Thousands of supporters of Levon Ter-Petrosyan, who was defeated by Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisyan in the February 19 presidential elections, rallied the day after the polls, demanding a rerun and access to national television.
Sarkisyan gained 52.8% of the vote against his rival's 21.5%. Protesters claimed the polls were rigged. Sarkisyan denied the allegations, insisting that he had won the presidential elections fairly.
Protests turned violent on March 1, when groups of protesters set fire to two dozen vehicles, including police cars and ambulances, and smashed windows in major buildings in central Yerevan, the Armenian capital.
Armenian riot police used tear gas and electric stun guns to disperse the protesters.
Seven civilians and one police officer were killed during the disturbances and 210 police officers and 55 civilians were wounded. Prosecutors also said 102 people were arrested.
During the rioting, President Robert Kocharyan declared a state of emergency which lasted until March 20.
