Police, opposition members clash in Yerevan

Marianna Grigoryan 5/10/07

Police and opposition protestors clashed on May 9 in downtown Yerevan amidst a protest against what activists claim is a government plan to rig Armenia's parliamentary vote. The brawl, the first such well-publicized incident of the campaign, came just over a day before official campaigning for the May 12 election ends.

The demonstration was the second joint rally taken by the Republic and New Times Parties and Impeachment election bloc. An initial gathering was held by the recently assembled coalition in Yerevan on May 3. Republic Party leader Aram Sarkisian has pledged. That the group will hold another demonstration on May 13 "to prove that the master of this country is the people" if the parliamentary vote is not "fair,"

Opposition supporters had marched to the National Security Service headquarters in Yerevan to protest the recent arrest of opposition activist and former Foreign Minister Alexander Arzumanian for alleged money laundering as well as what they describe as an atmosphere of fear on the eve of the May 12 parliamentary elections. [For details, see the Eurasia Insight archive].

Numbers for the size of the protest vary widely – and wildly. Organizers claim more than 35,000 people took part in the rally; some local observers estimate 20,000, while police say 4,000. Lights on the street were switched off, however, immediately after the protestors' arrival in front of the NSS.

The demonstration had started blocks away, in front of Yerevan's Manuscript Museum. There, with raised fists and cries of "Impeachment!," hundreds of demonstrators – primarily men, though also children, some waving huge Republic Party flags – yelled for the resignation of President Robert Kocharian and Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian, and the end of "Dodization," a reference to the nickname for pro-government Prosperous Armenia Party leader Gagik Tsarukian, "Dodi Gago.")

A gaggle of uniformed police gathered at the bottom of the street, had initially looked on with disinterest or talked among themselves. As protestors approached the NSS, Armenia's former KGB, that mood changed.

Armed with truncheons and shields, police and members of a special anti-terrorism squad took up positions in front of the security services' building. Police used tear gas several times to dispel the crowd. In what some onlookers assumed was an attempt by police to confuse protestors, men in civilian dress yelled that the demonstration's leaders "have run away!"

Officials reported that three policemen were taken to the hospital following the clash with supporters. No statement has been released about the number of protestors injured, though badly bruised participants were noted. The general prosecutor's office is investigating the incident.

Impeachment bloc leader David Matevosian along with several other individuals was arrested, though later released.

In a May 10 statement, officials put blame for the violence on protestors, who, they implied, were spoiling for a fight. Rally participants' behavior, police said, was "cynical and disrespectful."

"Appeals instigating hooligan activities were made also during the previous rallies of the given parties, but due to the restrained and equilibrated behavior on the part of the police it was possible to control the situation and avoid unwelcome consequences," the police statement said.

A subsequent call to protestors by newspaper editor Nikol Pashinian, one of the leaders of the Impeachment bloc, will no doubt do little to dispel such an impression: "[A]fter all these things, is there still anybody, who doubts that we will win?" he cried to protestors in nearby Liberty Square after the clash.

That question, and whether protestors will feel inclined to join demonstrations against perceived vote rigging, remains unanswered, though. In 2004, opposition demonstrations against the 2003 presidential elections were sparsely attended and brutally put down. [For details, see the Eurasia Insight archive].

Independent political analyst David Petrosian contends that the Republic Party-New Times-Impeachment trio is largely united – for now at least – in their campaign. Other opposition parties could conceivably join a post-election rally, he said, though noted that a forecast of heavy rain for May 13 could reduce attendance.

One cab driver approaching the Manuscript Museum demonstration took a skeptical view: "There's going to be politics there," he warned with a laugh. "Who wants that?"

Editor's Note: Marianna Grigoryan is a reporter for the online independent ArmeniaNow weekly in Yerevan. Elizabeth Owen, EurasiaNet's Caucasus news editor, also contributed reporting to this article.

Posted May 10, 2007 © Eurasianet