Cars burn in central Yerevan as a result of opposition protestors clashing with police. Tanks and troops patrolled the Armenian capital Yerevan on Sunday after violent protests against alleged rigging of a presidential election in the ex-Soviet republic.
(AFP) |
Tanks and troops patrolled the Armenian capital Yerevan on Sunday after violent protests against alleged rigging of a presidential election in the ex-Soviet republic.
The situation was calm following imposition of a state of emergency late Saturday in response to rioting.
A dozen armoured personnel carriers and about 100 soldiers stood guard outside the government and foreign ministry. Several tanks could be seen at the scene of the nighttime clashes between police and protestors.
The last protestors dispersed during the night, but burnt-out cars, stones and poles still littered the streets.
The state of emergency will be in effect in the capital Yerevan until March 20 under a decree signed by President Robert Kocharian.
"In order to end the threat to order and to defend the law and rights of the people, I declare a state of emergency in Yerevan from March 1 to March 20," the decree stated, a presidential spokesman told AFP.
The violence began early Saturday when riot police cleared a central square where protestors had been camped since a February 19 presidential election won by Kocharian's ally, Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian.
The runner-up, opposition leader Levon Ter-Petrosian, said he had been placed under house arrest, although the government denied this.
However, several thousand demonstrators quickly regrouped in another square.
When police tried to disperse them after nightfall the protestors fought back with petrol bombs, sticks and stones. Police used tear gas and fired live ammunition into the air.
Protestors finally left the streets after an appeal by their leaders.
A police spokesman said eight police officers had suffered gunshot wounds during the unrest and that several were in a serious condition.
Several protesters could be seen with head injuries and burns, but there was no official information on casualties among the demonstrators.
Another 31 people, including six policemen, were injured in the dispersal of the first rally on Saturday, the health ministry said.
Ter-Petrosian's spokesman blamed authorities for the unrest.
"The authorities are entirely responsible for these clashes," spokesman Arman Musinian said. "We said that for the situation to be resolved peacefully it was necessary for Levon Ter-Petrosian to be able to speak with his supporters."
Musinian said it was unlikely there would be more protests on Sunday.
In a statement Saturday, the current chairman of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Finnish Foreign Minister Ilkka Kanerva, condemned the use of force against peaceful demonstrators in Yerevan.
"I urge the authorities to use maximum restraint," he said.
"I am troubled that there are reports of casualties. I urge the authorities to release those detained, and I again call on the government and the opposition to engage in dialogue."
