NO SOLUTION SEEN FOR STANDOFF IN ARMENIA
By John MacLeod
The Monitor
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune News Service
March 10, 2008 Monday
McAllen, Texas
YEREVAN, Armenia _ International mediators are attempting to mend
the damage caused by political violence on March 1, but neither the
Armenian government nor the opposition is in any mood to talk, and
the situation remains tense.
The capital has been under a state of emergency, accompanied by severe
restrictions on media reporting, since security forces clashed with
opposition protesters demanding a rerun of the Feb. 19 presidential
election that saw Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian defeat opposition
candidate and former president Levon Ter-Petrosian.
The authorities have denied reports that large numbers of protesters
were killed on March 1. But the prosecutor general, Aghvan Hovsepian,
did confirm that eight people were killed in the clashes, including
a police officer. An additional 176 members of the security forces
and 41 civilians were injured, according to officials.
Finnish diplomat Heikki Talvitie arrived in Yerevan last week at the
behest of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe to
attempt to mediate the dispute.
Talvitie has urged the government to lift the state of emergency and
engage in dialogue with members of the opposition.
Meanwhile, the European Union’s special envoy to the South Caucasus,
Peter Semneby, has met with President Robert Kocharian, Sarkisian
and Ter-Petrosian in an attempt to defuse the crisis.
But Kocharian’s press spokesman Viktor Soghomonian has insisted there
would be no dialogue with Ter-Petrosian.
"How can we have dialogue with those who are directly responsible
for these events?" he asked.
At a news conference Wednesday, Kocharian made clear he holds
opposition leaders exclusively responsible for the current unrest
and vowed to see them punished.
"Everyone must get the punishment they’ve earned for their activities,
their just desserts. Above all, there must be punishment for the
organizers whose activities led to a situation where the rally went
out of control and (the crowd) became a mob," he said.
"Throughout history, no one has succeeded in controlling a crowd.
When you assemble people, you have to assume responsibility for them
_ and for the consequences." So far, the government has arrested 27
people on charges of mass riot, using violence against representatives
of the authorities, and attempting to usurp the power of the state. The
government has refused to release the names of those arrested.
Meanwhile, the Armenian parliament voted to strip four of its members
of their immunity so that they can also be arrested and charged.
All four are members of the opposition group Heritage, which said
the move was a form of political retaliation.
Observers say it’s difficult to see an area of common ground that
would allow the government and opposition leaders to abandon their
entrenched positions.
Alexander Iskandarian, the director of the Caucasus Media Institute,
said it’s not clear what role international mediators can play in a
dispute where both side insist they have nothing to say to the other.
"There are certainly lots of questions about who’s to blame for what
has happened. But the main question is whether Levon Ter-Petrosian
continues his political struggle or not," Iskandarian said.
"Apparently [the international mediators are] seeking some options
for reaching an agreement. They’re right _ one should always try to
do that. But I’m very pessimistic." For the moment, the opposition
leader is busy pressing his case that the presidential election
should be annulled on the grounds that the vote was subject to serious
procedural violations.
The Constitutional Court began hearings earlier this week on appeals
brought by Ter-Petrosian and another candidate, Tigran Karapetian.
Appearing before the court, Ter-Petrosian argued Sarkisian should
never have been allowed to run for president because he failed to
step down from the post of prime minister during the election campaign.
The court must issue its ruling on the case by Saturday.
Meanwhile, domestic reporting on the crisis has been largely curtailed
due to the imposition of the state of emergency.
The emergency legislation requires media outlets to cite only
official sources on domestic political matters. Seven leading
newspapers refused to operate under such conditions and suspended
publication. Local re-broadcasting of the Armenian-language service
of external broadcaster Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and its web
site has been blocked.
Radio and televisions that support the government’s position have
remained on the air.
"We’re alarmed by this blatant attempt to censor news of the disputed
election," Joel Simon, executive director of the United States-based
watchdog Committee to Protect Journalists said in a statement. "We
call on Armenian authorities to withdraw the ban on independent
newsgathering and dissemination, and restore access to independent
and opposition media."
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ABOUT THE WRITER
John MacLeod is a senior editor for The Institute for War & Peace
Reporting, a nonprofit organization that trains journalists in areas of
conflict. Readers may write to the author at the Institute for War &
Peace Reporting, 48 Grays Inn Road, London WC1X 8LT, U.K.; Web site:
For information about IWPR’s funding, please go to
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