UP AND ABOUT: OPPOSITION REACHES GYUMRI FOR ITS FIRST ‘AUTHORIZED’ RALLY AFTER POST-ELECTION VIOLENCE
Ani Hakobyan
Armenia Now
30 June, 2008
Thousands of Levon Ter-Petrosyan supporters braved rainy weather
and government-imposed "working day" conditions to stage a rally in
Armenia’s second largest city last weekend in what proved to be the
first major gathering of the opposition outside Yerevan and its first
major arrangement to be formally allowed by the authorities in months.
The rally in Theater Square in Gyumri, which had been allowed by the
city’s authorities to be held on June 28 and last for three hours,
came only two days after the enactment of amendments to the law on
public assembly lifting some of the severe restrictions on street
protests and marches imposed in the wake of the March 1 melee. It
also came at the end of a week during which Armenia was a focus of
debate at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE)
that reiterated its demand for "freedom of assembly to be guaranteed
in practice" and urged the Armenian authorities "to allow rallies
to be organized by the opposition without placing undue restrictions
on them."
The rally started with an hour’s delay as only a few days before,
that Saturday was declared a workday by the government. The decision
was described by the opposition as a deliberate step to prevent
the opposition from rallying on a non-working day. Besides, the
opposition said first president Ter-Petrosyan’s travel was delayed
by an outpouring of popular support that he met on his way to Gyumri,
which is some 120 kilometers to the north-west of capital Yerevan.
"After the elections, you proved that Gyumri is Armenia’s most
politically active city," the opposition leader said in addressing
the rally.
And prominent opposition member Suren Surenyants also commended the
city: "During these months Gyumri has been special not only due to
its freedom-loving people, but also as home of the republic’s only
independent TV, Gala, and a club of journalists, Asparez, that is
distinguished by its outstanding position."
The rally that had also brought together people from Yerevan, Talin,
Vanatur and other towns lasted for an hour and a half and went on in
a peaceful atmosphere with no tensions or incidents reproted.
"As long as there is even one political prisoner in jail, we will not
leave the streets and go home," Ter-Petrosyan assured the families
of detained opposition members that had turned out for the rally in
large numbers.
The opposition leader also extended his debate with the authorities
over the March 1 clashes between security forces and protesters that
led to at least ten deaths and hundreds of injuries.
Ter-Petrosyan, in particular, said that neither police nor military
had fired shots at the people.
"Criminal elements and hired assassins have always been employed for
such mean acts. Those elements were from different areas. And yes,
some of them were from Karabakh, others were thuggish bodyguards of
prominent oligarchs."
Ter-Petrosyan also said that ahead of its next rally in Yerevan
on July 4 the opposition was completing organizational work on the
establishment of the National Congress, an umbrella structure that
would unite more than two dozen pro-opposition political parties and
organizations. But before rallying in the capital, Ter-Petrosyan’s
popular movement planned to visit Talin and Vanatur where it enjoys
a high level of support among the local population.
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