22:59, 1 March 2018

Yerevan protesters demand to punish law enforcers for 2008 events

Banner with photos of the victims of demonstration dispersal in March 2008. Photo by Tigran Petrosyan for the Caucasian Knot.

Today, more than 500 activists have paid tribute to the victims of the dispersal of the demonstration in March 2008.

Mass protests in Yerevan began with the presidential election held on February 19, 2008, when Serzh Sargsyan was elected president. Supporters of Levon Ter-Petrosyan did not agree with the result of the election, and from February 20 began an endless rally in Liberty Square. After the dispersal of this rally, on March 1 and 2, 2008, there were clashes of demonstrators and policemen; as a result, 10 persons perished and over 250 were injured.

The march in memory of the casualties in the dispersal of that rally began today from Liberty Square. The marchers, who held Armenian flags and photos of the casualties, moved along the central Mashtots Avenue to the monument to Alexander Myasnikyan, where ten years ago the main clash with law enforcers took place. The marchers have stretched a poster reading: "We demand to punish March 1 criminals!", the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports from the venue.

The march was organized by the Armenian National Congress (ANC) jointly with the People's Party of Armenia; it was also attended by Nikol Pashinyan, the head of the "Elk" oppositional faction, and Armen Martirosyan, the leader of the "Heritage" Party. According to organizers, more than 500 people took part in the march.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.

Author: Tigran Petrosyan

Source: CK correspondent