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The Armenian Weekly; Volume 74, No. 9; March 8, 2008
Armenia: News and Analysis
1. Violence Scars Yerevan
Kocharian Declares State of Emergency
By Michael Jones
2. Turn Off the Lights, Spring Is Coming!
By Zara Sargsyan
3. Silence on His Own Past
Ter Petrossian op-ed ignores roots of problem
By K.M.
4. Thoughts on Armenian Election
By Michael G. Mensoian
5. Picking a Pair of Presidents II
By Garen Yegparian
***
1. Violence Scars Yerevan
Kocharian Declares State of Emergency
By Michael Jones
YEREVAN (A.W.)-Armenia is in a state of emergency after peaceful protests
against the government turned violent last weekend.
The early morning hours of Saturday, March 1, marked the beginning of utter
chaos which crippled the nation by evening. Peaceful protestors who were
camping on Liberty Square, which partially circles the Opera House in
Yerevan’s center, were forcibly removed from their positions without
warning.
The protesters, many of whom were purportedly veterans of the Karabagh war,
had been there since Feb. 20 in solidarity with presidential candidate Levon
Ter Petrossian, who was defying the results of the elections.
According to one eyewitness account, 5,000 people were sleeping in tents and
on benches when the police officers attempted to disperse them. Former
president Ter Petrossian, who purportedly was sleeping in his Lincoln Town
Car for the 11-day protest on site, was apprehended and taken to his mansion
overlooking the Hrazdan Gorge, where he remained under house arrest,
although authorities denied this.
By late morning, thousands of protestors had already begun to occupy the
crossroads of Italy and Grigor Lyusavorich Streets, where several embassies
as well as Yerevan’s City Hall are located. Sometime before 2 p.m., the
crowd clashed with police officers who backed away. A few shields from riot
police and their uniforms were confiscated by protesters.
People assembled in front of a large monument located there, the platform of
which served as a stage for opposition leader and ardent Ter Petrossian
supporter Nikol Pashinian, who is the editor of the daily newspaper Armenian
Times (Haykakan Zhamanak).
Pashinian, who was thought to have been arrested, was seen being carried
towards the gathering on the shoulders of three men cheering "Victory,
Victory."
By the time the opposition leaders began to greet the crowds in the early
afternoon, namely former Prime Minister Aram Sarkisian and presidential
candidate in the 2003 elections Stepan Demirchian, the square was cordoned
off from all sides with public transportation buses, which were subsequently
destroyed by rioters.
After the initial scuffles people began to assemble weapons-metal rods,
wooden sticks and even railings from fences surrounding amusement rides for
children in the adjacent park. By early evening, many protestors were
well-prepared to clash with police. Stock piles of stone bricks from the
sidewalks lining the park, which runs down the middle of Italy Street, were
assembled ready to be hurled on a moment’s notice. Barriers made from
benches were erected in the park as well.
Just after 8:30 p.m., riot police began to advance from Republic Square in a
wall of force towards the protestors. As they approached, warnings were
shouted and soon thereafter the crowd roared in defiance. According to many
reports, police began assaulting the crowd only when there was no other
option but to defend themselves, with other accounts claiming that the clash
between police and protestors ensued almost immediately. By 9:15 p.m.,
tracer bullets were being fired into the sky, the terrifying whirrs of which
could be heard for well over an hour.
By late evening, the block of Mashdots Boulevard between Khorenatsi and
Grigor Lyusavorich Streets resembled a war zone. Some protestors destroyed
several passenger vehicles, including police cars. Countless stores were
looted with men stealing shoes and enjoying chocolates taken from
supermarkets.
An eyewitness said that many of those involved in the looting and
destruction of private property were petty criminals who apparently did not
have any involvement with the protests. Opposition leaders condemned the
riots and distanced themselves from those involved.
Early news reports claimed that eight people were killed in the melee
including one police officer. However, Yerkir Media reported on March 2 that
the life of one person was saved. Hundreds of people have been injured
including police officers. Many people remain unaccounted for as of this
report’s filing.
As a result of the violence, several supporters of Ter-Petrossian, including
parliament members, were arrested, one of them being a former Republican
party member.
On the evening of March 1, President Robert Kocharian held a press
conference during which he revealed that the state of emergency was imposed
in order to protect the citizens of Armenia.
