Police spokesman Sayat Shirinian did not say if
the dead were police or protesters, but added that 33 officers were wounded.
The protesters, who have rallied for 12 straight
days, accuse the government of rigging last month's presidential election.
RFE/RL's Armenian Service reports that troops and
armored vehicles are patrolling the main streets of Yerevan today.
Armenian President Robert Kocharian declared a
20-day
state of emergency following similar clashes on March 1.
Just hours after Armenian police and Interior Ministry troops used truncheons,
tear gas, and electric stun guns to disperse opposition supporters from a
central Yerevan square, thousands who regrouped for a second rally were again
met with force by the authorities.
RFE/RL's Armenia Service reported that riot
police fired tracer bullets into the air and tear gas to disperse the crowd of
15,000, and some demonstrators hurled rocks and Molotov cocktails at police.
Several vehicles were set fire or otherwise destroyed in the course of the day.
More news and analysis about Armenia can
be found on the English site
of RFE/RL's Armenian Service.
Human Rights Watch has charged the Armenian
police with using "excessive force and violence" to disperse demonstrators.
As part of the state of emergency, mass
gatherings have been banned, and media outlets are required to only use official
information when reporting on the domestic political situation. The movement of
citizens has been restricted and the authorities will be allowed to search
vehicles.
The Armenia parliament today voted to confirm the
state of emergency. Eighty-one of the 131 lawmakers present cast their votes in
favor.
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in
Europe is sending a special envoy to Yerevan to offer help in mediating the
crisis. Ambassador Heikki Talvitie is to meet with both President-elect Serzh
Sarkisian and opposition leader
Levon Ter-Petrosian.
House Arrest
Ter-Petrossian, the second-place finisher in the
February 19 elections who is claiming victory for himself, told RFE/RL after the
initial early morning crackdown on March 1 that he had been placed under house
arrest, and that a number of his followers were detained. Police were reportedly
guarding the entrance to his home.
Daily rallies following the contentious vote attracted tens of thousands of
protesters to Armenia's Liberty Square, where they voiced their belief that the
elections were marred by fraud. A tent camp was set up and participants vowed to
remain on the square until their demands for a new election were met.
But after Sarkisian secured key support for the formation of a coalition
government on February 29, the authorities made good on their earlier threats to
break up the rallies.
Hundreds of police and Interior Ministry troops surrounded the square at 7:00
a.m. local time on the morning of March 1, and moved in to break up the crowd.
Police reportedly forced scores of protesters onto buses, taking them to local
police stations.
RFE/RL's Armenian Service reported that opposition figure and member of
parliament Armen Martirosian was hospitalized for injuries received during the
crackdown.
Former President Ter-Petrossian described the events that led to the initial
clash that resulted in 31 injuries during an interview with RFE/RL.
"People were sleeping quietly. [Security forces] came in large numbers with
truncheons and started beating. At that time I was near the microphone and I
called on people to stay calm," he said. "[Security forces] didn't start the
beating immediately. First they stood in front of people and I urged people not
to get in contact with them and to stay quiet to see what they want. But nobody
told us anything, nothing was negotiated. And they suddenly attacked people with
truncheons and electric stun guns."
Violence Condemned
Within hours of the morning police action, OSCE
Chairman in Office Ilkka Kanerva condemned the use of force against peaceful
demonstrators.
"I urge the authorities to use maximum restraint," Kanerva said. "I am troubled
that there are reports of casualties. I urge the authorities to release those
detained, and I again call on the government and the opposition to engage in
dialogue."
The police said in a statement issued on March 1 that they took action to
disperse the protesters after learning that they were waiting to receive "large
amounts of firearms, grenades, metal rods, and truncheons," which they believed
would be used "to stage provocations and stir up mass disturbances."
The authorities said after the initial raid that police officers were wounded
and that weapons were found in the protestors' camp.
Police chased media away from the square as army trucks arrived to take away the
makeshift tent camp.
Protesters later regrouped in front of the French Embassy for a planned rally as
units of riot police arrived on the scene, setting the stage for the violence
later in the day.
Opposition supporters had been protesting daily in Liberty Square since Prime
Minister Sarkisian was elected to replace his ally, Robert Kocharian, as
president. Official results gave Sarkisian nearly 53 percent of the vote, with
Ter-Petrossian getting 21.5 percent.
