Armenian police clash with protesters

United Press International
March 1 2008

Published: March 1, 2008 at 7:50 AM

YEREVAN, Armenia, March 1 (UPI) — Riot police Saturday clashed with
several thousand demonstrators protesting the results of the Feb. 19
presidential election in Yerevan, Armenia.

Police waded into a rally in the capital’s Freedom Square, using clubs,
tear gas and stun guns to clear demonstrators who had been camped at
the site for the past 10 days, RIA Novosti, a Russian news agency,
reported.

Police forced the protesters to board buses and Novosti said there
were reports opposition presidential candidate Levon Ter-Petosyan
was detained.

Armenian Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisyan defeated Ter-Petosyan with
52.82 percent of the vote to 21.5 percent, Novosti said.

The opposition accused the government of vote rigging and election
fraud.

"These are innocent people," an Armenia woman told CNN. "They just
want their freedom. They just want to be heard."