Republic Square now resembles a military zone with at least 12 heavy-duty
military vehicles on site and hundreds of troops with automatic weapons
slung around their shoulders. Since the clash with protestors at Liberty
Square, riot police and military personnel maintain a barrier along the
perimeter of the block on which the Opera House is located. However, intense
police presence is virtually absent from most areas of Yerevan, being
confined to the city’s center. Along the main roads leading into the capital
>From Armenia’s regions all vehicles are compelled to stop at several
military checkpoints where they are searched.
Ter-Petrossian is purportedly ready to negotiate with the authorities on the
conditions that the state of emergency first be lifted and a ruling be made
by the Constitutional Court on his complaint for new elections to be held,
which was to be considered on March 4. Serge Sarkisian won the election,
which was held on Feb. 19, with 53 percent of the total votes counted, while
Ter-Petrossian won only 21 percent. Ter-Petrossian claims that the results
were falsified.
The ARF-Dashnaktsutiun on March 3 defended President Kocharian’s imposed
state of emergency, lambasting Ter-Petrossian by accusing him of attempting
a coup d’etat. The sentiment was also relayed by government officials.
Authorities blame the opposition leaders for the incitement of violence,
while Ter-Petrossian’s allies claim that criminals were sent to the sight to
stir havoc.
The streets of Yerevan were quieter than usual on Sunday, March 2, but by
Monday it was business as usual for many residents of Yerevan. Even while
the clashes were ensuing on Saturday night, many shops were open and
restaurants were serving customers only a half-mile away. There are concerns
that the demonstrations will resume as soon as the state of emergency is
ended.
Several international organizations such as the OSCE and Human Rights Watch
have condemned the violence and called for the lifting of the state of
emergency as soon as possible. The U.S. State Department made the same
requests of the Armenian authorities. Human Rights Watch also demanded that
a criminal investigation be made. Talks between foreign diplomats and
government officials were held on the days after the brutal events of March
1.
———————————————- ———————————————
2. Turn Off the Lights, Spring Is Coming!
By Zara Sargsyan
The last customers of the cafe were leaving, while a new group was
assembling there. It was almost midnight and we were getting ready to start
shooting the new film. Despite the last hours, there was a lot of commotion
at the square where we were scheduled to do the shooting.
An hour later, everyone had assumed their positions and was waiting for the
magic word. I gave the sign to start shooting: "Action!"
This film tells a heart-warming story, full of love for Armenia, longing for
the home city, Yerevan. It is the story of two women with different pasts
crossing paths, and an accidental meeting that changes both their lives.
They talk about how love erodes, and how men try to change one another
instead of accepting others as they are.
Everything was magical! Scene after scene, our film was coming into life. I
was so happy. The most beautiful spring of my life was arriving. At sunrise,
we were already getting ready to shoot the final three scenes.
"The roosters are calling," we joked. We were hearing unfamiliar sounds from
the Liberty Square. Soon, buses full of soldiers appeared. We all approached
the windows, wondering what the commotion was all about. Some police cars
started calling the people to leave the square. It would have been good if
the people had silently left, but that was not to be.
"Do not leave, people. We are victorious." It was Levon’s voice.
The first group of soldiers-unarmed-who came down from the buses, all
18-19-year-olds, were looking around with confusion, while the people seemed
to know what to do. The roles seemed to have been reversed. Soon enough, the
people started throwing stones at the soldiers. A second group of soldiers
arrived.
In the meantime, the crowd started dispersing; some were walking away, while
other were running. Those who stayed started to resist the soldiers. Bottles
filled with explosive material were flashing like fireworks, and screams had
filled the air.
"I am pretty sure these are fireworks," I said, realizing that we were
witnessing something grave and serious.
We started hearing gunshots. To this day, I cannot understand where all
those weapons came from. None of the soldiers were armed, as the 20 people
who were with me that day could bear witness. That day, at dawn, we all were
witness to something we would hardly ever wish to witness.
"Turn off the lights and get away from the windows," the workers of the cafe
said.
The demonstrators were throwing explosives and stones at the police as they
ran away from them and approached us. The situation was getting worse by the
minute. We moved to the cafe’s basement, where reproductions of Salvador
Dali paintings were hanging from the walls. I was in the basement with
elephants with long legs, distorted clocks, rhinoceroses, distorted clocks
and a group of terrified people crying, shaking out of fear.
I remembered "La Vita e Bella." I was trying to convince my companions that
they would all return home soon and that everything would be fine. "Didn’t
you see how the soldiers were unarmed? Doesn’t that mean no one intended to
fight?"
