Update on Political Turmoil‏

ARMENIAN AUTHORITIES DON'T INTEND TO IMPOSE CURFEW
PanARMENIAN.Net
02.03.2008 01:50 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Curfew can cause great inconveniences for our
citizens, Armenian President Robert Kocharian told a news conference
in Yerevan.

"That is why restricted emergency rule to the provisions fixed in the
decree. We tried to cause minimum inconvenience to Yerevan residents,"
the President said.

Asked about further actions of the authorities, the President said,
"We are concerned not about the rallies as such. Some demonstrators
started looting shops. This perfectly proves what kind of people are
involved in this chaos. Of course, there are people who follow their
ideology, but there are also those who pursue their own interests."

131 INJURED IN YEREVAN MARCH 1
PanARMENIAN.Net
02.03.2008 14:21 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ 131 people were taken to hospital after mass
disorders on March 1. According to the Public Health Ministry press
office, from 6 p.m. to 9.30 p.m. the number of the aggrieved made
42. 14 of them are military, 28 - civilians. No casualties were
fixed. From 9.30 p.m. to 1 a.m. the number of aggrieved made 89. 58
of them are military, 31 - civilians. 16 servicemen and 18 civilians
received bullet wounds. 8 people were killed. 41 were discharged from
hospital on March 2.

ARMENIAN PROSECUTORS DETAIN 15 PROTESTERS
ITAR-TASS
March 2 2008
Russia

YEREVAN, March 2 (Itar-Tass) -Armenian prosecutor general's office has
announced the detention of 15 opposition activists, the prosecutor's
press secretary Sonya Truzyan told Itar-Tass. The detainees are being
accused of violence against representatives of the authorities and
calls to disobey instructions to end unlawful actions.

In the meantime, army units have been moved to the key points in
Yerevan. After announcing the state of emergency, Armenian President
Robert Kocharyan said that the army would be used for restoring order.

According to police, the situation in the city is under control. The
square in front of the mayor's office in Yerevan has been cleared
from protesters.

EIGHT REPORTED KILLED IN ARMENIA AFTER CLASHES BETWEEN POLICE, PROTESTERS
EurasiaNet
March 2 2008
NY

Eight people are reported to have been killed in overnight clashes
between police and opposition protesters in the Armenian capital,
Yerevan.

The protesters, who have rallied for 12 straight days, accuse the
government of rigging last month's presidential election.

RFE/RL's Armenian Service reports that troops and armored vehicles
are patrolling the main streets of Yerevan today.

Armenian President Robert Kocharian declared a 20-day state of
emergency following similar clashes on March 1. Just hours after
Armenian police and Interior Ministry troops used truncheons, tear
gas, and electric stun guns to disperse opposition supporters from
a central Yerevan square, thousands who regrouped for a second rally
were again met with force by the authorities.

Riot police fired tracer bullets into the air and tear gas to disperse
the crowd of 15,000, and some demonstrators hurled rocks and Molotov
cocktails at police. Several vehicles were set fire or otherwise
destroyed in the course of the day.

Human Rights Watch has charged the Armenian police with using
"excessive force and violence" to disperse demonstrators.

As part of the state of emergency, mass gatherings have been banned,
and media outlets are required to only use official information
when reporting on the domestic political situation. The movement of
citizens has been restricted and the authorities will be allowed to
search vehicles.

The Armenia parliament today voted to confirm the state of emergency.

Eighty-one of the 131 lawmakers present cast their votes in favor.

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe is sending
a special envoy to Yerevan to offer help in mediating the crisis.

Ambassador Heikki Talvitie is to meet with both President-elect Serzh
Sarkisian and opposition leader Levon Ter-Petrosian, the second-place
finisher in the February 19 election who has claimed victory.

Speaking today to RFE/RL, Arman Musinian, a spokesman for
Ter-Petrosian, said the opposition has three demands -- "to annul
the election, to punish those who rigged the elections, and to free
all political detainees."

House Arrest

Ter-Petrossian told RFE/RL after the initial early morning crackdown on
March 1 that he had been placed under house arrest, and that a number
of his followers were detained. Police were reportedly guarding the
entrance to his home.

Daily rallies following the contentious vote attracted tens of
thousands of protesters to Armenia's Liberty Square, where they
voiced their belief that the elections were marred by fraud. A tent
camp was set up and participants vowed to remain on the square until
their demands for a new election were met.

