Agence France Presse
June 20, 2008 Friday 7:40 PM GMT
Several thousand opposition supporters rally in Armenia
YEREVAN, June 20 2008
Several thousand opposition supporters rallied Friday in the Armenian
capital for the first major anti-government protest since 10 people
died in violent post-election unrest in March.
Watched closely by dozens of riot police, about 8,000 opposition
supporters were seen in the centre of Yerevan by an AFP
reporter. Organisers said 80,000 had participated.
Protesters called for the results of a February presidential election
won by former prime minister Serzh Sarkisian to be annulled, alleging
the vote was rigged.
"The size of our protest shows everyone that our people do not
recognise the legitimacy of the election or Serzh Sarkisian as
president," opposition leader and former president Levon Ter-Petrosian
told the crowd.
He said new presidential and parliamentary elections were needed to
restore political stability, as he called for another rally on July 4.
Police had earlier warned protesters to stay out of the city centre,
saying they only had permission to rally on the outskirts of
Yerevan. The demonstration proceeded peacefully, however, and police
kept their distance.
Armenia earlier this month eased restrictions on public demonstrations
imposed after the March clashes, meeting a demand from the Council of
Europe. It also created a parliamentary commission to investigate the
violence.
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has also called
for the release of political opponents arrested after the violence and
increased dialogue between the government and opposition. It is due to
hold a debate next week on Armenia’s compliance with its demands.
The violence in March broke out after police moved in to clear
thousands of protesters who had rallied for 11 days to protest
Sarkisian’s victory over Ter-Petrosian in the February 19 presidential
election.
A mountainous country of about three million people, Armenia has
experienced repeated political violence since gaining its independence
with the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union.
From: Baghdasarian