Posted at the website of the U.K. Foreign and Commonwealth Office:

RECENT VIOLENCE IN ARMENIA (03/03/08)

Commenting on events in Armenia on 1 March, an FCO Spokesperson said:

‘We are very concerned about the events which occured in Yerevan on 1 March, and deplore the use of force which resulted in at least eight fatalities and many more injuries. We call on the authorities and the opposition to engage in political dialogue and to use only peaceful means to restore stability. We call on all sides to respect the rule of law and human rights and we urge the lifting of the State of Emergency as soon as possible.’

Image: A protester on a street of Yerevan on Saturday night. After the government announced a state of emergency on Saturday, Mr. Ter-Petrossian called losing the street “losing the connection to the people.” By Johan Spanner for The New York Times

Avoiding to report directly about Armenia’s post-election political developments and clashes that left nine people dead – as the state emergency bans media from publishing information outside government releases – a blogger from Armenia informs of the illegal blockade of several websites in Armenia. He then offers tips on how to access banned information in Armenia:

In the evening of March 2, the Internet Society of Armenia (ISOC) has ILLEGALLY stopped the maintenance of several domains, including A1+ – www.a1plus.am, Haykakan Zhamanak – www.azatutyun.am, E-channel – www.echannel.am. In the database of ISOC- https://www.amnic.net/whois/ , they are registered as “on hold.”

With that step, A1+ has been deprived not only of his site but also if its mail service.

The domains have been “frozen” without the decision of the ISOC board – either by the instruction on behalf of the presidential office, or the National Security Service.

In the decree of president Kocharyan, there was nothing about freezing the domains, closing web sites and the media.

We would like to provide some help to those, who still want to access the above mentioned websites. Firstly, Echannel.am and Azatutyun.am have their backup DNS records. You can access Echannel.am also at E-channel.am (e-channel with a -) and Azatutyun.am at armenialiberty.am. At the moment we are negotiating with the ISOC board to urge them to stop this illegal blocking of our domain names. However, there is a possibility, that the backup domain names (E-channel.am and armenialiberty.am) will also be blocked. For that case, I will be posting a list of IP names for the servers, where these and other blocked information websites are located, and you can access them by clicking the links in the list below (I’ll update the list as soon as colleagues let me know the relevant IP addresses):

1. a1lus.am – 75.125.179.218:8080
2. echannel.am – 76.163.218.144
3. azatutyun.am – 193.111.134.85
   • For Audio broadcasts of Radio Liberty in Armenian also check out this link: http://www.rferl.org/listen/ondemand/bd/ar/ar-default.asp

Let me remind everybody, that A1plus YouTube channel and Asplus blog are still functional. There is also an Armenian Newspaper Electronic Archive, where you can find Archived publications from some of the blocked newspaper websites.

[…]

The New York Times writes about the aftermath of violent clashes in Armenia’s post-election protests noting that because of the state of emergency, which bans local media from interviewing opposition parties, only foreign media were present at a press conference by opposition leader and former president Levon Ter-Petrosyan.

Tanks blocked central streets in the capital of this tiny mountain country on Sunday, a day after Armenian authorities clashed with demonstrators in a violent confrontation that left at least eight people dead and more than 130 wounded.

The government imposed a state of emergency, and for the first time since a contested Feb. 19 presidential election, the streets and central squares of this ancient city were empty of the crowds of protesters.

Any attempt at demonstrating “will immediately result in adequate and strict reaction by the armed forces,” Gen. Seyran Ohanyan, Armenia’s top military commander, said in a statement.

Levon Ter-Petrossian, the opposition leader who has led the crowds, and whose failed candidacy was the reason for the protests, said that he would not encourage his supporters to defy the curfew, and that the government had won by closing down his only outlet to the public.

“They’re happy with themselves,” said Mr. Ter-Petrossian, speaking to reporters in his 1930s mansion on the edge of Yerevan. “They got what they wanted.”

