Troops enforce emergency after Armenia voting riots
YEREVAN, Armenia - Hundreds of troops flooded Armenia's capital yesterday to enforce a state of emergency after clashes between opposition activists and government forces left eight people dead and more than 100 injured.
YEREVAN, Armenia - Hundreds of troops flooded Armenia's capital yesterday to enforce a state of emergency after clashes between opposition activists and government forces left eight people dead and more than 100 injured.
The bloodshed over the results of last month's presidential election is the worst political crisis to hit this former Soviet republic in nearly a decade. A European envoy rushed to Armenia to mediate the conflict, while the United States urged both sides to exercise restraint.
President Robert Kocharian declared the 20-day state of emergency Saturday night after a day of violence between police and demonstrators who say the Feb. 19 election was fraudulently won by Prime Minister Serge Sarkisian.
Police fired warning shots and tear gas to disperse thousands Saturday after using clubs earlier in the day to break up a tent camp where hundreds of protesters had stayed for more than a week.
Seven civilians and one officer were killed and at least 131 protesters and troops were wounded, officials said.
The demonstrators support opposition candidate and former President Levon Ter-Petrosian, who finished a distant second in the election's official results.
Western observers issued an overall positive assessment of the election but noted serious flaws, including during the vote count and a lack of media access by Ter-Petrosian during the campaign.
This weekend, Ter-Petrosian was being prevented from leaving his residence by government forces, though no charges had been filed against him. He called on his supporters to go home and refrain from further protests while the emergency order is in place. He vowed to continue efforts to force a new election and has appealed to the nation's Constitutional Court to overturn the results.
