The organiser of an opposition rally sentenced to jail

The organiser of an opposition rally that attracted more than 10,000 people was sentenced to 10 days in jail on Tuesday after some demonstrators strayed from a designated area, an Interior Ministry spokesman said. The protesters rallied in Yerevan's central square on Monday and demanded the resignation of President Robert Kocharian over the nation's grim economic situation. Political activist Arkady Vartanian had a permit from city authorities for the meeting in the square, the ministry spokesman said on condition of anonymity, CNN announces. But some protesters broke from the main group and marched towards Kocharian's official residence without permission, the spokesman said. The court also sentenced Vartanian's lawyer, Karo Karapetyanom, to seven days in jail for helping to organise the protest.