential candidate Levon
Ter-Petroisian, who insists that the government rigged the February
19 vote to ensure victory for its chosen candidate, Prime Minister
Serzh Sarkisian. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].
Ter-Petrosian was kept under house arrest on March 1, but restrictions
were lifted late at night. He reportedly urged his supporters to
return to their homes and not engage in violence.
Earlier, representatives of Ter-Petrosian blamed authorities for
igniting the tragedy, pointing to security forces’ use of violent
tactics to disperse what had been to that point a peaceful protest
during the early morning hours of March 1. After initially being
dispersed, opposition protesters regrouped and resisted the security
troops’ use of force with force of their own. [For background see
the Eurasia Insight archive].
Kocharian, meanwhile, assailed Ter-Petrosian for refusing to recognize
his defeat in the presidential balloting, which, despite an initial
endorsement from international monitors, was found to have major
flaws that could have influenced the outcome. [For background see
the Eurasia Insight archive]. Ter-Petrosian, along "with a group
of adventure-seekers surrounding him, without acknowledging the
reality of their defeat, took to illegal actions," Kocharian insisted,
adding that the protests against the election results had caused the
"disruption of [Armenia’s] international prestige."
"As the guarantor of the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia,
I will not allow anyone to endanger the constitutional order of our
state," Kocharian said.
The state of emergency will be in effect for at least 20 days. During
that time, many basic civil liberties, including the right of peaceful
assembly, are suspended. Police will also enjoy expanded powers of
search and seizure, and officials will be able to control the flow
of information.