ArmInfo news agency (in Russian), Armenia
July 25 2008

Armenian opposition say authorities fear big rallies

Yerevan, 25 July: The authorities of the country are engaged in small
tricks via the Yerevan mayor’s office by refusing the All-National
Movement permission to stage an authorized rally, Arman Musinyan,
press secretary of the leader of the Armenian Pan-National Movement
and Armenia’s first president, Levon Ter-Petrosyan, told to a news
conference held at the Tesaket [Point of view] discussion club today.

He said that if the Yerevan mayor’s office sanctions the rally, the
authorities will lose the opportunity to cordon off motorways leading
to Yerevan, and to forbid sticking flyers and notify citizens of the
forthcoming rally. Thus many people would come to the rally, and the
"current regime" is afraid of this.

However, Musinyan pointed out that the rally will be staged at the
scheduled date – on the square outside the Matenadaran institute of
ancient manuscripts [in the centre of Yerevan] at 1900 [1400 gmt ] on
1 August. "I do not think that the authorities will take a senseless
step and try to initiate forcible actions. Experience shows that if
[the authorities] do not provoke us, our rallies and demonstrations
are conducted peacefully and without incidents," Musinyan said.

[translated]