Around 30 minutes later, we went upstairs again. The square around the Opera
House was cleared, but there were still many people in the area who were
being very aggressive, even to passer-sby. "You were either with us, or you’re
worthless," the people were told. It was obvious that we were not with them,
so I wonder what we were in their eyes.
For the first time in my life, I was forced to defend myself from my own
people. We asked the security forces for help. My heart was full of pain. It
felt as if there would be no tomorrow.
The security people came to help. We opened the door of the cafe and
following their instruction, "follow us." The film crew came out of the
restaurant and moved to the production company’s bus. We had cameras and
other equipment in our hands. The people around us started to shout, "They
have arrested them. They are taking our journalists away!" Others were
yelling, "Traitors, you think you can run away? You think you can run away
>From us so easily? We remember your faces very well, you were at the Opera
Square."
It was very painful for me to realize that these people were in a trance.
They saw everything from their own perspective and the voice of reason could
not reach them.
I don’t remember how I arrived home. I was very depressed. Why did things
happen this way? How did my people become so divided, so torn apart? Why did
they fall for this trap?
The first day of spring was terribly dim. My people had become
unrecognizable. I was feeling hopeless. I was thinking, "The prince of
darkness did his dark deed again, and this is not the end."
I could smell the ’90s in the Yerevan air and in my ears, I still heard the
echoes of voices from earlier that day, "Baykar, baykar minchev verch"
("Struggle, struggle until the end"-a slogan championed by Levon Ter
Petrosian), "Turn off the lights," "Spring is coming".
———————————— ————————————————– —
3. Silence on His Own Past
Ter Petrossian op-ed ignores roots of problem
By K.M.
(A.W.)-On March 5, the Washington Post published an op-ed by Levon Ter
Petrossian titled "Silence on Armenia." In the article, the former president
of Armenia says, "In Armenia’s presidential election last month, I stood as
the main opposition candidate against incumbent Prime Minister Serzh
Sarkissian. The election followed a sadly familiar script: The regime
harassed the opposition’s representatives, bribed and intimidated voters,
stuffed ballot boxes, and systematically miscounted votes."
Ter Petrossian’s description of the situation is generally true. However, he
fails to acknowledge that the "familiar script" he refers to was first
written and directed during his tenure as president-and that he himself
followed that script in the 1996 elections.
After describing the developments of last Saturday, Ter Petrossian argues
that there "is the oft-stated claim that the only people able to settle
Armenia’s long-standing conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region will be
leaders who are themselves from Nagorno-Karabakh-as Kocharian and Sarkissian
are-and who are perceived domestically as hard-liners. This is analogous to
the ‘only Nixon could go to China’ logic."
He adds, "The problem is that despite being in power for the past 10 years,
Kocharian and Sarkissian have done little to move the negotiating process
forward. More important, any leader who must make consequential and
difficult choices must have the trust of his people. Sarkissian does not
have that trust. After what he and Kocharian did on March 1, he will not be
able to govern here, let alone make difficult choices."
Putting aside the fact that the Nixon analogy is poor at best, Ter
Petrossian’s aforementioned argument has three problems:
1) He forgets that the people of Karabagh have the right to
self-determination, and hence, even Armenia has no right to impose solutions
on them.
2) He tries, as he has in the past, to create a schism between
Armenia’s people and that of the people of Karabagh and to show leaders from
Karabagh as radicals only because they do not agree with his policies on the
issue-policies that were rejected by the Armenian people and cost him his
presidency.
3) He questions the legitimacy of Sarkisian forgetting his own
problems with legitimacy. Regardless of all the election-rigging and
violations that took place during the presidential election, Ter-Petrossian’s
claim that he has more legitimacy than Sarkisian sounds tragically funny.
Had Ter Petrossian decided to revisit his past and acknowledge his
grave mistakes-for which he is despised by many in Armenia today-before
taking on the current leadership of the country, his words might have fallen
on ears that are ready to listen.
—————————————— ————————————————–
4. Thoughts on Armenian Election
By Michael G. Mensoian
The post-Feb. 19 election protests in Yerevan are a blight on the
democratization process in Armenia. The declaration of a 20-day state of
emergency by President Robert Kocharian has ramifications beyond the borders
of Armenia.
