TER-PETROSIAN STEPS IN TO FREE DETAINED LOYALISTS
By Astghik Bedevian

Radio Liberty, Czech Republic
Oct 24 2007

Former President Levon Ter-Petrosian spent four hours at a police
station in Yerevan negotiating the release early on Wednesday of a
dozen loyalists who were arrested while urging Armenians to take part
in his rally scheduled for Friday.

The eleven detainees, most of them members of the Aylentrank
(Alternative) movement, were among about a hundred Ter-Petrosian
loyalists who marched through the city center on Tuesday evening
to spread word of the planned rally. They were taken into custody
after a scuffle with security forces led by Colonel Aleksandr Afian,
deputy chief of the Yerevan police.

Eyewitnesses said the violence broke out after Afian demanded that
Aylentrank leader Nikol Pashinian hand him a megaphone used during
the march. Pashinian, who is also the editor of Armenia’s best-selling
daily newspaper, refused to obey the order, they said.

"We told Afian that his actions are illegal," Tigran, a young member
of the radical opposition Hanrapetutyun party also detained on the
spot, told RFE/RL. "He said, ‘I am the law and you must do whatever
I want.’ Then he called up [special police wearing] red berets and
they attacked and arrested us."

The police blamed the incident on the demonstrators, accusing them of
disrupting public order. Colonel Nerses Nazarian, the Yerevan police
chief said they interfered with traffic and littered streets and
building entrances with leaflets advertising the Ter-Petrosian rally.

"People were complaining from their balconies that it is inadmissible
to toss those papers," Nazarian told a news conference. "That also
got us worried and we repeatedly warned [the demonstrators.]"

"The purpose of the action was evident: to provoke some confrontation
with the police," Nazarian said, adding that Afian and four other
policemen suffered injuries in the ensued melee. He described Afian as
the number one victim of the violence, saying that the oppositionists
pulled his shirt, threw off his hat and scratched his hands.

Nazarian confirmed that the police opened a criminal case in connection
with the incident under the articles of the Armenian Criminal Code
dealing with "hooliganism" and assault on state officials.

Pashinian and his allies dismissed the official version of events,
saying that their street march did not violate Armenia’s law on public
gatherings and was not banned by the Yerevan municipality.

They accused security forces of violating their civil rights and
demanded criminal proceedings against Afian. "Sashik Afian behaved
like a street criminal," charged Pashinian.

Pashinian and the ten other activists, among them the female editor
of another pro-Ter-Petrosian newspaper, were set free early in
the morning after Ter-Petrosian’s four-hour negotiations between
with Afian held at the police headquarters of Yerevan’s central
Kentron district. Ter-Petrosian arrived at the police building at
around midnight as hundreds of his supporters stood outside it do
demand the release of the arrested activists. They greeted him with
"Levon! Levon!" chants.

Ter-Petrosian, accompanied by businessman and parliament deputy
Khachatur Sukiasian, emerged from the building several minutes later to
urge the crowd to "calm down." "We are going to clear up everything,"
he said. "Enjoy your cigarettes, exchange jokes and have fun."

The Kentron police headquarters was earlier visited by three
parliamentarians representing the opposition Zharangutyun (Heritage)
party as well as Armenia’s human rights ombudsman, Armen Harutiunian.

According to one of the parliament deputies, Zaruhi Postanjian, some of
the detainees looked injured. But Harutiunian said he found no traces
of violence on their faces and saw "beaten police officers" instead.

"They had no right to demand the megaphone," Harutiunian told RFE/RL.

"Every citizen who wants to organize a march has the right to propagate
it by lawful means, including a megaphone."

The oppositionists were set free after signing a pledge not to
leave Yerevan pending the investigation. A defiant Pashinian held an
improvised rally at the scene. "We have shown that we are not going
to bow to lawlessness," he said. "I told Sashik Afian that he will
end up in jail."

The outspoken editor also thanked Ter-Petrosian for arranging his
and his comrades’ release. "For us, Levon Ter-Petrosian is now not
only a presidential candidate but a comrade-in-arms," he said to
rapturous applause.

Friday’s rally is widely seen as a further step towards Ter-Petrosian’s
participation in the upcoming presidential vote. The 62-year-old
ex-president is increasingly emerging as the main challenger of the
election favorite, Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian.

Ter-Petrosian’s political allies say the authorities are increasingly
worried about his political comeback and are doing everything
to disrupt his rally. They point to the refusal by virtually all
Armenian TV stations to air paid adverts notifying citizens about
the upcoming rally. Mikael Hayrapetian, another Aylentrank leader,
alleged that the authorities provoked Tuesday’s violent incident in
order to "stem a big tide that could rise on October 26."

Such claims were effectively endorsed by Zharangutyun, one of the two
opposition parties represented in Armenia’s parliament. In a written
statement, the party led by former Foreign Minister Raffi Hovannisian
expressed serious concern at the "growing wave of repressions" in the
country. It said the authorities have grown "panicky over possible
internal political developments" and are trying to intimidate their
political opponents.

Deputy Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamian denied this during the
government’s question-and-answer session in parliament on Wednesday.

Abrahamian said the government is not interest in heightening political
tention in the country. "But we can not allow several individuals to
organize themselves to disrupt public order and commit hooligan acts
in an organized fashion," he said.

Meanwhile, Nazarian, the Yerevan police chief, issued a stern warning
to organizers of Friday’s rally. "We won’t allow anyone to disrupt
public order," he said. "I have ordered policemen to be very strict
and not allow any violation. All of that is being done for maintaining
public order in Yerevan."