Armenia: Silent Demonstrations

The Moscow Times has a story written by the BBC’s Matthew Collin on the current round of opposition protests on Yerevan’s Northern Avenue. Actually, I was at the same demo as Matthew and the description in his opening paragraph is pretty accurate.

A cluster of women stands obstinately in front of the police line, clapping, whooping and belting out a ragged rendition of the Armenian national anthem. As the commanding officer raises his bullhorn and urges them to disperse immediately or face the consequences, officers with riot shields and batons shuffle forward menacingly. Some of the women scream curses or burst into tears, but nevertheless they begin to fall back. An unidentified man with a camera scurries around like a nervous rodent, capturing faces on video.

Political rallies aren’t permitted in the Armenian capital, Yerevan, despite the recent lifting of the state of emergency, imposed on March 1. That was the day when eight people died during battles after riot police moved in to end more than a week of unauthorized protests against the results of the presidential election, which the opposition claims was falsified. More than 100 opposition figures have since been charged with fomenting violent unrest and attempting to stage a coup.

But some of the most committed activists have been trying to use their creative ingenuity to circumvent the protest ban by holding what they call “peaceful daily strolls.” Right after the emergency measures were lifted, several thousand people held a solemn procession through central Yerevan, many carrying flowers, candles and pictures of those who were killed, injured or arrested. In recent days, the shadowy organizers of these supposedly spontaneous gatherings have asked people to bring chess sets and hold casual open-air tournaments or to read aloud from books.

The protesters insist that they are not just supporters of Levon Ter-Petrosyan, the Armenian opposition leader whose determination to challenge the election results led to the current political crisis.