ACCORDING TO OPPOSITION, SAMVEL NIKOYAN CONFESSED THAT SNIPER WAS ATTACHED TO POLICE ON MARCH 1

Noyan Tapan

Nov 21, 2008

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 21, NOYAN TAPAN. During a talk with foreign
journalists, the chairman of the parliamentary ad hoc committee on
inquiry into the March 1-2 events Samvel Nikoyan said that during
the March 1 operations against demonstrators, the police were given
fire-arms and a sniper. The coordinator of the Armenian National
Congress (ANC) Levon Zurabian announced this at the November 20
press conference.

According to a recording of the interview of S. Nikoyan and his
interlocutors (the recording was presented to the reporters),
when responding to the question: "What types of weapons were
used by police on March 1?", the chairman of the parliamentary ad
hoc committee replies: "By our law, our police have the right to
use such special antiriot weapons as protective shields, batons,
water-cannons, tear gas, then various types of Cheryomukha tear gas,
and fire-arms. Fire-arms are an individual gun of a policeman and a
Kalashnikov. And a sniper. These weapons were provided to them". Then
S. Nikoyan continues: "There are attempts to accuse the police by
saying: "You could have hit him in the leg so that he would not die."

Just imagine some people standing and fighting with each other (I
will show you a filmed shot and you will see): a demonstrator threw
something once, and it was a grenade, it exploded, a soldier died,
and they were wounded.

Then another demonstrator is running to throw something. If they
allowed him to throw, it might also be a grenade, but when he fired,
it might be a stone in his hand, you couldn’t see there whether it
was a stone or a grenade. If you allow him to throw, it may be a
grenade again".

A. Zurabian reminded that out of the 10 citizens killed during
the March 10 events, 5 died from gunshot wounds in their
heads. He concluded that those shots were fired by a sniper or
snipers. L. Zurabian declined to tell when the above mentioned
interview took place, and who and when gave the recording to ANC.

Accoridng to him, the authorities are trying to organize the work
of the fact-finding group of experts in the building of the National
Assembly in order to control the group. If this situation continues,
in the words of L. Zurabian, ANC and "Heritage" party will recall
their representatives from the group.