Interfax News Agency, Russia
June 20 2008
Police seal off Yerevan center to stop opposition rally
YEREVAN June 20
Freedom Square in downtown Yerevan has been sealed off with a
deployment of special gear, water cannons and riot police, an Interfax
correspondent reports from the scene.
All cafes and shops located near the square are closed.
Meanwhile, several hundred supporters of former Armenian President and
opposition leader Levon Ter-Petrossian have gathered on Severny
Prospect, near Freedom Square, to chant: "Independent, free Armenia"
and "Levon-president." They also shout insults at police officers.
Law enforcement officers occasionally warn protesters through
loudspeakers that their action is illegal and urge them to disperse to
avoid unforeseen consequences.
Supporters of the opposition are moving towards the area adjacent to
the museum of ancient scripts (Matenadaran), where a rally of the
opposition Pan-Armenian National Movement led by Ter-Petrossian is due
to begin at 6 p.m. local time.