Interfax News Agency, Russia
July 19 2008

Armenian party forbidden to hold rally in center of Yerevan

YEREVAN July 19

The Yerevan mayor’s office said on Saturday that it had turned down an
appeal from an opposition party for permission to hold a rally and
procession in the center of Armenia’s capital on August 1 and that it
had suggested that the planned events be held in outlying parts of the
city.

The appeal, filed on July 14, had come from the Armenian National
Movement, led by former president Levon Ter-Petrosian, who was
Armenian president from 1991 and 1998 and ran for re-election in
February 2008 but lost the presidential election to Serzh
Sargsyan. Ter-Petrosian accused the government of rigging the election
and led mass protests.

A National Movement spokesman said the rejection of the appeal by the
mayor’s office was "an illegal decision." "On Monday we will issue a
statement in which we will prove that, in actual fact, we have a
lawful right to hold a rally in the center of the city," Levon
Zurabian told Interfax.