US embassy cable - 05YEREVAN725

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