(RFE/RL) - Police in Armenia this morning forcibly dispersed hundreds of opposition supporters who had been camped in Freedom Square in central Yerevan to protest the results of last month's presidential election.
According to witnesses, scores of police and Interior Ministry troops surrounded the square at 7:00 a.m. local time.
They used truncheons, tear gas and electric stun guns to break up the crowd. Injuries were reported.
Police reportedly forced scores of protesters onto buses, taking them to local police stations.
RFE/RL's Armenian Service says police also detained opposition presidential candidate Levon Ter-Petrosian. His associates tell RFE/RL he has been placed under house arrest.
The opposition has alleged fraud and called for the annulment of the February 19 election that authorities said was won by Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian, the favored successor of outgoing President Robert Kocharian.
Observers from the OSCE, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, have said the election mainly met democratic standards, although there were flaws.