Interfax News Agency, Russia
May 28 2008

Council of Europe slams Armenia over violence probe

YEREVAN May 28

Moves by the Armenian authorities to investigate clashes between
opposition protesters and police in Yerevan on March 1 that claimed
ten lives had resulted in "only a few tangible results, " the Council
of Europe said on Wednesday.

Former Armenian president Levon Ter-Petrosian, one of the candidates
in Armenia’s February 19 presidential election, refused to recognize
the official results of the polls, which spelled defeat for him.

He and his supporters organized wide-scale protests, which grew into
clashes between them and the police in the Armenian capital on March
1, in which ten people were killed and more than 250 injured.

The Monitoring Committee of the Council of Europe Parliamentary
Assembly (PACE), meeting in Kyiv on Tuesday and Wednesday, "welcomed
the initiatives taken by the Armenian authorities to address the
issues contained in Resolution 1609 (2008) on the functioning of
democratic institutions in Armenia," the Council of Europe said in a
statement posted on its website.

"However, [the committee] is concerned that, to date, these
initiatives have led to only a few tangible results regarding
compliance with the demands of the Assembly as set out in this
Resolution," the statement said.

In Resolution 1609, PACE threatens to suspend the voting rights of the
Armenian delegation to the Assembly at its June 2008 part-session
unless Armenia has made "considerable progress" by then on revoking
its recent amendments to the Law on Conducting Meetings, Assemblies,
Rallies and Demonstrations, has started "an independent, transparent
and credible inquiry into the events of 1 March and the circumstances
that led to them, [and has released] the persons detained on seemingly
artificial and politically motivated charges or who did not personally
commit any violent acts or serious offences in connection with them."

PACE also demanded that "an open and constructive dialogue between the
political forces in Armenian society" be initiated.

"The committee is seriously concerned about the lack of any noticeable
progress on the opening of an independent and credible enquiry. The
format envisaged, of a parliamentary ad hoc committee to carry out the
inquiry into the events on, and leading to, 1 March, will lack the
requisite independence and credibility demanded by the Assembly,
unless the participation of extra-parliamentary opposition, civil
society and international experts is guaranteed. The committee also
regrets that no progress has been made regarding the release of
persons detained on seemingly artificial and politically motivated
charges," the statement said.

Two PACE rapporteurs are to visit Armenia on June 16-17.

"The committee is convinced that, though time is limited, it is still
possible for the Armenian authorities to address the requirements of
the Assembly in time for the visit of the co-rapporteurs of the
committee in the week before the June part-session," the statement
said.

"Therefore, the committee instructed its Chair to ask on its behalf
for a debate under urgent procedure during the June 2008 part-session
of the Assembly if the co-rapporteurs, following their visit to
Armenia on 16 and 17 June, conclude that insufficient progress has
been achieved by then," it said.

as rp