NOR ZHAMANAKNER PARTY’S FIRST SPRING RALLY PASSES IN POURING RAIN

YEREVAN, APRIL 28, NOYAN TAPAN. Several hundreds of people took part
in the rally organized on April 28 by the Nor Zhamanakner (New Times)
party in the territory adjoining Matenadaran. The party had brought
part of the rally participants by buses from the Armenian regions. Nor
Zhamanakner party Chairman Aram Karapetian had to speak in the pouring
rain before the rally participants. According to Karapetian, the
Armenian power structures have become the adjunct and the obedient
fawner of the authorities. He considered impermissible the
intervention of the power structures in the political processes. The
rally participants organized a procession from Matenadaran towards the
buildings of RA Police and National Security Service. Reaching the
buildings of these organizations the people shouted “shame” and
whistled with the colored whistles given by the organizers. They also
gave the representatives of the departments written complaints
prepared by them beforehand, in which they mentioned the attack of the
police on unarmed people early in the morning of April 13, 2003, the
search at the opposition parties’ offices, the recent attack on the
guard of the party Chairman, etc. The participants of the procession
were accompanied by a great number of policemen who were ensuring
observance of traffic rules. The policemen were very polite and no
unpleasant incident took place. To recap, the rally and the
procession were sanctioned by the Mayor’s Office. The participants of
the procession again moved towards Matenadaran where the event
ended. Aram Karapetian declared that as many people took part in the
rally as it was necessary for not breaking the traffic rules. He said
that the next rally will be organized before the building of the
Public Television. According to Aram Karapetian, the Public
Television refuses to give him the permission to speak on TV even on a
paid basis and he will go to demand a permission to speak on TV.