Hundreds Commemorate Victims Of 2008 Clashes In Yerevan

Pictures of opposition supporters killed in Yerevan in March 2008 have been placed at the site of the deadly postelection unrest.

YEREVAN -- Hundreds of people have gathered in central Yerevan to commemorate victims of the deadly 2008 postelection clashes between Armenian security forces and protesters.

Five years ago on March 1 demonstrators protesting the official presidential election results were violently dispersed by police and military forces, leaving 10 people dead.

Representatives of Armenia's leading opposition parties brought flowers to Freedom Square on March 1 to commemorate the victims.

Former Foreign Minister Raffi Hovannisian, the leader of the Zharangutyun (Heritage) party, attended the commemoration.

Armenia's current president, Serzh Sarkisian, was elected for his first term in office in 2008.

He was reelected with 58.6 percent of the vote last month.

Hovannisian, who came in second with nearly 37 percent of the vote, has rejected the official results.