2008 Armenian Presidential Election Protests - State of Emergency

State of Emergency

Late in the evening on March 1, President Kocharian declared a State of Emergency in the capital Yerevan for twenty days. The National Parliament endorsed the Presidential decree on Declaration of state of emergency the following day, 2 March. The State of Emergency entered into force immediately. The decree established the following temporary limitations under the State of Emergency:

• It banned meeting, rallies, demonstrations, marches and other mass events;
• It banned strikes and other actions that could stop or suspend the activities of organizations;
• It limited the movement of individuals and the means of transportation and authorized inspections by the law enforcement bodies;
• It stipulates that mass media outlets could provide information on state and internal affairs only within the parameters of official information provided by state bodies;
• It banned political propaganda through leaflets or other means without due permission from relevant state bodies;
• It suspended temporarily the activity of political parties and other public organizations that impede the elimination of the circumstances that served as the grounds for declaring a State of Emergency;
• It authorized the removal from a given area those who violate the legal state of emergency regime and do not reside there, doing so at their own expense, or, in case of absence of means, using state budget resources to be refunded afterwards.