[…]

Mr. Ter-Petrossian blamed the Armenian government for what he described as a “slaughter.” Seven civilians were killed and only one security officer, according to the Foreign Ministry. Of the 131 injuries, 72 were police officers and 59 were civilians, Agence France-Presse reported, citing the Health Ministry.

The casualties prompted statements of concern by the State Department, the European Union and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

[…]

Mr. Ter-Petrossian accused the government of sneaking provocateurs into the crowd. “It’s their people,” he said. But he acknowledged that some of his supporters might have joined in. Looters who dragged cognac, cakes, fruit and even food scales from the Yerevan City grocery store on Saturday seemed to strongly support him.

“I’m fighting for honesty,” said a man in his 50s, holding a stolen beer in one hand and a lemon in the other. “Levon Ter-Petrossian is for the people.”

Fifteen people were arrested.

The emergency decree dealt a particularly paralyzing blow to the opposition because local television stations, controlled by Prime Minister Serge Sargsyan and President Robert Kocharian, virtually ignored the daily rallies, which often drew tens of thousands of protesters. “Losing the square means losing the connection to the people,” Mr. Ter-Petrossian said. “Now they have taken this away from us.”

According to the emergency decree, local news media are barred from disseminating information given by any source other than the government.

CNN segments about Armenia were clipped from television programming, and many Web sites were closed. Only journalists from foreign news organizations could attend Mr. Ter-Petrossian’s briefing.

Mr. Ter-Petrossian’s state-financed security detail had orders not to allow him out of his house, but Armenia’s foreign minister said he was free to leave if he agreed to forgo the security.

Armenian authorities have used violence against political opposition several times over the past 13 years. In 1995, for example, during Mr. Ter-Petrossian’s tenure as president, at least one opposition figure died in police custody after his political party was shut down, according to Human Rights Watch.

[…]

Human Rights Watch, in a press release posted at its website, has criticized Armenia’s government for police brutality against post-election protesters:

Armenian police on March 1 used excessive force and violence to disperse demonstrators protesting peacefully against recent election results, Human Rights Watch said today. Following the crackdown on demonstrators, President Robert Kocharian decreed a state of emergency in Yerevan, the capital, until March 20, 2008. There was a heavy police presence overnight in central Yerevan. According to Arminfo news agency, the police have surrounded and sealed off the opposition news agency A1+, preventing its employees from entering or leaving the building.  
 
“The Armenian government should refrain from using violence and make clear that it won’t tolerate excessive use of force by police,” said Holly Cartner, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “A political crisis doesn’t give the government carte blanche in how it responds to demonstrators.”  
 
Several witnesses told Human Rights Watch that at 6.30 a.m. on March 1, Armenian special police forces violently dispersed a rally protesting against alleged electoral fraud that had entered its 11th day on Yerevan’s Freedom Square, beating demonstrators with truncheons and iron bars. Some were fleeing when police attacked them. Dozens are reported to have sustained severe injuries and more than 100 protestors were arrested. Armenia’s first president Levon Ter-Petrosian, who was the main opposition challenger in last month’s presidential poll, remains under effective house arrest as police cordoned off his home. Also on March 1, at least six opposition leaders were detained for organizing illegal demonstrations.  
 
Kocharian’s press office reported that under the state of emergency public gatherings and strikes will be banned and freedom of movement as well as non-government public broadcasts will be severely curtailed. Internet and satellite reception has been cut in Yerevan.  (not sure if this is true – Blogian)
 
Later in the morning, protesters gathered in front of the French Embassy in downtown Yerevan. Their numbers grew substantially during the day, as did the police presence. A demonstrator told Human Rights Watch that police were equipped with rubber truncheons, electric-shock devices, and water cannons. The rally was still continuing in front of the embassy when the state of emergency was announced after police were reported by news organizations to have fired in the air to disperse the demonstrators.  
 
