Election Results in Armenia Fuel Violence
March 6, 2008 | Printer Friendly
By Joseph Catapano

Violence in the Armenian capital of Yerevan over the weekend left nine people dead and approximately 130 wounded, as protesters demonstrated in opposition of what they claim is the fraudulent election of Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian, who was chosen by outgoing President Robert Kocharian to succeed him in office. The Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe monitored the election and said that it was “mostly in line with international standards.”

Today it was also announced that ex-Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott will be leading a diplomatic mission aimed at defusing the crisis. He will be meeting with members of both the government and the opposition in his capacity as a member of the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly.

The aim is to “assess the post-electoral situation…and explore possibilities for defusing the current political crisis and promoting dialogue,” said the Council in a statement.

The Armenian government began using force to disperse the protesters on Saturday; this began a period of emergency rule that could remain until March 20. Authorities justified the use of force, claiming they had information that some of the demonstrators had weapons and explosives.

Human Rights Watch has called for a probe into the government’s use of force, “The Armenian government should launch a prompt and independent investigation into the use of lethal force by security forces to quell demonstrators and rioting overnight on March 1.”

According to the United Nations Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials, lethal force may only be used when strictly unavoidable to protect life and only when less extreme means are insufficient to achieve these objectives.

Observers noted police using rubber truncheons, electric shock devices, and water cannons to disperse crowds. Also, journalists told Human Rights Watch that angry masses were arming themselves with sticks, stones, and iron bars in preparation for confrontation with authorities.

In spite of the violence, opposition spokesman Arman Musinyan said that protests will continue in a peaceful manner, “We will avoid any public meeting and marches, and we will concentrate on the constitutional court where we are expecting the case to be heard and discussed.”

Main opposition candidate Levon Ter-Petrossian, who lost the election, recently wrote a column in The Washington Post, chastising Western democracies for what he calls “deafening silence.”

“They [the West] seem to think that praising small improvements, instead of criticizing major flaws, creates an incentive for good behavior,” said Ter-Petrossian, who was Armenia’s president from 1991-98 and is currently under house arrest.

In his column, Ter-Petrossian asks that the West condemn the authorities’ use of violence and recognize their responsibility for increasing tensions, along with warning against the continued persecution of opposition leadership, demand the lifting of media restrictions, and call for a new election. He hinted that opposition parties may turn to violent means if these criteria are not met.

“If these steps are not taken, Armenians will draw two very undesirable conclusions: that peaceful and lawful means of political struggle are ineffective and pointless, and that the West cares about democracy only when it is politically expedient to do so,” he said.

References:

CNN.com: Calm Urged Amid Armenia Election Clashes

BBC.com: Prescott Leads Armenia Peace Trip

Human Rights Watch: Civilians Die as Police Suppress Demonstrations and Riots

Washington Post: Levon Ter-Petrossian- Silence on Armenia