But after Sarkisian secured key support for the formation of a
coalition government on February 29, the authorities made good on
their earlier threats to break up the rallies.

Hundreds of police and Interior Ministry troops surrounded the square
at 7:00 a.m. local time on the morning of March 1, and moved in to
break up the crowd.

Police reportedly forced scores of protesters onto buses, taking them
to local police stations.

RFE/RL's Armenian Service reported that opposition figure and member
of parliament Armen Martirosian was hospitalized for injuries received
during the crackdown.

Former President Ter-Petrossian described the events that led to
the initial clash that resulted in 31 injuries during an interview
with RFE/RL.

"People were sleeping quietly. [Security forces] came in large numbers
with truncheons and started beating. At that time I was near the
microphone and I called on people to stay calm," he said.

"[Security forces] didn't start the beating immediately. First they
stood in front of people and I urged people not to get in contact
with them and to stay quiet to see what they want. But nobody told us
anything, nothing was negotiated. And they suddenly attacked people
with truncheons and electric stun guns."

Violence Condemned

Within hours of the morning police action, OSCE Chairman in
Office Ilkka Kanerva condemned the use of force against peaceful
demonstrators.

"I urge the authorities to use maximum restraint," Kanerva said. "I am
troubled that there are reports of casualties. I urge the authorities
to release those detained, and I again call on the government and
the opposition to engage in dialogue."

The police said in a statement issued on March 1 that they took action
to disperse the protesters after learning that they were waiting
to receive "large amounts of firearms, grenades, metal rods, and
truncheons," which they believed would be used "to stage provocations
and stir up mass disturbances."

The authorities said after the initial raid that police officers were
wounded and that weapons were found in the protestors' camp.

Police chased media away from the square as army trucks arrived to
take away the makeshift tent camp.

Protesters later regrouped in front of the French Embassy for a planned
rally as units of riot police arrived on the scene, setting the stage
for the violence later in the day.

Opposition supporters had been protesting daily in Liberty Square
since Prime Minister Sarkisian was elected to replace his ally, Robert
Kocharian, as president. Official results gave Sarkisian nearly 53
percent of the vote, with Ter-Petrossian getting 21.5 percent.

Ter-Petrossian is claiming that he is the rightful first-round winner,
and that Sarkisian used ballot stuffing and intimidation to steal
victory. Sarkisian has denied the charges.

In its initial assessment, the election-monitoring arm of the OSCE
declared the election "mostly in line" with Armenia's international
commitments, while also noting the need for "further improvements."

The elections have been endorsed by the European Union and the U.S.

State Department has congratulated the Armenian people on an "active"
and "competitive" election.

Calls For Restraint Ignored

Authorities had warned on February 29 that their patience with the
protests in Yerevan was running out, and alleged that those behind
the rallies plan to seize power illegally.

The Council of Europe and the OSCE had called on the Armenian
authorities to exercise restraint. The United States Mission to the
OSCE said Washington was "very concerned" about the post-election
arrests of opposition politicians, as well as reports that authorities
have forcibly closed opposition offices.

At least six prominent opposition figures close to Ter-Petrossian
have been placed in pretrial custody on a number of criminal charges,
including illegal arms possession and assault.

Sarkisian's efforts to gain acceptance for his victory received a
boost on February 29 when he reached a deal on the formation of a
coalition government with the third-place finisher in the elections.

Before agreeing to become Security Council secretary in the next
government, Orinats Yerkir party leader Artur Baghdasarian had decried
the election as deeply flawed. Baghdasarian also accused Ter-Petrossian
of trying to rig the election.

ARMENIAN MILITARY WARNS AGAINST MORE PROTESTS
Radio Liberty
March 2 2008
Czech Republic

The Armenian military urged Yerevan residents Sunday to comply with
a state of emergency imposed the previous night, warning that its
soldiers deployed in the city center would "strictly" counter any
attempts to stage more anti-governmenr rallies there.

"I would like to warn all citizens that any attempt to organize or
participate in events prohibited under the state of emergency would be
adequately and strictly countered by the Armed Forces of the Republic
of Armenia," Colonel-General Seyran Ohanian, chief of the army staff,
said in a televised address to the nation.

"I particular, I am asking you to refrain from attempting to assemble
in Yerevan even in small groups," said Ohanian. The army would step
in at the "slightest" sign of such attempts, he added.

