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Wednesday, 09 April 2003

ARMENIAN OPPOSITION RALLY PARTICIPANTS CLASH WITH LAW-ENFORCERS

Published in News Digest

By empty (4/9/2003 issue of the CACI Analyst)

The participants in a procession organized by the Armenian opposition in Yerevan today clashed with the police. Despite the law-enforcers\' efforts to block the central streets of the city, the opposition managed to hold a meeting and a procession aimed to wreck the inauguration of Armenia\'s President. After the meeting in front of the Institute of Ancient Manuscripts two or three thousand of the action participants made for Republic Square, where the inauguration ceremony was being held at the Government building.
The participants in a procession organized by the Armenian opposition in Yerevan today clashed with the police. Despite the law-enforcers\' efforts to block the central streets of the city, the opposition managed to hold a meeting and a procession aimed to wreck the inauguration of Armenia\'s President. After the meeting in front of the Institute of Ancient Manuscripts two or three thousand of the action participants made for Republic Square, where the inauguration ceremony was being held at the Government building. The policemen blocked the demonstrators\' way. Chairman of the \"Republic\" party Albert Bazeyan, who topped the ranks, was clubbed by the policemen, which aroused the crowd\'s indignation, and several women attacked the policemen, hitting them with their umbrellas. The procession ended in a scuffle, and the most \"active\" of the women were, according to unverified information, taken to the police station. Vice-Chief of Armenia\'s Police, Major-General Hovhannes Varian persuaded the procession participants to go down Abovian street, promising the Parliament member Arshak Sadoyan that the police would not use force if the demonstrators did not create tension. But the policemen blocked the way near the \"Moscow\" cinema. After talking to the policemen, who refused to let even parliamentarians go further, the procession participants broke up. The next meeting of the opposition is scheduled for April 15. (Arminfo)
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