MARCH 1 PAGE IS NOT OVERTURNED
Lragir
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17:34:21 – 31/08/2009
Interview By Arman Galoyan
Almost one year and a half passed after the events of March 1. Is it
possible to restore the true picture of events?
During this period there was a set of interesting documents, some of
them released, some sent to the fact-finding group.
The plans of the opposition were open to all, this was said during the
protest rallies of the National Movement, started after presidential
elections on February 19, 2008 demanding to declare invalid the
election results and appoint new elections. All materials on frauds
and irregularities in the election were sent to the Constitutional
Court, and everyone waited for its decision. The plans of the National
Movement for March 1 did not differ from the other days. It would be
the 10th after the 9th day of rallies.
With regard to the heinous plans of the authorities, its details
became known later. Let me represent only a few irrefutable facts
proving the existence of such plans.
March 1 (perhaps, in previous days) in the presidential residence
operated special headquarters headed by Robert Kocharyan. The staff
members are known it was written about in the press, and its presence
has certified the former head of the Police Hayk Harutyunyan in a
parliamentary committee.
There is a document (which the ANC office officially transferred to
the fact-finding group), which proves that 9 individuals (oligarchs
and bureaucrats), were given 950 units of non-military uniforms.
On March 1, also snipers worked. The government was forced to admit it.
During negotiations, the crowd gathered near the Myasnikyan monument
was asked to move to Matenadaran, or in another place.
Based on these and other facts, we can conclude that on March 1
was a pre-prepared plan carried out, consisting of several options,
after the failure of the first the presidential staff developed and
implemented the other.
The first plan: the lowest number of people in the Freedom Square was
in the morning, in tents, no more than 2000-3000 people sleeping. And
this hour was chosen for the assault. At 6 am armed with rubber batons,
shields and tear gas stormed people assaulted from 4 sides. When the
police (or the person wearing police units) have blocked the area,
Levon Ter-Petrosyan, who these days and nights spent on the area,
approached the microphone and urged people to gather, to avoid contact
with the police, maybe they wanted to say something. None of the people
carrying out the operation did not go up, moreover, he had no time to
finish, when the assault began. Lights turned off and the area turned
into a hell. The assailants viciously ravaged encampment and beat
people. Obviously, the objective was to not only clean the surface,
but to do so barbaric and horror techniques, arresting and beating
a lot of people. Meanwhile, there were a lot of women, children and
minors in the crowd. Many families spent the night here.. After 10-15
minutes, the area became depopulated. The police chased the ralliers
who ran away for other a few hours.
This method was supposed to spread fear among the citizens for them
not to dare to come out of their houses of citizens in the home. But
this plan did not work. Just the opposite happened. Spread with
lightning speed the rumor led thousands of people on the streets,
and they gathered at the Miasnikyan square. There was also a large
group of those who were expelled from the area in the morning – they
were trying to find safe haven here, believing that near the French
embassy they were not in danger. The police forces tried to disperse
the crowd for several hours, but to no avail. They were forced to
retreat and block people.
The second plan: it is obvious that the morning after the pogroms of
the movement the movement could become more recalcitrant. This could
be prevented only by entering a regime of emergency and for this,
it was necessary to create a "legal basis". In other words, they
needed to provoke the 100 thousand people to commit such actions,
which could form the basis for the ill counterstrike, including the
use of firearms, which, in turn, will impose emergency rule.
It was difficult to make the ralliers to commit such actions even
after the morning’s riots. Individual provocateurs could not do it as
they were being immediately isolated. The task was complicated by the
authorities, when the ralliers managed to establish a pedestal, and
the opposition leaders began to control the situation. The presidential
headquarters was forced to move to the plan 3. To send into the crowd
a great number of agents provocateurs and persuade them to violent
acts. This was done, although all were aware that this is a violation
of constitutional norms – even in times of emergency the army cannot
be used for internal purposes. But the army was not supposed to shoot,
its presence in the streets was enough.
For this, 9 oligarchs were requested to convene a subordinate bandit
groups, which were distributed 950 sets of uniforms (so that they know
each other) from the depots of the Ministry of Defense. Imitating
to be the most perturbed demonstrators, they joined the people from
different parties. At some point, one of these groups tried to storm
City Hall. People do not let them enter. Similarly, the demonstrators
took over the protection a police official, who was being beaten
up. In this highly charged atmosphere, it was difficult to distinguish
the protesters from the provocateurs, because many thought with the
Liberty Square demonstrators took out their resentment. And only
later everything became clear.
