RFE/RL reports that hundreds of Armenians flocked to the apartment of the late Prime Minister, Andranik Markarian, to pay their last respects.
Security forces had trouble controlling a crowd that filled the courtyard outside Markarian’s second-floor apartment in the city’s northern Avan district. His body lay in state there in a private ceremony which was supposed to be attended by his relatives, friends and colleagues.
The incessant stream of people turned it into a public event, even though not everyone was able to enter the apartment and offer their condolences to the family of the deceased. Many silently stood in the courtyard for several hours.
MORE
http://oneworld.blogsome.com/2007/03/27/hundreds-mourn-armenias-markarian/#more-1419
UPDATE
Armenia Buries Prime Minister
28 March 2007
Armenia today said farewell to the longest serving prime minister in its short history as an independent, post-Soviet state. Andranik Markarian died on March 25 from a heart attack less than two months before parliamentary elections considered to be the most important test for democracy yet faced by Armenia.
Today, thousands of Armenians turned out to bid farewell to Markarian whose coffin was brought to the Yerevan Opera to lie in state for just under three hours before being taken to the Komitas Pantheon in a State Funeral which involved Government members, representatives of the international community, and of course, the Armenian President.
I was there covering the event for EurasiaNet which has just published my photo story on Armenia burying its Prime Minister.
The full post accompanied by photographs is at:
http://oneworld.blogsome.com/2007/03/28/armenia-buries-prime-minister/
Security forces had trouble controlling a crowd that filled the courtyard outside Markarian’s second-floor apartment in the city’s northern Avan district. His body lay in state there in a private ceremony which was supposed to be attended by his relatives, friends and colleagues.
The incessant stream of people turned it into a public event, even though not everyone was able to enter the apartment and offer their condolences to the family of the deceased. Many silently stood in the courtyard for several hours.
MORE
http://oneworld.blogsome.com/2007/03/27/hundreds-mourn-armenias-markarian/#more-1419
UPDATE
Armenia Buries Prime Minister
28 March 2007
Armenia today said farewell to the longest serving prime minister in its short history as an independent, post-Soviet state. Andranik Markarian died on March 25 from a heart attack less than two months before parliamentary elections considered to be the most important test for democracy yet faced by Armenia.
Today, thousands of Armenians turned out to bid farewell to Markarian whose coffin was brought to the Yerevan Opera to lie in state for just under three hours before being taken to the Komitas Pantheon in a State Funeral which involved Government members, representatives of the international community, and of course, the Armenian President.
I was there covering the event for EurasiaNet which has just published my photo story on Armenia burying its Prime Minister.
The full post accompanied by photographs is at:
http://oneworld.blogsome.com/2007/03/28/armenia-buries-prime-minister/