VIOLENCE DURING RALLY PROMPTS BROAD

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 YEREVAN 000725

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

DEPT FOR EUR/CACEN, INR

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL AM
SUBJECT: VIOLENCE DURING RALLY PROMPTS BROAD
CONDEMNATION


1. (U) Sensitive But Unclassified. Treat Accordingly.

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SUMMARY
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2. (SBU) An April 20 rally organized by The New Times
Party in the city of Sevan (35 miles northeast of
Yerevan) was disrupted when a scuffle between pro-
government and anti-government supporters ended in a
non-fatal shooting. One person was wounded and
hospitalized as a result of the skirmish, the details
of which are still unclear. New Times Party Chairman
Aram Karapetian, whose year-long calls for revolution
in Armenia have thus far met with lackluster reaction
from both the public and analysts, immediately accused
the authorities of initiating the violence. Others,
including the police and both opposition and pro-
government parties, instead blamed Karapetian for
staging an unauthorized event that endangered the
public. The New Times party has called on police
authorities to make a full investigation of the
incident. Karapetian himself is taking an active role
in pushing for the investigation. During a series of
previously scheduled protests in front of Yerevan
Embassies on April 22 (including our Embassy),he was
not among the few dozen supporters but instead giving a
statement at the Prosecutor General's Office. End
Summary.

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RALLY ENDS IN SHOOTING
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3. (SBU) A rally organized by The New Times opposition
party in the central Armenian city of Sevan on
Wednesday turned violent when a verbal exchange between
a group of veterans and party chair Aram Karapetian
ended in a shooting. The police shot one of
Karapetian's assistants (probably a bodyguard according
to the limited information available) in the leg when a
gun went off during one of the scuffle. According to
reports, Karapetian's calls for a "colorless"
revolution in Armenia angered some participants and
triggered emotional remarks from the crowd. One of the
impromptu speakers, who identified himself as a
Karabakh war veteran, claimed that while he was
fighting in Karabakh and building Armenian statehood,
Karapetian "lived a happy life in Moscow and made
money."


4. (SBU) The police promptly issued a statement on the
incident, blaming Karapetian for changing the location
of the rally and for "unauthorized" activities.
Karapetian angrily brushed off the accusations and
qualified them as a "further provocation." He stopped
short, however, of naming the pro-GOAM forces he had
blamed for the incident. The New Times party has
called on police authorities to make a full
investigation of the incident. Karapetian is taking an
active role in pushing for the investigation. During a
series of previously scheduled protests in front of
Yerevan Embassies on April 22 (including Post),he was
not among the few dozen supporters but instead giving
his statement at the Prosecutor General's Office.

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COMMENT
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5. (SBU) After initial finger pointing about who may or
may not have been the aggressor, parties on both sides
of the political spectrum were quick to condemn the
violence associated with the rally. In a strongly
worded joint statement on April 22, major political
parties (including coalition, opposition and non-
aligned groups) condemned the incident and linked the
right to peaceful protest with democratic principles.
These parties called on the GOAM to properly
investigate the shooting. A cynic might say that the
GOAM's quick condemnation of the violence reflects its
desire that this event not trigger new support for the
opposition; but even an opposition that tells us it is
waiting (and hoping) for just this sort of trigger was
not willing to rally around Karapetian in this case.
The tempered response to date from Armenia's major
political actors may be the most positive thing to
emerge from this incident.
EVANS