Raffi Hovannisian Rally, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian /Oneworld Multimedia 2005

RFE/RL reports on Raffi Hovannisian’s unexpected arrival on the political scene in Armenia. The U.S. born former Foreign Minister is urging voters to boycott Sunday’s referendum to amend the constitution. However, the number of people who came out to listen to him was quite small, and numbered only a few hundred people.

Hovannisian charged that the Armenian authorities have already made a free and fair vote impossible and said only a minority of voters will back their draft constitutional referendum on Sunday.

“We hoped that for the first time in 14 years, we will have a free, clean and transparent vote befitting Armenians,” he told about a thousand people who gathered in central Yerevan. “Unfortunately, we see that two days before the referendum they have placed the referendum process beyond the law by abusing state levers, creating unequal [campaigning] conditions, … pressuring our teachers, doctors and other professionals.”

[…]

The rally came days after the normally reserved U.S.-born ex-minister lashed out at the administration of President Robert Kocharian, saying that it “supports thieves, murderers and corrupt individuals and enjoys their support.” It was scheduled to take place at Freedom Square, the city’s traditional venue for street protests.

Hovannisian had planned to hold his rally in Yerevan’s Liberty Square, but the municipality refused to give their permission saying that it was already booked. However, when I arrived, the small crowd gathered for the event turned out to be Hovannisian supporters and soon left to hear him speak on the other side of the Opera building.

Scores of special police guarded a stage outside the national Opera House from which they sang, danced and played various instruments. About two dozen vans and jeeps filled with police officers and a truck laden with riot gear were on standby in a nearby quiet street. The security forces were personally led by General Hovannes Varian, the controversial deputy chief of the national police who led the brutal dispersal of an opposition rally in April 2004.

Yes Campaign Event, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian /Oneworld Multimedia 2005

Hovakim over at Blogrel accuses RFE/RL of putting a spin on Hovannisian’s rally, making the point that the rally was small. Indeed it was, but not as small as one staged in Yerevan in favor of the amendments that consisted of about 100 schoolchildren aged between 11-13. No surprise to discover that after the Mayor ordered teachers to propagandize for the amendments, such an event was held.

the descriptive adjectives used are also misleading. How did they determine Raffi’s status as “one of most popular opposition leaders?” We blogged on this in one of the earlier posts, and there seemed to be no poll data to indicate his popularity (among opposition or otherwise).

Anyway, what was most interesting was the professionalism that Hovannisian brought to the political scene in Armenia. No more boring and repetitive opposition meetings lacking in charisma, this one even had pantomime and song. Hovannisian is also very good with people, and in fact, ask anyone on the streets and most people respect him very much. For a photographer especially, this is really good shooting material.

Raffi Hovannisian Rally, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian /Oneworld Multimedia 2005

Well, I’m sure many people will welcome Hovannisian’s return to the public eye. Although he did attend opposition rallies after the disputed presidential elections in 2003, and also attempted to mediate between the government and opposition during last year’s protests, he has been largely silent and invisible. Obviously, he is now preparing for the next parliamentary elections.

He also seems to be attempting to lead efforts to democratize Armenia through the Armenian Center for National and International Studies, the National Citizens’ Initiative and his Heritage political party. He pretty much hinted at that in an interview I conducted in September.

[…] in the prevailing situation where under the rubric of “national interests” you can find a complete web of private transactions and policies for personal benefit, it is the realization that Armenia has not developed over the last 14 years to become a true Republic that sees the Diaspora as its partner and as an asset and guarantee for its security and development in the 21st Century. We have not achieved that maturity yet, but I’m convinced that we’re on the threshold of a national democratic transformation.

Raffi Hovannisian Rally, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian /Oneworld Multimedia 2005

Raffi Hovannisian and other opposition leaders such as Aram Sarkisyan, former Prime Minister and brother of his slain predecessor, as well as Aram Karapetyan are presently holding a 24-hour vigil in Liberty Square to gain exposure for their boycott call they have not been able to get through the state-controlled media. It’s a small group and as a result, it’s difficult to imagine that it could mushroom into anything.

