CONCLUSION OF THE AD-HOC INQUIRY COMMITTEE INTO THE EVENTS OCCURRED ON 1-2 MARCH

National Assembly of RA
Sept 17 2009
Armenia

At September 16 sitting the parliament passing the draft laws debated
the previous day and ratifying international four treaties, turned
to the debate of agenda issues.

Deputy Head of the Police Mr. Hovhannes Hunanyan proposed the deputies
to pass two issues: the draft law On Making Addendum to the law On
Public Bargaining and the legislative package envisaging amendments
in the laws On Weapon, On Customs Service, On Tax Service and On
Rescue Service.

Deputy Defense Minister Mr. Ara Nazaryan presented to the deputies’
assessment the package on amendments to the Criminal Code of the
Republic of Armenia and associated laws for passing in the second
reading this time.

Deputy Minister of the Territorial Management Mr. Vache Terteryan
also presented an issue On Providing the Flats Built For the Refugees
Forcedly Displaced from the Republic of Azerbaijan in 1988-1992 to
the Refugees with the Right of Property in the first reading.

Chairman of the NA Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs
Mr. Davit Harutyunyan presented the draft law On Amending the Law On
Organizing and Holding Check-Ups in the Republic of Armenia.

The Chairman of the NA Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs
Mr. Davit Harutyunyan endorsed the draft law.

At the sitting the deputies began the debates of the conclusion of
the Ad-hoc Inquiry Committee into the Events Occurred on 1-2 March
in Yerevan and Their Reasons with special procedure. It was decided
to give the right of speech up to 90 minutes to the Chairman of the
Ad-hoc Committee, Vice Speaker of the National Assembly Mr. Samvel
Nikoyan, and 10 minutes to the committee members Mr. Aram Harutyunyan
and Mr. Gurgen Arsenyan. First, the key speaker touched upon the
principles of the formation of the committee, underscoring that the
Heritage Party, People’s Party and Mr. Levon Ter-Petrosyan refused
the proposal of participating in the works of the committee. As
a result, there were 15 members in the committee, including the
extra-parliamentary parties. By the characterization of the key
speaker the committee worked publicly and adopted the decisions with
consensus. Mr. Nikoyan gave details about the committee sittings,
invited persons and organized visits. The problems laid down before
this parliamentary structure, according to Mr. Samvel Nikoyan, are
three: the legality and proportionality of the violence, as well
as the actions of the police, specify the death circumstances of
the deceased, present proposals on the political, legal solutions
excluding the repetition of such events. In the final report of the
committee the conclusions of the fact-finding group (including the
individual reports of the former members of the group), commentaries
of the pre-examination body and the conclusions of the NA Ad-hoc
Committee are included. Taking into account that the pre-electoral
and post-electoral developments of the presidential elections, the
polarization of the society and the intolerance had an essential role
during 1-2 March, certain chapter is dedicated to those processes
in the conclusion. The report says that both the authorities and the
opposition are responsible for the intolerance, and the mass media have
their contribution in it. As the committee assessed, that intolerance
resulted in 1-2 March events, though peaceful solutions were possible
and should be found. Mr. Samvel Nikoyan presented to his colleagues
the 1-2 March events, according to chronology, being based on their
facts. According to the conclusion, due to the media leak in the
morning of March 1 the venue research envisaged by the police in the
Liberty Square failed. The committee observes the further actions of
the police as compulsory stopping of the mass event of the Liberty
Square. Episodes of impeding the freedom of speech, the witnesses’
evidence on destroying the journalists’ video materials by the police
are included in the committee. The Committee considered this work style
unacceptable. The Committee assessed the actions of certain officers
of the police towards the demonstrators improperly and condemned the
cases of violence. The committee members think that the demonstrators
were given reasonable term for stopping the illegal rallies within
reasonable period of time, meanwhile they responded to the policemen’s
calls to free the square with resistance. Stemming from this and
other arguments the committee considered the actions of the March 1
morning adequate and legal. Despite certain cases the committee also
assessed the actions of the police directed to the hindering of the
mass disorders, the further events occurred in Yerevan on 1-2 March
legal. Any case of untimely used force and violence, in the committee
members’ opinion, shall be made as a matter of examination.

There were also conclusions on the death circumstances in the committee
report. Mr. Samvel Nikoyan will speak about this and other issues at
September 17 sitting, also answering to the deputies’ questions. We’ll
note that the committee member, deputy of ARF faction Mr. Artsvik
Minasyan presented a special opinion on the conclusion.

On Wednesday at the last sitting, in accordance with the defined
order of the Rules of Procedure of the National Assembly, question and
answer session between the deputies and government members was held.