How developments in Armenia were presented in UK press
Violent clashes kill eight in Armenia, state of emergency declared
( Mkhitar Khachatryan/AP)
Opposition protesters in the Armenian capital Yerevan - the violence erupted when police tried to move them from a square
Armenia was under a state of emergency today after eight people died in clashes between riot police and demonstrators protesting that its presidential election had been rigged.
Troops and tanks patrolled the capital Yerevan in a crackdown ordered by President Robert Kocharyan following a night of violence that left scores injured, stores looted and streets littered with burnt-out cars.
The foreign ministry said that seven civilians and one police officer had been killed. Another 33 police were hurt, including 17 with gunshot wounds.
There were an unknown number of casualties among demonstrators in the former Soviet republic. They had massed in huge numbers on the streets near foreign embassies after police broke up a protest camp in Yerevan's central Liberty Square early on Saturday morning.
The square had been the focus of 11 days of peaceful protests against the election of Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan as President. Supporters of opposition leader Levon Ter Petrosyan insist that he won the vote and that the authorities engaged in massive fraud to hand victory to Mr Sargsyan, the President's close ally.
Violence erupted as hundreds of riot police moved in to try to clear the streets late on Saturday and protestors, who had erected barricades earlier in the day, retaliated with sticks and stones.
Police fired tear gas and live rounds into the air above the crowd of up to 15,000 after petrol bombs were thrown. Demonstrators finally abandoned the streets after an appeal for calm was read out from Mr Ter Petrosyan, who was independent Armenia's first president from 1991 to 1998.
Mr Ter Petrosyan said that he had been placed under house arrest. The Government denied this and claimed that security forces were protecting him as a former head of state.
An uneasy calm held in Yerevan on Sunday as a dozen armoured personnel carriers and about 100 soldiers guarded the main government building and foreign ministry. Several tanks were stationed at the scene of the clashes.
Mr Kocharyan imposed the state of emergency until March 20 in response to what he called a threat to constitutional order. Demonstrations, strikes and public gatherings are banned, while media in Armenia may only publish information provided by the government.
Political parties are barred from distributing "leaflets or other means of political propaganda". Police have also been given sweeping powers to restrict people's movements and to stop and search vehicles.
Prosecutors said that at least 55 people had been detained during the violence. Mr Ter Petrosyan's spokesman, Arman Musinyan, accused police of planting weapons near demonstrators in the square as a pretext for Saturday's clampdown.
The violence was the worst crisis in the Caucasus republic of 3.2 million since a massacre in parliament in October 1999, when extreme nationalists shot dead Armenia's prime minister and seven other senior politicians.
Official results of the election on February 19 gave Mr Sargsyan 52.9 per cent, just above the 50 per cent required to avoid a run-off against his nearest opponent Mr Ter Petrosyan, who had 21.5 per cent.
Mr Ter Petrosyan claims that he won two-thirds of the vote. Europe's main election watchdog described the vote as "mostly" in line with international standards, but said that counting had been bad or very bad in 16 per cent of polling stations.
The current chairman of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Finland's Foreign Minister Ilkka Kanerva, condemned the use of force against demonstrators. He announced that a special envoy would go to Armenia to encourage the two sides to negotiate a solution to the crisis.
The Vatican's second most senior figure, Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone, postponed a visit to Armenia on Sunday after the state of emergency was declared.
Multimedia
Eight killed in Armenia protest
A 20-day state of emergency has been declared in Armenia after clashes between troops and protesters in the capital left eight dead and more than 100 injured.
Demonstrators had been gathering in Yerevan since the presidential election on February 19, protesting over alleged election fraud.
Police first raided a protest camp in the central Liberty Square, claiming the protesters, supporters of opposition presidential candidate Levon Ter-Petrossian, had weapons and were plotting a coup.
About 15,000 demonstrators later returned to the square and police fired shots in the air and let off teargas to break up the gathering. Groups of demonstrators then marched around town, looting shops and setting cars ablaze.
Yesterday, hundreds of servicemen, wearing bullet-proof vests and wielding Kalashnikov assault rifles, patrolled the streets. Residents were warned by loudspeaker not to gather in groups.
Ter-Petrosian, who was the country's first post-Soviet president, finished a distant second to the prime minister, Serge Sarkisian, in the official results from the election. He appealed to the constitutional court last week to overturn the results. Independent observers have issued an overall positive assessment of the election, but noted flaws, especially during vote counting.
The outgoing president, Robert Kocharian, appealed for calm. "What's going on now is not a political process. It has gone over the edge," he said. "I appeal to the people of Armenia to show restraint and understanding."
Associated Press in Yerevan
Independent.co.uk
Riots over vote force state of emergency in Armenia
By Shaun Walker
Monday, 3 March 2008
A state of emergency was declared in Armenia yesterday after clashes between riot police and protesters left eight people dead and more than 30 policemen injured.
More than 15,000 people were protesting against the results of presidential elections held a fortnight ago, in which the Prime Minister, Serge Sarkisian, deafeated former president Levon Ter-Petrosian. The 19 February elections were described as mostly fair by the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, but opposition supporters claim mass fraud in favour of Mr Sarkisian, a close ally of the outgoing president, Robert Kocharian. Mr Sarkisian won just enough votes to avoid a second-round run-off.
After 11 days of peaceful protests, the demonstrations became violent on Saturday, with rioters clashing with armed police and setting fire to cars in the capital, Yerevan. The city centre was deserted yesterday, but littered with burnt-out cars.
Mr Kocharian imposed a state of emergency until 20 March, with troops and armoured vehicles patrolling the streets and all protests banned. A media blackout has also been imposed.
Mr Ter-Petrosian, who stepped down in 1998, has accused the regime of cronyism and corruption, and says he is being held under house arrest. The government says he is being guarded for his own protection.
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Eight killed in Armenia election clashesBy Adrian BlomfieldLast Updated: 2:24am GMT 03/03/2008
Information appearing on telegraph.co.uk is the copyright of Telegraph Media Group Limited and must not be reproduced in any medium without licence.
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Eight killed in Armenia clash
By Isabel Gorst
Published: March 3 2008 02:00 | Last updated: March 3 2008 02:00
Armenia imposed a state of emergency yesterday after authorities cracked down on thousands of protesters demanding the annulment of a presidential election they said was rigged.
Eight people were killed and 33 policemen injured during a violent clash with police on Saturday.
Isabel Gorst, Moscow
The Financial Times Limited 2008
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