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Timeline of unrest

[April 26, 2004]

April 24th - The opposition led a procession from Freedom Square to the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial to the Victims of the Genocide.

April 23rd - Speaker of Parliament Artur Baghdasaryan informed the press that he was inviting the opposition to begin a discussion of all the relevant issues on April 26 th at 6 p.m. He ruled out, however, the possibility of holding a referendum of confidence in the president, saying he believed there was no demand for the president's resignation.

The opposition responded at a press conference, "The holding of a referendum must be the basis for opposition-government dialogue."

April 22nd - The press office of the Justice Bloc announced that about 100 people who had participated in the rally the previous day had been arrested during the night.

Three heavyset young men with shaved heads brutally beat Ashot Manucharyan on the street in broad daylight, as he was on his way to a meeting of the Forum of Intellectuals. Other members of the governing body of the organization point to a number of improbable coincidences. Manucharyan hadn't left the house in three days, but an hour before he went out, he spoke to Eduard Simonyants on the telephone. Simonyants believes that the men could have learned of his visit to the forum only through this telephone conversation, and suspects that the phone was tapped.

US Ambassador to Armenia John Ordway said in a press conference, "I don't think it is appropriate to make public my conversation with Robert Kocharyan regarding the events that occurred in the early hours of April 13 th . I would only say that my opinion doesn't differ much from the assessment of the State Department." The ambassador believes that the Armenian authorities should create an atmosphere conducive to dialogue with the opposition.

April 21st - The opposition held a rally in Freedom Square attended by about 40,000 people, after which they marched to Republic Square and back. Opposition leaders announced a decisive rally on April 27 th . Victor Dallakyan presented the following demands to be met by the government before dialogue can take place:

1. All political prisoners must be released, Political persecutions must stop,

2. The policemen responsible for the terror of the early morning of April 13 th must be held accountable,

3. Robert Kocharyan's campaign manager, Serzh Sargisyan must be dismissed, for being the architect of all election falsifications,

4. T he prosecutor general must be dismissed, for fabricating criminal cases against the Justice Bloc.

April 20th - Policemen once again blocked all roads leading to the capital and checked all vehicles.

US ambassador John Ordway met with two opposition leaders, Stepan Demircyan of the Justice Bloc and Artashes Geghamyan of the National Unity Party.

The meeting "Coalition-Opposition-Intellectuals" organized by former Foreign Minister Raffi Hovhanissian did not take place when coalition representatives failed to appear.

April 19th - President Robert Kocharyan said in an interview with the Russian newspaper Izvestia, "If the opposition attempts to call attention to itself by blocking avenues or obstructing the work of state institutions, the police will do what they are required to."