17:58, 10 April 2008

Armenia: protest actions as accompaniment to concert in honour of Sarkisyan's inauguration

The celebratory concert organized in the evening on April 9 in the Republic Square of Yerevan in honour of inauguration of Serzh Sarkisyan, newly elected President of Armenia, from time to time was accompanied by chants performed of isolated groups of people: "Serzhik, go away!", "Levon is President!"

About the same time, another group of people, some 400-500 persons strong, who gathered near the building of the Armenia-Marriott hotel, started chanting the same slogans. However, policemen immediately surrounded this group of people and started kicking some of them, including women and girls.

At about 9:30 p.m., a large group of people left the Republic Square and made its way to the adjacent Northern Avenue. Soon the crowd that accumulated there began chanting: "Free, independent Armenia! Fight to the end! Levon is President! We will win!" However, five minutes later, police units armed with truncheons and shields arrived to this street. They started splitting the crowd, and, after a while, people preferred to scatter.

Author: Lilit Ovanisyan, CK correspondent