The third plan: according to the plan, should have convinced the
demonstrators to pass Mashtots avenue to Matenadaran. Many thought
it was a concession by the government. They were hardly able
to communicate with Levon Ter-Petrosyan, taken into custody in a
locked house. He felt provoked, encouraged not moving from the spot,
considering that near the embassy it was safe. A plan was as follows:
approximately 150 thousand people are moving to Mashtots avenue,
and it is completely filled with people, these same 950 instigators
begin to destroy the stores on both sides of the street, followed
by assault and use of firearms. As a result – victims and wounded,
chaos, state of emergency and arrests started.
And again later, it became possible to find out that there snipers
also operated on that day (the authority was forced to admit it). They
had the task of eliminating the leaders of the movement.
The calculation was made on two facts: during the march, the leaders
find it hard to control the stretching of the masses without speakers,
and the second they hoped that the angriest demonstrators would join
the provocateurs. That plan was defeated by the decision to remain
in place.
The fourth plan: at 300-400 meters from the main body of protesters,
at the approaches to the streets of Leo, the Illuminator and Mashtots,
began, shooting explosions, burning cars, smashing shops. Target
became small groups of curios realliers and random passers-by. The
regime needed corps to declare a state of emergency regime, burning
cars, looting, which they got.
It was immediately stated to be the handiwork of the demonstrators and
a state of emergency was declared. But no one was arrested that day and
nobody was charged with looting and burning cars. Although it is all
recorded. In addition, on videos, that same evening on TV, the faces of
making the disorders were somehow obscured. The police in the videos
only watched the fight. And yet, the pogroms took place with shops
reversing, and in the movements of rioters was not felt any haste, as
if they were doing their job. Fifth, nor store employees or security
services had resisted. And everything fell into place when arrested
on charges of pogroms persons confessed that they are members of the
Republican Party, Serge Sargsyan trustees and so on. Moreover, there
is evidence that the owners of looted shops have pre-expensive goods.
So, everything that happened in the Miasnikyan area was scheduled
for all the Mashtots Avenue, and the consequences would be worse in
10, 20, 30 times. The number of victims would have reached a hundred
and among them would have been the leaders of the Movement. Movement
would disappear.
All this was the handiwork of those 950 people. Documents show that
what happened is not the result of actions of the opposition and
attempts to overthrow the government, but the desire of power to
destroy the national movement. By the way, the fact-finding group was
disbanded because that was drawing to restore the full picture. It
was so obvious that the very next day, the international community
condemned this action and demanded the release of detainees and
begin an investigation. While the international community was not
too consistent.
After the separation of the case of seven, the cases of the March 1
murders separated. Who will be responsible for this?
The murder cases are homeless today, and the government is in
a difficult situation. Despite tremendous efforts, no person was
charged with carrying weapons. Statements by prosecutors and police
about large quantities of weapons were left hanging in the air. This
means that the statements were false. All the murders were committed
with a firearm. And the police were armed, tied together the city
troops, which arrived from Karabakh unit, group of skinheads from the
environment of the oligarchs. And the killers are to be found among
them. Only the regime is responsible for the killings.
After the amnesty, many from the governmental camp said that the page
is turned over March 1.
These conversations about the closure of the March 1 page without the
revelation of the assassins and their condemnation is a desecration
of the memory of the victims and a manifestation of cynicism with
regard to their relatives. It is immoral for political prisoners
and persecuted on political grounds persons. However, this is a
sign of weakness, self-deception. It is also a fraud, addressed to
the uninformed segment of society. After all, everyone else knows
that the charges were brought to these people on trumped-up cases,
on the order of the authorities. And if they could they would keep
everyone under arrest: examples Nikol Pashinyan, Khachatur Sukiasyan
and Hamlet Hovhannisyan prove this.
The Armenian National Congress has never been against turning the March
1 page over which is possible only through the revelation of the real
circumstances and after the material and moral the compensation. The
Congress leader Levon Ter-Petrosyan suggested mechanisms. Those are the
release of political prisoners, independent international investigation
of the March 1, ensuring freedom of assembly and meetings. The same
proposals were made by international institutions too.
The closure of the March 1 page is a vital necessity for us, because
it is a factor that disrupts the state. No one wants to live in a
country where at night the police can attack the peacefully sleeping
demonstrators. No one wants to live in a country with such a judicial
and law enforcement system.