06 12 19 - Four Set Themselves on Fire in Armenia

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/07/AR2006120702094.html
(Annette Melikian - L.A )
The Associated Press-Thursday, December 7, 2006; 10:57 PM
YEREVAN, Armenia -- Three teenagers and their grandmother set themselves on fire in the Armenian capital Thursday to protest what they said was authorities' inaction on investigating a relative's death, a family member said. Two of them were injured.

The protesters poured gasoline on themselves and set themselves on fire in front of the president's office in Yerevan, the teenagers' great uncle Surian Avdalian told The Associated Press. The grandmother and her 14-year-old grandson were injured and hospitalized with burns, Avdalian said. The other two teens were unharmed.





Gyulizar Avdalian sets herself on fire during a protest outside the president's office in Yerevan, Armenia, Thursday, Dec. 7, 2006. Gyulizar Avdalian and her grandsons tried to set themselves on fire in the Armenian capital Thursday in protest at law enforcement bodies' inaction in investigating the death of their relative, a family member said. (AP Photo/Photolure, Melik Bagdasarian)

Gyulizar Avdalian sets herself on fire during a protest outside the president's office in Yerevan, Armenia, Thursday, Dec. 7, 2006. Gyulizar Avdalian and her grandsons tried to set themselves on fire in the Armenian capital Thursday in protest at law enforcement bodies' inaction in investigating the death of their relative, a family member said. (AP Photo/Photolure, Melik Bagdasarian) (Melik Bagdasarian - AP)

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Digg Google del.icio.us Yahoo! Reddit Facebook placeAd('article',commercialNode,24,'',false) The four were members of the small Yazidi community who were protesting what they called official inaction in last month's beating death of the children's father, Avdalian said. They argued that the case was not being investigated because of discrimination against the Yazidi, a Kurdish ethnic group. About 50,000 Yazidi live in Armenia. Prosecutor General Agvan Grigorian later met with relatives of the family and told them a man had been arrested the day after the father's death, according to spokeswoman Sonna Truzian. She also said a criminal investigation had been opened into the grandmother's involvement in the protest, saying she herself allegedly poured flammable liquids on her grandchildren.

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