GLENDALE — A segment featuring former interior minister and current Yerevan Mayor Vano Siradeghian making extremist remarks following the post-election opposition crackdown in Yerevan was re-broadcast Monday–following a flood of phone calls and requests to the offices of Horizon Armenian Television after the program aired a 17-minute segment Friday.
Horizon Television has obtained an exclusive videotape of a party where high-ranking pro-government "Yergrabah" battalionwhich was instrumental in shooting at opposition protesters on Sept. 25officials–as well as Siradeghian and Defense Minister Vazgen Sargsian were "celebrating" the group’s "success" in quelling the post-presidential elections opposition rallies.
The more than 90-minute videotape featured lengthy commentaries by Siradeghian who–in congratulating his colleagues for halting a so-called "international conspiracy" to overthrow the Armenian government–also entertained the idea that 50 to 60even 800casualties were necessary to quell the rallies.
Siradeghian also alleged that Armenia’s Finance Minister and other high-ranking officials in the economic sector of the government had siphoned hundreds of thousands of dollars from international assistance packages to Armenia.
In viewing the tape in its entirety–the Horizon editorial board decided only to show the portion of the tape featuring Siradeghian’s commen’s.
