Armenian Second TV Channel, Yerevan
April 30 2009
Armenian ex-police chief denies order to shoot at protesters in March
2008
[Presenter] The former chief of Armenia’s Police [Hayk Harutyunyan]
has given explanations to the temporary [parliamentary] commission
probing into the 1 March events [1 March 2008 post-election clashes
between police and protesters that resulted in 10
casualties]. Harutyunyan reiterated the statement that neither the
president of the country [former President Robert Kocharyan] nor he
had given orders to shoot at the protesters. He said the actions of
the police were lawful. Lilit Kasyan will present details of
explanations of the former chief of police.
[Correspondent speaking over video of a meeting] The order to shoot at
protesters on 1 March could not be given and it was given neither by
the president nor by myself, we were not in a battlefield, the aim was
just to examine the location, and the leader of the country even
instructed not to hinder the course of the rally after examining the
location, the former chief of police said today.
[Harutyunyan speaking at the meeting] Only one group of police troops
was armed there, and they were armed with authorized automatic guns,
and they used blank tracer bullets merely for warning purposes.
[Correspondent] No targeted shots were made on 1 March, police forces
acted in a reserved way.
[Harutyunyan] Except for a sniper, who, yes, they noticed that someone
was firing at a soldier form a firearm; and the sniper wounded him in
his leg and, in fact, rendered him harmless.
[Correspondent] Harutyunyan says that the actions of the protesters
had been planned in advance and that the actions of the police were
lawful.
[Harutyunyan] All this was done in an organized manner. Maybe, this
provocative programme, scenario had been prepared ahead of the [19
February 2008 presidential] election, I cannot say. This was an armed
attack on police forces, and I believe the aim was to overthrow the
authorities by violent means.
[Correspondent] The former chief of police spoke about things that
have not been mentioned before. For instance, on 1 March a few
Yerkrapahs [members of the Yerkrapah Union of Volunteers paramilitary
organization] said that the Metropol hotel [in the centre of Yerevan]
needed to be quickly vacated and that their headquarters would operate
from there, otherwise that and other entities would be attacked and
blasted. Harutyunyan believes that it is the masterminds and
participants in the 1 March events who are in the first place
responsible for them [the events]. The former chief of police, who
answered all questions addressed to him, including the question of
Aram Karapetyan [the leader of the opposition New Times party], said
Karapetyan had no moral right to ask him questions.