Whether or not these protests initiated by interests loyal to candidate
Levon Ter-Petrossian have merit should be answered in a proper forum without
any equivocating and in a timely fashion. It is not sufficient for the
office of the President or some government agency to simply proclaim that
the demonstrations are unlawful or have no merit. If a root cause exists,
it must be identified and properly addressed. There can be no justification
for post-election demonstrations of this magnitude and violence.
The Associated Press reported that Sayat Shirinian, spokesman for the
Yerevan police, indicated that "eight people were killed and 33 officers
were wounded. By morning some streets were littered with the hulks of burned
cars and troops carrying assault rifles and wearing bullet-proof vests stood
on street corners.police cars had been set on fire and looters hit stores
and kiosks." Various media reports indicate the casualties to be higher with
even more extensive damage and destruction to property.
Ter-Petrossian is for all intents and purposes under house arrest, although,
according to the Associated Press report, that term is not used by security
forces who prevent him from leaving his home. Although he has asked the
protesters to dispel, he continues to level various accusations against the
Kocharian administration and has petitioned the Constitutional Court to
invalidate the election results.
The world press carrying word and graphic images of these demonstrations in
Yerevan, as well as accusations of a fraudulent election process, unfairly
detracts from the solid progress Armenia has made since independence was
achieved. It also unfairly tarnishes the character of the president-elect,
Serge Sarkissian.
Furthermore, the potential impact that these violent demonstrations may have
on the Armenian tourist industry will not be known immediately. This nascent
industry has tremendous growth potential. It is a principal earner of
foreign currency for Armenia and a source of employment in a country with an
already high rate of unemployment. The stories carried by the foreign media
certainly do little to encourage travel to Armenia.
Also, it would seem reasonable that recurring challenges to elections
contribute to a perception of political instability. Government stability is
a significant factor when seeking foreign investors and in bolstering the
confidence of the public in their government. Armenia’s economy is fragile
enough without this added liability.
ARF candidate Vahan Hovannesian has proposed a sensible agenda that would
address the need for the calm and dispassionate evaluation of the electoral
process. His appeal, reported in Yerkir, calls for all political forces to
".begin negotiations and refrain from maximalism and confrontation. Only
negotiations are able to prevent [further] clashes." It is absolutely vital
that citizens have confidence in the system they use to elect their
president.
The office of the President of Armenia, whether or not that thought has ever
occurred to our leaders in Yerevan, represents all Armenians wherever they
may be. We are a people whose hearts reside in Armenia although our homes
are spread throughout the diaspora. The future of Artsakh and Javakhk are no
less tied to the creation of a democratic and politically stable Armenia as
is the continued support provided by the Armenian communities in the
diaspora.
The inability of Azerbaijan to divorce itself from the pre-Soviet electoral
system is well known. The declaration of an emergency by President Mikhail
Saakashvili of Georgia last year to thwart a dissident movement calling for
early elections was viewed as a weakness in their democratization process.
Unfortunately, Armenia lost a singular opportunity to stand out as the only
functioning democracy in the region. We do not need nor should we want the
proffered intervention of the OSCE to act as mediators of what they describe
as the present crisis in Armenia.
We can not allow allegations of unfair electoral practices to become
institutionalized. We can not allow a system to exist that facilitates any
losing candidate to claim his political rights were abridged. This only
brings discredit to Armenia as well as eroding confidence in the people who
are elected. The Armenian nation not only deserve better than that, it needs
better than that.
It is time that our politicians understand what free elections are all
about. Any abridgement of free speech, any harassment of candidates, their
supporters or efforts in advancing their party’s candidate is anathema to
the free election process. Free elections are predicated on the existence of
a level playing field for all candidates. At a minimum, free elections
demand that candidates have access to all forms of media, the right to have
political gatherings and other forms of public expressions of support for
the candidate and transparency with respect to the source of funds used
during the campaign. These requirements do not require reinventing the
wheel.
Failure to create these basic conditions only encourages the crafting of
allegations by candidates that question the legality of the vote. The fact
that concerns were raised by candidates before and during the period of the
political campaign and the existence of voting and counting irregularities
in some of the districts is more than sufficient evidence that something is
amiss.
Every political party that fields a viable candidate wants to win. Whatever
the motivating reason may be, winning to line the pockets of friends and
allies is not what it is all about. In the noblest of traditions, the
winning candidate and his party should be dedicated to supporting programs
and policies that not only strengthen Armenia but allow our people to work
toward achieving a better qualify of life.
