ARMED DEMONSTRATORS WAITING FOR THE POLICE
Gevorg Haroutyunyan

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
Published on Aug 09, 2008
Armenia

In its extraordinary session convened yesterday, the NA interim
committee investigating the March 1-2 events and their causes gave
clear-cut details as to why David Shahnazaryan recently made a
statement saying that the committee no longer exists for their
team. There emerge facts, irrefutably proving the guilt of the
organizers of the March 1 clashes.

Colonel of the Police HOVHANNSES TAMAMYAN, Head of the Chief
Criminal Investigative Department of the Police, was invited to the
extraordinary session of the interim committee to give clarifications
as to what operations were carried out by the Police on the Theatrical
Square in the morning of March 1.

Mr. Tamamyan gave a detailed description on the events which had taken
place on March 1 and the previous day. "According to the reliable
information first received from the National Security Service on
February 28 and then from the Department on Fight against Organized
Crime and the Operative Service of the Garrison of Yerevan (February
29), the participants of the demonstration organized on the Theatrical
Square were going to destabilize the situation. At the same time,
the demonstrators were reported to possess fire-arms, explosives,
iron sticks, clubs made of wood and metallic ‘hedgehogs.’

As a result of obtaining additional proofs and checking the operative
data, it was clarified and asserted that the operative information
corresponded to the reality. Then I submitted a report to the former
Head of the Police. He issued an instruction for undertaking relevant
operative measures and exploring the scene of action. There were 133
police officers involved in the operations.

Considering that exploring the scene of action was an investigative
operation, a decision was made to carry out the activities on
Theatrical Square on March 1, at 07:00 a.m. I was responsible for
the operative part of the activities.

Not having taken the registered arms, we went to the Theatrical Square
at the appointed hour. Armed, prepared and disposed aggressively, the
crowd launched attack on the police forces before they could reach
the square. The consequence was that 41 police officers received
injuries of different degrees of gravity.

The law enforcers were able to pacify the uncontrollable situation
only with the help of the forces they had in the reserves. We
managed to avoid graver consequences. We were also able to banish
the demonstrators from the square and only thereafter did we examine
the site and discover arms, ammunition, iron sticks, iron hedgehogs,
as well as narcotics and different drugs.

Colonel Tamamyan stated with regret that the investigative operations
wouldn’t have turned into a clash if there hadn’t been traitors
among the police officers. And the20traitor was Deputy Chief of the
Operations-Investigative Department of "Soviet" district, Yerevan.

His guilt has been proven and he is now serving his sentence.

"From February 26-27 till March 1, I maintained the whole information
in strict confidentiality.

However, there turned out to be a traitor in our ranks. Before going
to the square, we thought the number of the demonstrators would not
exceed 300.

However, as we found out later, they had received a warning, and there
were more than 1000 demonstrators waiting for us there. And they were
not sleeping; armed and prepared long before, they were waiting for
our arrival.

As a result of equivalent operations we managed to prevent much
graver consequences."

Head of the Chief Investigative Department of the Police read out the
appeal which was voiced on the Theatrical Square but not followed
by the demonstrators. "Dear citizens, the Police have information
that there are arms, ammunition and other objects intended for using
violence kept on the Theatrical Square. We warn you that the illegal
maintenance of arms is punishable by law. The police officers are going
to examine the site. We request you not to impede the police operations
aimed at detecting arms and ammunition and comply with the instructions
and demands of the police officers. Non-compliance envisages liability
under the law." This text was read out several times.

8 0I have neither been a Communist nor become an activist of the
Armenian Pan-National Movement so far. Nor do I belong to any political
party at present. I am the father of my son and the servant of my
people. This was the first time I saw an Armenian rebel against
a policeman. This doesn’t do credit to our nation," H. Tamamyan
announced at the end.