ARMENIAN MINISTRY OF DEFENCE: THE SUB-UNITS OF ARMED FORCES DID NOT USE FIRE-ARMS ON MARCH 1

Noyan Tapan
Feb 19, 2009

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 19, NOYAN TAPAN. In response to the comments on
the subject "The Participation of the Army on March 1st" which were
made by Levon Zurabian, coordinator of the Armenian National Congress
(ANC), and Vladimir Karapetian, ANC’s PR officer, at Urbat Club on
February 18, the RA ministry of defence presented its explanations
on February 19.

According to the press service of the ministry, the Armenian
president’s decree of March 1, 2008 on declaration of a state of
emergency formed a basis for the use of armed forces. After 10:25
pm when the presidential decree on declaring a state of emergency
was published, by order of the defence minister, the deployment of
sub-units of the armed forces (only sub-units of Yerevan garrison)
began with the aim of taking the objects of special importance under
protection.

"The sub-units of Yerevan garrison were ordered to refrain from
using force.

The sub-units of armed foces not only did not use fire-arms but did
not take any action aimed at restoring public order. Such actions
were taken by sub-units of Armenian police, including police troops,
whose personnel wear the same field uniform as the personnel of the
armed forces of Armenia. For that reason some have formed a wrong
opinion that armed forces took part in the restoration of public
order," the statement of the RA ministry of defence reads.

To recap, at the February 18 press conference the representatives
of the Armenian National Congress stated that the public commission
on inquiry into the March 1 events has irrefutable evidence that
the Armenian authorities illegally used the army to suppress the
people protesting against election rigging. The opposition is going
to request the RA ombudsman that he apply to the RA Constitutional
Court and dispute the constitutionality of the orders to use the army
and armed forces on March 1.