If one word had to sum up what has taken place in Yerevan these past few
days, it is khaidaragutyun (farce). Our political leaders in Yerevan have
embarrassed themselves by their inability to create and participate in a
free election process and they have embarrassed all Armenians because of
their inability to do so.
———————————————- ————————————————– —
5. Picking a Pair of Presidents II
By Garen Yegparian
"Whuta revoltin’ development this is," to quote Marvel Comics’ Fantastic
Four member Ben Grimm, The Thing. You’ll recall my ho-hum tone a month ago
when last discussing Armenia’s and the U.S.’ presidential elections. Now,
things are downright disgusting!
In Armenia, we have, formally, a president-elect, Serge Sarkisian. Just like
his two antecedents, fraud marred the electoral process. How much? Who the
hell knows! And does it matter? This taints and weakens him in office. But
this time, it is as bad as "I’m ba-ack" Levon Ter Petrossian’s reelection
when tanks went through the streets of Yerevan. There are injured and dead.
That’s totally unacceptable and a result of the reprehensible response to
citizens’ reaction to the perceived fraud. But it’s weird. One description
had it that while on one block the stuff of revolutions was unfolding, a few
streets away, people were going on dates! It reminds me of the Lebanese
civil war. Anyone watching outside would be thinking the country was
permanently in flames. The truth was clashes were limited and localized. The
number of demonstrators protesting the election results also seem to
indicate less than universal dissatisfaction. Even the highest numbers,
likely inflated, reported by the protestors didn’t exceed 100,000 people.
The perverse irony of the situation is that the originator of the corrupt
system entrenched in our homeland, Levon Ter Petrossian, has now ridden in
on a white horse claiming to be the sheriff who’ll clean up the mess. But I
can’t help but believe that even that white horse is stolen. How can you
trust a guy who is, at root, one of the main causes of the corruption
problem inside post-Soviet Armenia and who tried to sell out the Armenian
nation’s rights regarding Artsakh and the genocide?
Yet many well-intentioned people, among them significant numbers of the
young, constituted the presence at the rallies headed by Levon calling for
annulling the Feb. 19 election results. From what I gather, these sincere
individuals are so disgusted with conditions that they’re swallowing hard
and tolerating Levon’s presence with the goal of improving the country. Can’t
really condemn such thinking, and these people deserve our support.
On the other hand, to me, doing anything that enhances Levon’s stature is
indescribably odious. There’s no significant difference between Levon and
Serge. Which of the following pairs would you choose: being mauled by a lion
or a tiger; getting bitten by a cobra or puff adder; a plague of lice or
fleas? The last is probably most apt a choice in this discussion. As the
saying goes, "lie down with dogs, wake up with fleas."
And this brings me to something utterly inexplicable. How could Raffi
Hovanessian tolerate his party’s endorsement of Levon? It’s not just Levon’s
anti-Armenian stances, but his sacking Raffi and the attendant humiliation
when the latter had the backbone to address the issue of genocide
recognition in Ankara while serving as Foreign Minister. I gave him credit
for far more decency and sincerity.
It’s a real letdown. I’m so torn on this, the title of the article was
almost going to be "Torn."
Things aren’t too much better in the U.S. On Tues., March 4, John McCain
secured the Republican nomination. This is good for the Republicans and bad
for the country and world. This flip-flopper (think campaign finance issues
at least, and telecom legislation too, not to mention a possible affair with
a lobbyist and his Freudian slip referring to himself as a liberal
Republican when he was to say conservative) with an undeserved reputation as
a straight-shooter will now be spared having to pander to the party’s right
wing, thus showing his true chameleon colors to the country. He’ll now hop
on the high road of "Vietnam-vet-tortured-POW" and pretend to be a great
leader.
Meanwhile, Clinton and Obama will keep fighting for the Democratic
nomination over the course of 13 more primaries and caucuses extending
through June 7 with Barack leading Hillary by just under 100 delegates, and
the question of how to handle Florida and Michigan delegates unresolved
(these states broke party rules by holding their elections too early and
have been penalized-their delegates are currently denied the right to vote
at the convention).
Plus, the clashes between these two are getting a bit more ugly. This can
only serve the Republican presidential effort that is severely handicapped
by the choice of a far less qualified candidate and his rubber-stamp
adoption of the sitting president’s worst policies.
Well, I suppose, the call to keep hope alive is ever more appropriate at a
time like this. Let’s show the world what Armenian citizens can do at our
best.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
