Published since 1951
Published on March 01, 2008
ARMENIAN POLICE DEFEND USE OF FORCE
- The Armenian police defended on Saturday the forcible break-up of the eleven-day peaceful opposition demonstration in Yerevan, portraying the use of force as a preemptive action against “mass riots” allegedly planned by opposition leader Levon Ter-Petrosian. A spokesman for the national Police Service, Sayat Shirinian, said Ter-Petrosian and his associates distributed on Friday “large quantities” of metal bars, firearms and even hand grenades to the protesters camped in the city’s Liberty Square. “There was information that they planned to take provocative actions and provoke mass riots in the capital on March 1,” he said at a news conference. Shirinian claimed that the protesters ignored police warnings to vacate the square and themselves attacked hundreds of riot police, interior troops and other security forces that were sent there early in the morning. Ter-Petrosian and some eyewitnesses asserted, however, that the security forces did not issue any warnings before charging towards the crowd at about 7 o’clock in the morning. The former Armenian president, who was in the square throughout the melee, to leave said he urged the crowd to stay calm and not resort to violence moments before they were indiscriminately hit by truncheons and electric-shock equipment. Both the police and senior government officials had repeatedly warned that the non-stop protest was not sanctioned by municipal authorities and can therefore broken up at any moment. However, the United States urged the authorities in Yerevan on Thursday not to use force. Shirinian said that the police arrested “more than a dozen” opposition activists and are now hunting for other “participants and organizers of the disorder.” He also said several law-enforcement officials were injured during the police operation but could not give any numbers. (Photolur photo)
- By Astghik Bedevian
Discussion
Rafael wrote:- Anahit
40 people were killed today in Yerevan, 40 demonstrators, and noone talk about it>.....
Anahit, listen 40 people have not died, atleast according to the insiders in the Levon camp, and if they did LTP people who report it quickly, as far as we the death is 2, however our government has a tendency to withhold information, so I wouldnt be surprised if in the near future the number increases.- Anahit
145 days before | 
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Today in Armenian history- 0 World Civil Defense day.
- 1856 Birth of the cleric, historian, ethnologist, teacher and translator, Gyoot Aghanyan (Harootyoon Ter - Arakelian) in Tbilissi (Georgia). He translated literary classics and re-wrote Yeghisheh's "Vardanants Story" in modern Armenian. He wrote textbooks on religion and library science. He was the first in Eastern Armenia to publish a wall-calendar.
- 1857 Opening of the school at Varaga Monastery (western Armenia) for the education of "orphan and homeless" children.
- 1865 Birth in Tbilisi of Teegran Hovhannisian, translator and lawyer. He translated the novels "Harootyoon" (Resurrection) written by Lev Tolstoy and "Arants Davananki" (Without Faith) written by Henry Senkeveech.
- 1867 Birth of the writer Nar-Dos (Meekael Hovhannisyan) in Tbilissi (Georgia). He died in 1933.
- 1901 Birth of the poet Sarmen (Armenak Sargsian) in Pakhvants (Western Armenia). Many popular songs have been written using his poems as lyrics.
- 1915 The First Meeting of Armenian immigrants took place in Echmiadsin. The meeting tried to integrate the work of the many benevolent unions that were created to help the survivors of the 1915 Genocide.
- 1920 Azeri Turks perpetrate the Genocide of Shooshee. Some 20 000 Armenians are killed.
- 1920 The Government allots 50 million rubles for agricultural development. Agricultural tractors are brought to Armenia for the first time.
- 1930 The Sardarapat tractor plant starts production.
- 1934 Death in Yerevan of Toros Toramanyan (architecture historian).
- 1960 Martiros Saryan is awarded the title "People's Painter of the USSR".
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