Opposition demonstrations followed the February 19 presidential election, after the Central Election Commission declared Prime Minister, Serzh Sargsian the winner with 53 percent of the vote. According to official tallies, opposition challenger Ter-Petrosian won 21.5 percent of the vote. Tens of thousands of Ter-Petrosian supporters took to the streets in downtown Yerevan on February 20 to protest the declared election results and what they believed to have been electoral fraud. The protests continued peacefully on Freedom Square for the next 10 days, with some demonstrators camping out on the square in tents.  
 
The mayor of Yerevan previously called on the opposition to end the rally on Freedom Square, as the demonstrators had no permit. The Yerevan mayor’s office issued a statement on February 25 saying the protests were unauthorized and urging demonstrators to call a halt to them. Two days later the Armenian police issued a statement urging an end to the demonstrations.  
 
At about 6:30 a.m. on March 1, a few hundred opposition supporters were in their tents when police arrived and started to disperse them. Information about approaching interior troops began to reach demonstrators shortly after 6:00 a.m. A 30-year-old eyewitness, who requested anonymity for fear of retribution, told Human Rights Watch that several rows of Special Forces in riot armor, with helmets, plastic shields and rubber truncheons, started approaching from the left and right sides of Freedom Square. The witness said that police, without prior warning, sprayed water and descended on the demonstrators, using rubber truncheons and electric prods.  
 
“People started running towards Northern Avenue, but were chased by the police,” the witness told Human Rights Watch.  
 
The witness was among those who fled, running together with his father and younger brother, but police caught him from behind and beat him on his back and head with a rubber truncheon.  
 
“I momentarily lost consciousness after a blow on the head, and fell,” he told Human Rights Watch. “When I came to my senses, my brother was carrying me away from the square. My head was bleeding and my hat was all covered in blood.”  
 
The witness required seven stitches on the right side of his forehead. He sustained bruises to his right hand, back and legs. Fearing arrest he refrained from going to a hospital and sought medical assistance from a private doctor. His father and brother also sustained cuts and bruises on their backs and heads, but did not require urgent medical assistance.  
 
An Armenian human rights advocate told Human Rights Watch of several similar descriptions of the police action given to her by other witnesses.  
 
The police operation lasted for about 15 to 20 minutes, but as news about it spread, more people started heading towards the square. At least two eyewitnesses described separately to Human Rights Watch how police attacked, beat, and detained groups of 20 to 30 people who attempted to gather near the square.  
 
A member of parliament from the opposition Heritage Party, Zaruhi Postanjian, told Human Rights Watch that she arrived at the Yerevan Central Police Station around 9:00 a.m. to see police cars bringing detainees to the station, transferring them to other vehicles, and taking them to different locations. She stayed there for an hour and counted at least 100 detainees. According to Postanjian, two ambulances were also parked in front of the station and in one of them she saw a young man who appeared unconscious and had blood stains on his face and body. She also described a child she believed to be between 10 and 12 years old, bearing clear marks from beatings. Human Rights Watch could not confirm the nature or cause of their injuries.  
 
According to Avetik Ishkhanian of Armenia’s Helsinki Committee, police arrested several opposition leaders, including Aram Manukian, Alexander Arzumanian, Hrant Bagratian, Vahagn Haiotsian, and Vahagn Khachatrian, charging them with the criminal offence of organizing an unsanctioned public rally. According to the opposition news website Lragir, Aram Manukian and Hrant Bagratian were released later during the day.  
 
Postanjian told Human Rights Watch that in one case a journalist, Gagig Shanshan, was arrested and held in Zeitun district police station in Yerevan, but several hours after his arrest his lawyer still had no access to him.  
 
“Even in a state of emergency, those in detention and facing criminal charges are entitled to due process rights, and should have access to a lawyer,” said Cartner.  
 
Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Article 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights, to which Armenia is a party, set out the safeguards which should accompany those deprived of their liberty, and access to a lawyer is one of those safeguards.  
 
Government information sources showed police footage of arms stockpiles that allegedly were discovered at Freedom Square after the demonstration was dispersed, including truncheons, guns, grenades, and gas capsules. The report was vehemently denied by the opposition.  
 
