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

Image from The New York Times

Presidential candidate Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s March 2, 2008 announcement of ending the street protests in Yerevan, posted at his website, blames government “agents” for rioting and looting on the night of March 1, 2008.

The announcement, posted in Armenian, states:

[…]

The authorities’ provocations were continued by their agents who – being quite far from the [actual] protest – broke windows of stores, looted some shops and damaged cars on Mashtots Avenue.

[…]

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.

[…]
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.

Via State Department’s official website:

Press Statement
Sean McCormack, Spokesman
Washington, DC
March 1, 2008

All Political Forces in Armenia Should Avoid Violence and Engage in Political Dialogue

The U.S. deeply regrets today’s unrest in Yerevan, Armenia, and calls on all sides to avoid further violence, act fully within the law, exercise maximum restraint, and resume political dialogue. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Daniel Fried spoke today with Armenian PM Sargsian to make these points. The U.S. Charge d’Affaires has been in touch with the opposition to deliver this same message. Both sides are responsible for helping to re-establish order and return to political dialogue. Any unlawful actions such as violence and looting worsen the situation and must stop. We hope that the State of Emergency declared today will be lifted promptly and that political dialogue resumes. Political dialogue is the best way for all concerned Armenians to demonstrate responsible leadership and support for the future of Armenia and democracy.

2008/151

Released on March 1, 2008

The Armenian Civil Society, an organization that has a wide audience through Southern California’s Armenian TV stations, urges Armenian-Americans to call Congress “to condemn the repressive regime in Armenia.”

While I have myself started a petition calling on Armenia’s authorities to end violence against presidential election protesters, I am not too comfortable with what the Armenian Civil Society is doing. I think the organization is contributing to the polarization in Armenia by asking the U.S. Congress to condemn the events. Moreover, characterizing Armenia’s authority as a “repressive regime” demonstrates lack of knowledge and understanding of political establishments on the part of the LA group. Armenia’s government is authoritarian but, relatively speaking, it is not repressive. In fact, although rumors of police brutality are most likely true in all details a repressive regime would have used other means to defend the establishment.

Anyhow, if you agree with the Armenian Civil Society you may call your Congressman. But I believe Armenia first needs social and not political reforms because the problems embedded in the latter often reflect the unaddressed issues of the former. One example is the extreme polarization and accusations drawn from xenophobic sentiments against demonized enemies.

A1Plus is not the only media outlet that has stopped reporting the ongoing presidential election protests in Armenia due to de jure state of emergency. Websites that were updated several times an hour are now silent complying with Armenia’s Constitution that gives censorship rights to the government when the latter declares state of emergency.

Hetq.am, a website of investigative journalists that I occasionally contribute to, informs (in Armenian) that they “have to limit their work” under the law while ArmeniaNow, a source widely seen as among the most objective, has stopped updating its homepage without even reporting the State of Emergency.

Armenian blogs have become somewhat passive too in the last few hours but it is too early to conclude that they perceive their activities to be limited under the law. 

At least one pro-opposition media in Armenia now says it will stop reporting political news for the next 20 days due to the declared state of emergency. The website of A1Plus, a news group that is long banned from Armenia’s air, informs its readers that under Armenia’s law it won’t report political developments.

Writing in Armenian, A1Plus states:

Dear readers,

State of emergency is declared in Armenia, and, under such circumstances and according to the law, it is prohibited to provide information on the political situation and developments. The state of emergency will last for 20 days; during this time you can read cultural, sports and official [political] news [provided by the authorities]. We are asking for your forgiveness.

As I mentioned earlier today, the declaration limits political reporting to copy-pasting of official releases – raising the question of whether blogs based in Armenia fall under the ban. Technically, Armenian websites and blogs outside Yerevan may operate freely but almost every major media outlet is based in the capital city – including all the blogs I know from Armenia. I guess my fellow bloggers in Armenia should either relocate to another region from Yerevan for a few days or send their posts to bloggers abroad (like me) for publishing.

I will be glad to provide that service and guarantee anonymity – if requested.  The constitution doesn’t prohibit individuals from sharing information with others. This blog’s e-mail is [email protected].

A1Plus has posted the text (in Armenian) of president Robert Kocharyan’s order declaring 20 days of state of emergency in Armenia amid growing police violence against protesters who challenge the results of the presidential elections.

The 20-day state of emergency temporarily bans the following:

• Gatherings, protests, marches and other mass activities
• Strikes and activism leading to strikes
• Activities by those political parties and NGOs that have led to the state of emergency order

The order also states:

• Enforcement agencies, if necessary, may limit transportation routes and search individuals
• Media reports concerning “state and interior issues” can be published exclusively using official information provided by the authorities (does this apply to blogs based in Armenia?)
• [Distribution] of all kinds of political publications (print) are banned unless approved by the authorities