Attack against peaceful strikers

Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly-Vanadzor condemns the violence used against peaceful strikers. HCA Vanadzor expects support from international civil power and human rights organizations to resist establishment of totalitarianism in Armenia.

At this moment the territory of the Opera House is being ‘cleaned’ from peaceful demonstrators by the armed policemen and police cars. The armed police have taken some of the people in unknown direction, some are in Yerevan Kentron Hospital who have been beaten and physically injured.
  A group of people consisting of 5000 people have moved towards French Embassy to Armenia where the police have urged them to go away.
  At 11 a.m. candidate for president Levon Ter-Petrossyan invited a press conference in his house. The police surrounded his house too, not allowing the journalists to enter.
  The situation is also tense in other regions of Armenia. The armed police control Alaverdi-Yerevan road. In the part from Alaverdi to Vanadzor (about 50 km) armed police are stopping cars and buses in three places and checking them.
  On March 1, in the early morning, unknown people set on fire the door of Pan Armenian Movement office in Vanadzor. A letter was sent to Vanadzor police on this case.
  Today at about 6:20 a.m. a group of policemen attacked peaceful strikers in “Azatutyun” square. Policemen with helmets and truncheons started to attack from the side of Hyusisayin avenue, but facing resistance they withdrew. Later on at about 6:45 with more forces they attacked and beat peaceful strikers. “You said now? Why don’t you say?”- they kept on asking and beating people who defended their vote and demanded fair elections. During an hour the police “freed” “Azatutyun” square. They burnt the tents and beat people.
  According to our information some of the people who managed to come out of the “circle” hurried to embassies of different countries. At that time Levon Ter-Petrosyan was standing alone in “Azatutyun” square and declared that he would not go anywhere and if they wanted they could arrest him. At that time many troops surrounded the square and the whole territory. Grisha Sargsyan the head of Kocharyan’s guards himself violently pushed Levon Ter-Petrosyan into the car and took him to his house. There is no news about the detainees yet. The territory near the opera house starting from HZHK office is blocked by policemen. Again violence was performed against Gagik Shamshyan, photo reporter of “Chorord Ishkhanutyun” and “Aravot” newspapers.
  We should remind that yesterday when Robert Kocharyan mentioned possible developments of events, he excluded solution by force, and in OSCE, US Secretariat called authorities not to use violence against peaceful demonstrators, as it had not been done so far.