ARMENIA TO MARK ELECTION UNREST ANNIVERSARY

Press TV
Feb 27 2009
Iran

Armenia’s opposition party prepares to mark the first anniversary of
the deadly clashes which followed last February’s disputed elections.

At least eight protesters and two police officers were killed and
scores of others were injured in the March 1 unrest in the capital,
Yerevan.

The opposition is reportedly planning to hold an unsanctioned rally
on Sunday, demanding the release of opposition supporters jailed
after the clashes.

The clashes were the deadliest since the break-up of the Soviet Union
in 1991 despite the country’s record of frequent civil conflicts.

The opposition believes the reaction to the February 19th elections
last year was a clear sign of pending unrest.

"The current internal political situation is like a volcano waiting
to erupt," AFP quoted, Armen Martirosian, a member of the opposition
Heritage Party.

A recent report by the Human Rights Watch (HRW) criticized the
authorities for conducting only a "one-sided" investigation into the
actions of police in quelling the demonstrations.

"A year after, what happened on March 1 is still unclear. However
it is clear that police used excessive force [against
demonstrators]. Unfortunately the investigation has been only
one-sided," said Giorgi Gogia, the New York-based group’s Caucasus
researcher in Tbilisi.

"Clearly, there were instances where police used legitimate means of
policing, but also some of the force seemed arbitrary and excessive,"
Gogia added.