“The Armenian government prides itself on having a democratic image,” said Cartner. “Beating peaceful demonstrators is inconsistent with that image and violates its obligations under human rights law.”  

While a state of emergency in Armenia legally bans protests in the capital city of Yerevan, many leftist Armenians in Southern California are at this minute protesting the election results and the government’s handling of the protests in Armenia. Some have called on fellow Armenian-Americans to ask Congress to condemn Armenia’s “repressive regime.”

Image: Feb 24, 2008 protest in Southern California via a press release

The protest in Little Armenia, a district in metro Los Angeles, is said to have started at noon on Sunday, March 2, 2008 (local time).

There was another protest a week ago in Little Armenia attended by thousands of Armenian-Americans according to a press release by the organizers.  Some of the protesters, I am told from sources in California, are also angry with the Armenian Revolutionary Federation’s – a political party active in Armenia and the Diaspora – passiveness in the protests.

Hetq, quoting official Armenian sources, reports the names (in Armenian) of four (out of at least eight) people who were killed yesterday as presidential election protesters clashed with the police:

Gor Kloyan (Գոռ Քլոյան)

Hamlet Tadevosyan (Համլետ Թադեւոսյան)

Davit Petrosyan (Դավիթ Պետրոսյան)

Zakar Saribek Hovhannisyan ( Զաքար Սարիբեկի  Հովհաննիսյան)

Rumors that between six and ten people were killed in Armenia that I published  yesterday came to be true, as Armenia’s police confirm that eight people have died in the clashes between presidential election protesters and the riot police.

Image: An Armenian riot policeman examines the remains of a burnt-out vehcile in Yerevan. Tanks and troops patrolled the Armenian capital after eight people were killed and dozens injured during violent protests against the result of the presidential election. (AFP/karen minasyan) 

According to Armenia Liberty:

At least eight people were killed and hundreds of others injured in the violent standoff between security forces and thousands of opposition protesters in Yerevan that ended early Sunday following a state of emergency declared by President Robert Kocharian.

The Armenian police reported the death toll, citing information received from the Ministry of Health. A police statement issued early in the morning did not identify any of the victims, suggesting that all of them were protesters.

Five of them were identified by Armenia’s Office of the Prosecutor-General later in the day.
The law-enforcement agency said it is investigating the circumstances of their deaths. It added that 33 police officers and interior troops were hospitalized from the scene of the opposition protest with various injuries. Health Minister Harutiun Kushkian put the total number of people treated in hospitals on Saturday at 230.

[…]

Image: Protesters near burning police cars in central Yerevan March 2, 2008. Armenian President Robert Kocharyan declared a state of emergency in the capital on Saturday and vowed to deploy troops against opposition protesters after riots in which at least one person died. REUTERS/David Mdzinarishvili   

Image: Demonstrators hold in place a body as it is transported on the roof of a car in Yerevan in this March 1, 2008 video grab. Armenian President Robert Kocharyan declared a state of emergency in the capital on Saturday as riot police battled opposition protesters, in which at least one person was killed. Source: REUTERS/Reuters TV

Image: Riot police officers stand line in central Yerevan March 2, 2008. Armenian President Robert Kocharyan declared a state of emergency in the capital on Saturday and vowed to deploy troops against opposition protesters after riots in which at least one person died. REUTERS/David Mdzinarishvili 

Image: Levon Ter-Petrossian Post-Election Protest Demonstration, Yerevan © Onnik Krikorian / Oneworld Multimedia March 1, 2008 

Image: Levon Ter-Petrossian Post-Election Protest Demonstration, Yerevan © Onnik Krikorian / Oneworld Multimedia March 1, 2008 

Image: Armoured vehicles of the Armenian army take position in central Yerevan March 2, 2008. Armenia’s opposition ended a standoff with riot police in the capital Yerevan on Sunday after the government declared a state of emergency and mobilised the army in response to the worst unrest in a decade. Source: REUTERS/David Mdzinarishvili