Armenian police arrest 127 opposition members, party leader says

Mediamax news agency
6 Apr 04

YEREVAN

Leader of the National Unity Party Artashes Gegamyan said in Yerevan
today that the Armenian president and the defence minister bore
personal responsibility for the provocation that took place during an
opposition rally in central Yerevan on 5 April.

During the rally, some unidentified people tried to throw eggs at
Artashes Gegamyan. Seeing that journalists were filming this, 15 to 20
young people attacked the filming crews of the Armenian Public TV, the
private TV companies Kentron, Hai TV and Shant, and the reporters of
Aravot and Aykakan Zhamanak newspapers. The video and photo cameras of
the abovementioned media were broken.

Addressing a briefing in Yerevan today, Artashes Gegamyan said that
“the plan of provocations was approved on the previous day at a
meeting with the Armenian president, and only the fact that people
exercised restraint helped prevent disorder”. According to the
opposition politician, the persons who attacked media representatives
during the rally were the “bodyguards of some oligarchs”.

Artashes Gegamyan expressed confidence that the authorities were
preparing for more provocations on 9 April, the day when the National
Unity Party and the Justice bloc will start their actions of protest
in the streets.

At 1019 gmt, Noyan Tapan news agency quoted Gegamyan as saying that
the police arrested 127 members and activists of the National Unity
Party on 4-5 April.