ARMENIA ENDS STATE OF EMERGENCY
By Matthew Collin
BBC NEWS
urope/7306859.stm
2008/03/21 07:40:48 GMT
Armenia has ended the state of emergency that was imposed in the
capital after clashes between protesters and police left eight dead.
Army vehicles began leaving Yerevan before midnight on Thursday.
The authorities have confirmed that more than 100 opposition activists
are being held on charges of causing unrest and plotting a coup.
The clashes on 1 March took place when police tried to end more than
a week of mass protests against election results.
The presidential poll gave victory to the current Prime Minister,
Serzh Sarkisian. The opposition says the results were falsified.
The number of arrests has been rising steadily throughout the month,
as the Armenian authorities round up the people they believe were
responsible for the violence.
Those detained so far include several members of parliament and a
former foreign minister. The opposition has accused the government
of trying to crush political dissent in Armenia.
Protest ban
Outgoing President Robert Kocharian has warned the opposition that
any attempts to hold unauthorised protests will not be tolerated.
A new law was passed this week giving the authorities the right to
ban demonstrations, if it is believed they will pose a threat to
public order.
But the opposition leader, Levon Ter-Petrosyan, has vowed to continue
his campaign to overturn the election results.
The opposition insists it had the right to defy what it describes as
a violation of people’s freedom and has said it will find a way to
work around the legislation.