Ter-Petrossian is claiming that he is the rightful first-round winner, and that
Sarkisian used ballot stuffing and intimidation to steal victory. Sarkisian has
denied the charges.
In its initial assessment, the election-monitoring arm of the OSCE declared the
election "mostly in line" with Armenia's international commitments, while also
noting the need for "further improvements."
The elections have been endorsed by the European Union and the U.S. State
Department has congratulated the Armenian people on an "active" and
"competitive" election.
Calls For Restraint Ignored
Authorities had warned on February 29 that their
patience with the protests in Yerevan was running out, and alleged that those
behind the rallies plan to seize power illegally.
The Council of Europe and the OSCE had called on the Armenian authorities to
exercise restraint. The United States Mission to the OSCE said Washington was
"very concerned" about the post-election arrests of opposition politicians, as
well as reports that authorities have forcibly closed opposition offices.
At least six prominent opposition figures close to Ter-Petrossian have been
placed in pretrial custody on a number of criminal charges, including illegal
arms possession and assault.
Sarkisian's efforts to gain acceptance for his victory received a boost on
February 29 when he reached a deal on the formation of a coalition government
with the third-place finisher in the elections.
Before agreeing to become Security Council secretary in the next government,
Orinats Yerkir party leader Artur Baghdasarian had decried the election as
deeply flawed. Baghdasarian also accused Ter-Petrossian of trying to rig the
election.
(RFE/RL's Armenian Service contributed to this report.)
Message of Armenian President Robert Kocharian To The People
This is a translation
of the text of the declaration of a state of emergency issued on March 1 by
Armenian President Robert Kocharian:
Dear compatriots,
The self-nominated candidate Levon Ter-Petrosian
who lost in the 2008 presidential election in the Republic of Armenia, and a
group of adventure-seekers surrounding him, without acknowledging the reality of
their defeat, took to illegal actions. Among them are the accumulation of
weapons and ammunition and their transportation to public places where their
presence may pose a serious danger to citizens' lives and health, and holding
public rallies and marches without keeping [authorities] aware.
Despite the fact that the recounts demanded by
the candidates who participated in the 2008 presidential election did not reveal
any serious violations, and that no complaint was lodged with the administrative
courts of the Republic of Armenia, and that the examination of the complaint at
the Constitutional Court is in process according to the order foreseen by the
Electoral Code, Ter-Petrosian's supporters continue to dispute the outcome of
the election with illegal means.
A group of opposition representatives on March 1
committed disturbances in the center of Yerevan causing damage to state property
and the property of citizens, as well as creating a direct threat to the
security of citizens, which makes the situation uncontrollable. The target of
these activities is the stability gained by the Republic of Armenia, and the
consequence is the disruption of 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.
In order to prevent the immediate threat to the
constitutional order in the Republic of Armenia and for the purpose of
protecting the rights and legal interests of the population, I consulted with
the Chairman of the National Assembly and the Prime Minister, after which I
signed a decree guided by point 14 of Article 55 and point 6 of Article 117 of
the Republic of Armenia Constitution, whereby a state of emergency is declared
in the city of Yerevan from March 1, 2008, for a period of 20 days.
The following measures are foreseen by the state
of emergency.
1) Ban on holding meetings, public rallies,
demonstrations, marches, and other mass events.
2) Ban on strikes and measures to stop or
otherwise suspend the activities of organizations.
3) If necessary, restriction by law-enforcement
bodies of the movement of individuals, means of transportation, and
implementation of inspection.
4) Publications of mass media concerning state
and internal political issues can be implemented solely within the limits of the
official information of state bodies.
5) Ban on leaflets and implementation of
political propaganda by other means without permission of corresponding state
bodies.
6) Temporary suspension of the activities of
political parties and other nongovernmental organizations obstructing the
removal of the circumstances serving as a basis for the declaration of the state
of emergency.
7) Expulsion of individuals who break the regime
of the state of emergency and not residing in a given territory at the expense
of their means, and if they don't have means - at the expense of the means of
the Republic of Armenia state budget on the condition of the further return of
the expenses made.
I urge all to show restraint and wisdom. Under
this situation it is more than ever necessary to show consolidation, to
implement the requirements of the law without deviation. I assure that the state
of emergency will stop immediately after the circumstances serving as a basis
for it are removed.
