April 9 standoff: A look at clashes
Chief of Armenian Police Vladimir Gasparyan yesterday was able to convince Heritage Party Leader Raffi Hovannisian to march to the Armenian Genocide Memorial at Tsitsernakaberd bypassing Baghramyan Avenue, where, in his residence at Number 26, Serzh Sargsyan was receiving his foreign guests who had arrived in Armenia on the occasion of his inauguration.
The hardline protesters who were determined to celebrate out-right victory on April 9 were eager to know why Hovannisian chose to go to Tsitsernakaberd and why he was escorted by Gasparyan.
Some of the protesters stopped en route when Hovannisian said that he did not mean to return to Baghramyan as he did not want any blood to be shed there. He urged the people to return home after the vigil at Tsitsernakaberd.
However, Hovannisian returned to Baghramyan Avenue late in the evening where after negotiations the police agreed to remove the cordons and let a peaceful march past the Presidential Palace to sing the national anthem and return to Freedom Square for ‘a good night.' Again the Chief of Armenian Police came to help Hovannisian. After a tête-à-tête conversation, he agreed to open the avenue for Hovannisian and his team.
