ARMENIA TO LIFT EMERGENCY RULE, BUT DEMO BAN REMAINS
Hurriyet
March 20 2008
Turkey
Armenian President Robert Kocharian said a state of emergency imposed
after clashes in Yerevan earlier this month will be lifted from Friday
but a ban on demonstrations will remain in place.
"Today is the last day of the state of emergency in Yerevan. I do
not have any reason to extend it," Kocharian said on Thursday at his
last news conference before new president Serzh Sarkisian, the current
prime minister, is inaugurated on April 9. "I need to pass on a stable
country and government to the newly elected president," Kocharian said.
Despite lifting the state of emergency, Kocharian said that rallies
would not be allowed. "Whilst the people who took up arms against
the police are still on the wanted list there is no guarantee that
they will not try again to destabilise the situation," he said.
The 20-day state of emergency was declared on March 1 after eight
people died in street battles between riot police and opposition
supporters in the capital Yerevan. The violence also injured dozens,
many from gunshot wounds. Police arrested more than 50 people in
connection with the unrest, which broke out after riot police dispersed
protesters who had rallied for 11 days against a presidential election
officially won by Prime Minister Sarkisian.
Opposition supporters claim the election was rigged to ensure
Sarkisians victory over former president Levon Ter-Petrosian, though
foreign observers said the vote was mostly in line with international
standards.