Cars of leaders of oppositional parties supporting Armenian ex-president Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s candidacy taken to car pound

ArmInfo. The cars of leaders of a number of oppositional parties supporting the presidential candidacy of Levon Ter-Petrosyan, the first president of Armenia, were taken to the car pound, Tuesday.

Ter-Petrosyan’s central campaign headquarters told ArmInfo correspondent that on January 29 policemen took the personal cars of Chairman of Board of the Armenian Pan National Movement Ararat Zurabyan and Chairman of the Political Council of the Republic Party Aram Sargsyan to the car pound.

To recall, the RA Police has instituted a criminal case on the campaign motor rally organized in the central streets of Yerevan by presidential contender Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s supporters on January 28. The campaign motor rally was timed to the National Army Day. As the press-service of RA Police reported earlier, about 150-200 cars at the Baghramyan- Demirchyan crossroad failed to react to the traffic police’s demand to stop and continued driving on the oncoming lane of the street, threatening the life of both inspectors and other drivers. A criminal case has been instituted according to Article 316m of the Armenian Criminal Code. The circumstances are being specified, investigation is underway.

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The Armenian police launched criminal proceedings on Tuesday against supporters of former President Levon Ter-Petrosian who drove through the streets of Yerevan on Monday in a motorcade of more than a hundred cars led by the opposition presidential candidate.

The collective ride, not sanctioned by municipal authorities, lasted for more than an hour and ended in a rally in the city’s northern Avan suburb. It was aimed at drumming up popular support for Ter-Petrosian and possibly exerting psychological pressure on the government.

A statement by the police said that the motorcade disrupted traffic in the city center and that participants of the car parade defied orders by road police officers and threatened to use force against them. It said a criminal case has been opened under a corresponding article of the Armenian Criminal Code.

The police did not immediately charge any of the Ter-Petrosian campaigners. Instead, it reportedly impounded cars belonging to some of the ex-president’s close associates, including the chairmen of the former ruling Armenian Pan-National Movement and the radical opposition Hanrapetutyun party.

Also, law-enforcement authorities announced late Monday the launch of a separate criminal investigation into a violent incident that marred Ter-Petrosian’s weekend campaign rally in the central town of Talin. Several Ter-Petrosian loyalists reportedly threw punches at a man who heckled the ex-president as the latter was about to address local residents. According to media reports, the man, identified as Sarkis Karapetian, was assaulted after telling Ter-Petrosian that “the people of Talin are not with you.”

The Office of the Prosecutor-General identified three alleged attackers of Karapetian, among them a local leader of Hanrapetutyun, but would not say if any of them have already been formally charged with assault.

Ter-Petrosian’s election campaign headquarters was quick to condemn both criminal cases. “These actions are aimed at stemming Levon Ter-Petrosian’s triumph in the presidential elections and taking the pre-election situation out of control,” it said in a statement. “We warn Armenia’s kleptocratic authorities that they will bear full responsibility for unpredictable consequences of these actions.”

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CARS OF TER-PETROSYAN’S SUPPORTERS ARE DETAINED

A1 Plus, 29 January, 2008

The employees of the RA Police detain the cars which escorted the RA First President Levon Ter-Petrosyan during a car march yesterday. The Police have already brought some cars to the Department. No detailed information is received, since the action is still in the process. The Police Department informed “A1+” that a criminal case was started by the Article 316 of the RA Criminal Code, which foresees a fine punishment or imprisonment to 5 years.

On 28 January road police submitted a report to the Yerevan Police Department, that 150-200 cars escorting the RA Presidential Candidate Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s car, ignored the traffic signals on Demirchyan and Baghramyan crossway and continued the traffic on Baghramyan avenue, jeopardizing lives of inspectors and other participants of the traffic.

CARS ACCOMPANYING LEVON TER-PETROSYAN DID NOT STOP AT STOP SIGNAL

The Armenian police inform that on January 28 some 150-200 drivers on Baghramyan and Demirchyan crossroads did not stop at stop signal. The information says the drivers continued the ride with threats of violence. Materials are prepared at Yerevan investigation department on the incident.

Source: Panorama.am