Soviet Authorities in Armenia Ban Spontaneous Street Protests

Soviet authorities in Armenia have banned spontaneous street demonstrations in the wake of a ruling by the Supreme Soviet aimed at putting the lid on ethnic strife in the republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan.

The ban, published Thursday in the Armenian capital of Yerevan, requires groups wishing to demonstrate to apply to the authorities 10 days in advance.

Leaders of the Armenian movement, who are urging Soviet authorities to incorporate into Armenia the autonomous region of Nagorno-Karabakh, which lies within Azerbaijan, had planned a large demonstration for Saturday in Yerevan.

In light of the new regulations, and the forceful language used by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet in directing local authorities to “take every measure to ensure public order,” it seemed doubtful that the demonstration would go ahead as planned.

A spokesman for the Armenian News Agency said that the leader of the Communist Party in Armenia, Karen Demirchyan, had appealed for calm in the area in a television broadcast Tuesday, a day before the Presidium’s ruling.

The Presidium firmly ruled out any border changes in the region, saying such action could have “unpredictable consequences.”

The Presidium said that Soviet authorities will not yield to pressure in an atmosphere in which “emotions and passions are whipped up.”

On Thursday, however, the Politburo approved a package of measures to develop the Nagorno-Karabakh region, the Tass news agency said. Industry, housing, schools and roads would get new investment under the program. In addition, Armenian, Azerbaijani and central television would be available throughout the region, and more Armenian books would be published and Armenian monuments would be restored.

Disturbances in the republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan have caused at least 34 deaths, according to official reports, and unofficial accounts put the toll much higher. Thirty-two of the deaths were recorded in the Azerbaijani city of Sumgait, which was hit by rioting Feb. 28 and 29.

Soviet troops are keeping peace in the city, which is under a dusk-to-dawn curfew.

It was not clear whether military forces had been dispatched to other cities in the two republics, but it seemed certain that the Soviet authorities intend to clamp down hard on any further protests.

Leaders of the Armenian movement could not be reached by telephone Thursday.

Nagorno-Karabakh has been an autonomous region within the Azerbaijani republic since 1923, even though about 75% of its people are Armenian. Tension between the Azerbaijanis, who are Muslim, and the Christian Armenians has existed for decades and has occasionally led to bloodshed. Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh say they are victims of Azerbaijani discrimination.

In its action Wednesday, the Presidium did not spell out any solution to the conflict. It directed local officials to “improve the political and educational work among the population in the spirit of the unshakeableness of the Leninist principles of the policy of nationalities, friendship and cohesion of the fraternal peoples of the U.S.S.R.”