POLICE DENY CLOSING LEVON TER-PETROSIAN’S CAMPAIGN OFFICE
ARMENPRESS
Jan 29, 2008
YEREVAN, JANUARY 29, ARMENPRESS: Armenian police have denied today
media allegations that some 20 police officers intruded into a campaign
office of the former president Levon Ter-Petrosian in the southeastern
Armenian town of Kapan to forcibly seal it.
Some pro-opposition media outlets claimed today that police used force
to shut down the campaign office. They also said that the people who
were inside the office at the moment of the ‘raid; were assaulted
and forced to leave it together with the campaign head.
A statement by the police said law-enforcement officers had to shut
the office acting on a written complaint of a resident of the town,
identified as A, which was confirmed by the governor of the Syunik
province that some people had cheated him into giving his apartment
for setting up a campaign office for Ter-Petrosian.
The police’s statement said the citizen asked local law-enforcement
bodies to restore his property right.
The statement also said that on January 28 a squabble occurred between
some supporters of the ex-president and the apartment owner who came
to demand his apartment back. A little later local police officers
had to go to the scene after receiving information about the squabble
to prevent it and asked the people in the office to leave it.
It said the owner of the apartment gave time to Ter-Petrosian’s
supports to take away the furniture.
Some pro-opposition papers said today that the office had been leased
by the Ter-Petrosian campaign in late December. They also quoted Roman
Navasardian, the local campaign chief, as saying that the apartment
owner unexpectedly decided to end the lease agreement despite being
paid two-month rent in advance.