Opposition activists call on EU to apply sanctions to Armenian authorities

Today, activists of six Armenian political forces have held a rally in Yerevan in memory of the casualties of riots on March 1-2, 2008.

On those days in 2008, in Yerevan, there were clashes of the police with oppositionists, after policemen dispersed opposition rally held in the square near the Opera House, which was led by the former President Levon Ter-Petrosyan. In the two-day-long clashes 10 people perished and more than 250 were injured.

Tonight, during the rally, held in Yerevan, opposition activists have issued a joint statement, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports.

The participants of the rally have stated that "the impunity for crimes, committed on March 1-2, 2008, led to a spread of violence in the country." "Since 2008 until today, there was no such period of time, when Armenia had no political prisoners. Armenia must eradicate the phenomenon, when people are persecuted for their political views or arrested," says the joint statement of the opposition.

The European Union (EU) and the European Parliament must apply sanctions against the Armenian authorities to ensure that those responsible for the events of March 1-2, 2008, are duly punished, said the participants in the rally in Yerevan.

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