Hundreds of troops backed by armored vehicles continued to patrol
key squares and street junctions in downtown Yerevan as of Sunday
evening. In particular, they cordoned off the sreet where riot police
fought pitched battles with angry supporters of former President
Levon Ter-Petrosian. Troop presence was also strong outside Prime
Minister Serzh Sarkisian's office and Liberty Square where thousands
of Ter-Petrosian supporters had been camped for 11 days.

President Robert Kocharian, meanwhile, visited the site of the
protest littered with stones and other traces of the late-night
violence. Television images showed him inspecting the charred hulk
of a police vehicle set ablaze by protesters outside the Yerevan
mayor's office.

Kocharian's office said the outgoing president also discussed the
post-election unrest in Armenia in a phone conversation with Javier
Solana, the European Union's foreign and security policy chief. It
said Solana expressed his "solidarity with the president and the
people of Armenia" and pledged to send a special envoy to Armenia.

ARMENIA: UNEASY QUIET SETTLES OVER YEREVAN, RESIDENTS IN SHOCK OVER USE OF FORCE BY KOCHARIAN ADMINISTRATION
EurasiaNet
March 2 2008
NY

Troops on March 2 began enforcing a state of emergency in the Armenian
capital Yerevan, where the streets and squares in the center city
were largely deserted of people, yet still strewn with the detritus
of the previous day's violent confrontation. At least eight people
died in the melee involving security forces and opposition protesters.

Some witnesses said the confrontation culminated with security forces
opening fire on demonstrators. Gunfire could be heard for over a
half-hour echoing throughout the center of the city. Officials put
the death toll at eight, but witnesses said the final count was
probably much higher. All of those killed, according to police,
died from gunshots.

The government likewise maintains that roughly 130 people suffered
wounds, but a doctor at one hospital said that so many wounded were
brought in so fast, that hospital staff had to place many of the
injured on the floor and in corridors. This would suggest that the
number of casualties was far higher than the official count.

Authorities said an official inquiry was underway into the
circumstances that led to the violence. Speaking on state television,
Health Minister Arutyun Kushkyan said over half of those wounded were
members of security forces.

The morning after, many Yerevan residents reported feeling in a state
of shock. Meanwhile, troops in full battle gear and armored vehicles
patrolled the city. Amid the March 1 confrontation, widespread looting
occurred. Many stores and supermarkets along one of Yerevan's main
shopping avenues, Mashtots, were emptied of goods.

Under the state of emergency, imposed late on March 1 by President
Robert Kocharian to quell anti-government protests, the government
is tightly controlling the dissemination of information. Armenian
news outlets face prosecution if they distribute news reports that
do not come from official sources.

The state of emergency succeeded in putting an end to the
protests carried out by supporters of presidential candidate Levon
Ter-Petroisian, who insists that the government rigged the February
19 vote to ensure victory for its chosen candidate, Prime Minister
Serzh Sarkisian. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].

Ter-Petrosian was kept under house arrest on March 1, but restrictions
were lifted late at night. He reportedly urged his supporters to
return to their homes and not engage in violence.

Earlier, representatives of Ter-Petrosian blamed authorities for
igniting the tragedy, pointing to security forces' use of violent
tactics to disperse what had been to that point a peaceful protest
during the early morning hours of March 1. After initially being
dispersed, opposition protesters regrouped and resisted the security
troops' use of force with force of their own. [For background see
the Eurasia Insight archive].

Kocharian, meanwhile, assailed Ter-Petrosian for refusing to recognize
his defeat in the presidential balloting, which, despite an initial
endorsement from international monitors, was found to have major
flaws that could have influenced the outcome. [For background see
the Eurasia Insight archive]. Ter-Petrosian, along "with a group
of adventure-seekers surrounding him, without acknowledging the
reality of their defeat, took to illegal actions," Kocharian insisted,
adding that the protests against the election results had caused the
"disruption of [Armenia's] international prestige."

"As the guarantor of the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia,
I will not allow anyone to endanger the constitutional order of our
state," Kocharian said.

The state of emergency will be in effect for at least 20 days. During
that time, many basic civil liberties, including the right of peaceful
assembly, are suspended. Police will also enjoy expanded powers of
search and seizure, and officials will be able to control the flow
of information.