POLICE BLAME RADICAL OPPOSITION FOR PRE-ELECTION VIOLENCE
By Irina Hovannisian and Ruzanna Stepanian

Radio Liberty, Czech Republic
May 10 2007

Armenian authorities threatened on Thursday to prosecute organizers
of the previous night’s opposition demonstration in Yerevan that
was marred by violent clashes between some of its participants and
security forces and heightened political tension ahead of Saturday’s
parliamentary elections.

The violence broke out when thousands of supporters of Armenia’s most
radical opposition groups approached the Yerevan headquarters of the
National Security Service (NSS) to demand the release of a prominent
opposition politician arrested by the former KGB earlier this week.

Eyewitnesses said riot police used batons and tear gas to keep the
crowd from moving too close to the NSS building and its basement jail
whether the politician, Aleksandr Arzumanian, is being kept. Several
opposition activists and police officers were reportedly injured in
the melee that underscored the potential for post-election unrest in
the country.

Witnesses said the police briefly detained at least one demonstrator on
the spot but had to release him to avoid a more serious confrontation
with the angry protesters. Chanting "Victory!" and "Freedom!" the
crowd then continued its march through the city center which ended in
a brief rally in Liberty Square. The organizers of the protest, the
opposition Hanrapetutyun (Republic) and Nor Zhamanakner (New Times)
parties and the Impeachment bloc, urged supporters to assemble in
the same place on Sunday for what they hope will be a campaign of
sustained anti-government protests.

"Victory is not achieved at once," said Nikol Pashinian, a firebrand
Impeachment leader. "Victory is achieved step by step. Today we took
a very important step towards our victory. Well done."

The deputy chief of the Armenian police, Major-General Ararat
Mahtesian, charged the next morning that the clashes were
deliberately instigated by radical opposition leaders and Pashinian in
particular. "Several participants led by Nikol Pashinian provoked an
incident with police, dashed to the National Security Service entrance,
and when police tried to stop their movement, scuffles broke out,"
he told a news conference.

"We have video of disobedience and collective hooligan acts committed
by participants of the march," Mahtesian said, adding that three of
his officers needed medical treatment afterwards.

Mahtesian also said state prosecutors "preparing materials to give
the incident a legal evaluation." He emphasized the fact that the
opposition march, which followed a rally held by Hanrapetutyun,
Nor Zhamanakner and Impeachment in another downtown Yerevan square
earlier on Wednesday, was not sanctioned by city authorities.

However, the opposition leaders blamed the police for the incident,
saying that they never intended to storm the NSS building. "If nobody
had stood in our way, we would have stopped by the building, read out
our declaration in support of Alik Arzumanian, and told the people
to go home," said Hanrapetutyun’s Aram Sarkisian.

"As soon as I started shouting [at the police,] ‘Stop doing that,
pull back, and let us peacefully lead the people away,’ I was sprayed
with tear gas and punched in the nose," said Aram Karapetian, the
Nor Zhamanakner leader. Karapetian’s right hand was apparently hit
by a police truncheon and looked swollen.

Another Nor Zhamanakner activist, Rafik Khostikian, had a deep cut
on his nose and blood all over his hands. He said he was toppled to
the ground and kicked by several police officers.

The police actions were also condemned on Thursday by other, more
moderate opposition parties. "I have repeatedly said that beatings,
intimidations are condemnable," said Artur Baghdasarian, the leader
of the Orinats Yerkir Party.

Baghdasarian was particularly concerned about a newspaper report
which claimed that special police units from Nagorno-Karabakh were
also involved in the violence. "I find that unacceptable," he said.

"We call on everyone and the Armenian authorities in the first instance
to refrain from further attempts to resort to mass repressions," said
Vartan Khachatrian of the Zharangutyun party. He said Zharangutyun
would respond to such attempts with unspecified actions "commensurate
with the extent of repression."

Mahtesian admitted that tear gas was used during the clash but
implicitly claimed that it was sprayed by oppositionists. "In that
turmoil we were not able to ascertain whether tear gas was used by
police officers or civilians," he said. "Police officers themselves
suffered from tear gas. It was sprayed in their direction."

The police general went on to warn the radical opposition against
staging similar demonstrations in the wake of the elections. "Any
manifestation of unlawfulness will be prevented and decisive measures
will be taken against those who will try to destabilize the situation,"
he said.

President Robert Kocharian issued a similar warning late last month.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress