Armenia Liberty, among others, informs that the presidential protests have ended in Armenia largely due to opposition leader and former president Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s call to his followers to leave. So, despite expectations of violence, this seems to be a good end for the time being. The opposition, nonetheless, says it will continue its fight.

The standoff between Armenian security forces and thousands of opposition protesters appeared to have ended without further violence early Sunday after opposition leader Levon Ter-Petrosian urged his supporters to go home, citing a state of emergency imposed by President Robert Kocharian.

“I do not want any victims and clashes between police and innocent people. That is why I am asking you to leave,” Ter-Petrosian said in a message read out to more than 2,000 people that barricaded themselves outside the Yerevan mayor’s office.

According to Reuters news agency, most of the crowd headed away from the square but a group of around 60 people refused to go home and set fire to abandoned police vehicles. Some of them accused the former Armenian president of being a traitor.

“We will continue our political struggle for democracy and rule of law,” Ter-Petrosian’s election campaign office said in a separate statement. An official there said riot police did not attack the dispersing crowd or arrest any of the former president’s associates who organized the rally on Saturday.

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In a separate address to the nation, Kocharian said the violence was the main reason why he decided to declare the 20-day emergency rule. It means, among other things, that all rallies and other public gatherings will be banned in Yerevan until March 20. It also places serious restrictions on press freedom, with local media outlets allowed to report only official news communiqués.