Two top Council of Europe officials expressed concern on 14 April over the previous day\'s violence in Yerevan. Council of Europe Secretary-General Walter Schwimmer noted the \"incomplete and contradictory\" reports of excessive police violence, arrests of opposition activists and parliament deputies, and a media blackout. He warned against a crackdown, stressing, \"In a democracy, people are free to gather and express their views, even if they are critical of the president or of the government.\" Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Chairman Peter Schieder has written to Armenian parliament speaker Artur Baghdasarian expressing \"serious concern\" over the violent dispersal of the Yerevan demonstration and requesting more detailed information about what happened and the events that preceded it. (ITAR-TASS)