Situation in Yerevan remains tense

The situation in Yerevan remains tense today, April 14. Headquarters of the opposition parties, and first of all of the National Unity and Republic parties, are still under the control of the police.

Deputy chief of the Armenian police Major-General Ovannes Varian told journalists on April 13 that the authorities had "shut their eyes" to unauthorized meetings and demonstrations but "appeals to overthrow the power and insults at the leaders" gave the police grounds for not allowing any mass unauthorized actions from that time on. To remind, there is no law on the procedure for holding meetings and demonstrations in Armenia, and the Soviet law on the procedure for holding mass actions is still in force in the country, in spite of its being a member of the Council of Europe.

On the night of April 13-14, deputies Arshak Sadoian and Shavarsh Kocharian of the Justice bloc and Aleksan Karapetian of the National Unity party were released. The destiny of arrested activists of the People's Party, press secretary Ruzanna Khachatrian in particular, remains unknown so far. The whereabouts of deputies Aram Sargsian and Albert Bazeian (the Justice bloc, Republic party) and Artashes Gegamian (the National Unity party) is unknown too.

Editors note: See also the articles "Unauthorized demonstrations and meetings banned in Yerevan", "Police disperse opposition meeting in Yerevan".