However, both Hovannisian and Sarkisyan seem surprisingly confident and say that on Sunday or Monday they’ll attempt to gather at least 15,000 people. The opposition can do this — last year they drew 15-20,000, and in 2003 after the presidential elections, in excess of 40,000 — but it should be pointed out that this is not an election. It’s a referendum on amendments to a constitution that many Armenians care nothing about.

Vigil, Liberty Square, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian /Oneworld Multimedia 2005

Aram Sarkisyan, Vigil, Liberty Square, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian /Oneworld Multimedia 2005

Raffi Hovannisian, Vigil, Liberty Square, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian /Oneworld Multimedia 2005

Well, I left the vigil about two hours ago and the lights on the Opera building had been turned off 30 minutes previously in an attempt to get Hovannisian’s group to leave. I also had an interesting conversation with General Hovannes Varian, Deputy Head of Yerevan’s Police. When I saw him speaking to civil rights activist Eleonora Manandyan I took a picture and he instantly turned round on his heel so I couldn’t photograph his face. He then threatened to confiscate my camera’s compact flash card and warned me he could have me arrested.

General Hovannes Varian and Eleonora Manadyan, Vigil, Liberty Square, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian /Oneworld Multimedia 2005

I told him that there is no law that prevents photographing police when you have a press card in a public place, and that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had confirmed this. I told him that as he was a public servant, his concern should only be upholding the law and that if he wanted to do something to me he should be prepared for the involvement of the British Embassy.

I also told him that accredited journalists in Europe can take photographs of police, but he told me that this wasn’t Europe, to which I responded I thought that was what the amendments were all about — Armenia moving closer to Europe. Varian said that when the constitution is adopted, then Armenia can move closer, but until then, this is not Europe. He then called me a liar.

In retrospect, it probably wasn’t a good idea to have this conversation with Varian, especially as in April 2004, the Deputy Head of Police personally beat journalists including Hayk Gevorgyan. Hope he doesn’t have a good memory for faces, but then again, he doesn’t seem to discriminate. Last year, all journalists were the targets for the police and the bodyguards of the oligarchs.

It was at the direct order of Hovhannes Varyan that Hayk Gevorgyan, a well-known writer and photographer for the daily newspaper Haykakan Zhamanak, was severely beaten. Gevorgyan sustained serious injuries on his head, chest and back and was hospitalized following a collective beating initiated by Varyan. “He personally grabbed my camera first,” Gevorgyan told us. “I said something like ‘What does this mean?’ He shouted ‘You’ll see what it means now,’ and more than a dozen other officers started hitting me.” Gevorgyan was then dragged into the neighboring parliament compound, where the beating continued relentlessly. He said: “People there seemed to be waiting for me. They immediately attacked me, kicking, punching and hitting me with clubs. I kept yelling ‘I’m a journalist, I’m a journalist.’ But no one cared.”

Well, this much for now. I’m off to Gyumri tomorrow to do some work for Hetq, but will hopefully be back early to see what’s new in Yerevan. On Sunday, I will be photographing the referendum while accompanying someone quite significant in terms of democratization in Armenia. More on that when it happens.

But, I have to say that while many young and progressive Armenians will be voting for the amendments, it still looks as the government will be unable to pass them because of a low voter turnout. Rob Parsons, a former BBC reporter now with RFE/RL puts it like this:

[…] though, the biggest obstacle facing the safe passage of the amendments is not so much the opposition boycott as popular apathy. At least one-third of the total electorate must vote in its favor — and more than 50 percent of those who actually vote. It could be a tall order, at least according to recent opinion polls, which suggest there will be a low turnout.

Of course, people are expecting that the referendum will be falsified, but for that we will have to wait and see. As I’ve said before, it doesn’t matter if the constitution is changed or not. What matters is that the referendum is conducted democratically and that the people determine their own future — either way.

Cross posted on New Eurasia.