Javno.hr, Croatia
Feb. 25, 2008

Armenian Opposition Figures Held, Protest Goes on

Ter-Petrosyan told protesters in Yerevan he should have been declared
the true victor.

Armenian authorities detained top opposition figures on Sunday while
thousands of protesters chanted calls for a re-run of a presidential
election they say was rigged.

The opposition in the Caucasus mountains country has mounted protests
for five days to demand the annulment of the results of the Feb. 19
presidential election in which Prime Minister Serzh Sarksyan beat
nearest rival Levon Ter-Petrosyan.

Prominent opposition figures were detained in three separate
incidents on Saturday and Sunday. Among those held was the leader of
one political party and a former deputy prosecutor-general who backed
the protests.

"This confirms the authorities will use force," said opposition
activist Mikail Daelyan.

Western election monitors have said the ballot was broadly in line
with the country’s international commitments but further improvements
were necessary. Ter-Petrosyan supporters say the vote was rigged and
charge ballot stuffing and intimidation.

Armenia, a Christian nation of 3.2 million, lies in a region emerging
as a key route for pumping Caspian Sea oil and gas to world markets,
though Armenia has no pipelines of its own.

Armenia’s electoral commission confirmed Sarksyan, an ally of
outgoing President Robert Kocharyan, won nearly 53 percent of the
vote compared with 21.5 percent for Ter-Petrosyan.

Ter-Petrosyan told protesters in Yerevan he should have been declared
the true victor.

"We must start active moves — our people are already the winner.
This election was barbaric and Armenia never saw anything like what
happened on the election day," he said, without elaborating on what
he planned to do.

Ter-Petrosyan said the protests were gaining momentum, pointing to
fresh support from six senior Armenian diplomats, including the
foreign ministry spokesperson. He also announced he would appeal the
formal election results to the country’s Constitutional Court on
Monday, Arminfo news agency reported.

Sunday’s rally, which lasted for more than five hours, was attended
by around 20,000 people — fewer than the 35,000 who turned out on
Saturday.

"Levon is president – victory!" was one of the rally cries.
Protesters ignored police requests to disperse.

Security services said that amongst the opposition figures arrested
early on Sunday was Aram Karapetyan, the leader of the New Times
party, who had backed Ter-Petrosyan’s campaign.

Six activists said they would go on hunger strikes to protest the
poll results. An opposition tent camp will also continue its night
vigil in central Yerevan.

Sarksyan is a native of Nagorno-Karabakh, a region over which Armenia
and neighbouring Azerbaijan fought a war in the 1990s. Some analysts
say that still-unresolved conflict could flare again into violence.