PROTESTS ON RISE IN ARMENIAN REGION
by Lusine Barseghyan
Haykakan Zhamanak
April 8 2008
Armenia
Police officers go hunting drunk
Protests in Kotayk Region continue
The number of people who went on hunger strike in Hrazdan [Armenia’s
Kotayk Region] became 10 yesterday [7April].
Nine more [Karabakh war] veterans from Ashtarak, Eghvard, Hrazdan towns
joined the hunger strike of handicappedveteran Arshavir Bozinyan in
the Vanatur village near Hrazdan, who has been on strike for fourteen
days in a rowdemanding that Sasun Mikaelyan [arrested MP] and other
political prisoners be released.
Yesterday after midnight information was received that around
20 police cars with several dozens of police officerstook nine
veterans on hunger strike to the Hrazdan police station. If in the
nearest three days the protesters’demand is not realized and all the
political prisoners, in particular Sasun Mikaelyan, are not released,
wives of theperished fighters [in the Karabakh war] are going to join
the protesters. Several of them already came to join thehunger strike
yesterday, but Bozinyan didn’t allow them [to do so].
Yesterday veterans from other Armenian regions – Maralik, Shamshadin
etc. gave a call to Bozinyan and said that they were joining the hunger
strike. The same will continue in all the villages until we reach our
goal; any day now you willsee that women will also join the hunger
strike; personally I am going to bring my wife and she will sit next
to me,said Arshavir Bozinyan. What we only demand is justice. We see
what is happening in Yerevan, we were present during all the events,
and we saw that everything was organized by the authorities. If
you don’t release all the politicaldetainees, I will go on hunger
strike with other women on 10 April, says the wife of the perished
[in Karabakh war]soldier, Zhaneta Nersisyan.
In the meantime, the repression in Hrazdan continue with renewed
energy. The local police every day take photos ofthe people during
rallies, and then at night take them to the police station. As
Hrazdan dwellers say, they take them at2000 [1500 gmt], keep them
until 0400-0500 in the morning [2300-2400 gmt] and then release.
Criminal cases have already been launched against two female
participants of the rally according to Article 225.1 of the Criminal
Code (organizingand holding of mass gatherings in violation of the
law). [Passage omitted]
As Hrazdan dwellers say, police officers in most cases get drunk and
only then start detaining people. My friend was sitting next to me on
hunger strike; they [the police] came five times a day and took his
tent away. They did it manytimes; so much suppressed and frightened
him and threatened his family that people and I asked him to leave.
They [thepolice officers] didn’t dare to come in sober state, to take
both him and the tent, said Arshavir Bozinyan. Theveteran anticipated
yesterday that the police will attempt to detain new protesters in
the same way. [Passageomitted]
Yesterday, the march took place in addition to the rally. The Hrazdan
town dwellers marched from the Vanatur village to the perished
soldiers’ monument to lay flowers. During the march, the police
periodically said by loudspeakersfrom Vanatur that the gatherings
were illegal and threatened to apply administrative fines against
the protesters.