OPPOSITION MOURNING PROCESSION IN YEREVAN TURNS INTO ACTION OF PROTEST

Noyan Tapan
April 25, 2008

YEREVAN, APRIL 25, NOYAN TAPAN. The radical opposition’s April
24 mourning procession to the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex of
Armenian Genocide victims turned into an action of protest. First
RA President Levon Ter-Petrosian’s supporters and representatives of
public-political forces supporting him had gathered in streets near
Liberty Square at 15:00 as it had been announced in advance. The
action was to start from Liberty Square, the entrance to which,
however, was blocked for the procession participants.

The latters walked towards the territory near the monument to
Martiros Sarian, from where they moved along Baghramian street
led by Aram Sargsian, the Chairman of Political Board of the
Hanrapetutiun (Republic) party, Stepan Demirchian, the Chairman
of the People’s Party of Armenia, David Shahnazarian, a member of
the Armenian National Movement party, and Levon Zurabian, a member
of L. Ter-Petrosian’s central headquarters. The policemen were
constantly calling the demonstrants for walking only by pavements,
in response to which people whistled, voiced "Levon, President!,"
"Free, Independent Armenia!," "Struggle, Struggle Till the End"
and continued walking by the street’s busy part.

The action distinguished itself by a great number of participants:
when the first row had reached Baghramian-Orbeli crossroad, the last
rows were still near the monument to Sarian. People were voicing
"Serzhik-Murderer!," "Serzhik, Go Away!" near the RA President’s
residence surrounded by policemen.

Near the Tsitsernakaberd hill the demonstrants stopped voicing the
slogans and with their fists held up they approached the eternal
fire perpetuating the memory of Genocide victims. Levon Ter-Petrosian
joined them there.

Then first RA President left for his detached house near
Tsitsernakaberd and the demonstrants were voicing "Levon!" for several
minutes near L. Ter-Petrosian’s house.

The procession continued, going by the monument to Alexander
Myasnikian, Republic Square up to Northern Avenue, where "poltical
walks" take place every evening.