RA PRESIDENT PRESENTS HIS CONDOLENCES TO FAMILIES OF PEOPLE, WHO DIED IN CONSEQUENCE OF MARCH 1 EVENTS
Noyan Tapan
March 5, 2008
YEREVAN, MARCH 5, NOYAN TAPAN. Country’s rating was seriously damaged
as a result of the March 1 events in Yerevan. RA President Robert
Kocharian stated this at the March 5 press conference adding that
still a month ago, as everyone said, Armenia was the most stable,
quickly developing country in the region. The RA President said that
he watches the video materials on the March 1 events with a feeling
of shame and does not believe that it is possible. The head of state
considers that "all of us should have courage to very soberly estimate
everything, which happened, should together try to restore country’s
rating and the attitude formed in the world towards our people."
The RA President presented his condolences to the families of
the people, who died in consequence of the March 1 clash between
demonstrants and policemen. According to him, the development of the
events showed that introduction of state of emergency was a necessity,
and expressed confidence that if that measure were not used, the
losses and the consequences would be much more grave for Armenia.
R. Kocharian said that within the framework of the criminal case
instituted on the fact of the events, the total picture of the events
will be restored, minute by minute, there are many materials, including
video materials, it will give a possibility to correctly estimate the
events. According to the President, the volume of the criminal case is
huge, the number of people involved in it is large, the geography is
also large. According to the commission of the head of state, the law
enforcement bodies periodically, by everyday regime should inform the
population about the amount and direction of the work, which is being
done. The RA President said that the Police made a statement the day
before, calling for coming to the Police voluntarily, in this case
the attitude will be much milder. It will give a possibility to more
quickly restore the picture and to clarify the political estimation.
The RA President divided the participants of the events into three
groups.
The first group includes the organizers of the people’s gathering in
front of the Mayor’s Office, "as a result of which serious clashes
were instigated," there were people aggressively instigating clashes
in the organizers’ group: Nikol Pashinian, people, who made an attempt
to calm down the situation as a result of its coming out of control:
David Shahnazarian.
"But the crowd more obeyed the instigating group."
The second group includes people, who organized attacks upon Police
with use of arms, explosives: "The fault of the victims mainly falls
on this group, as their activity resulted in victims, more than 130
injured, part of which are policemen. The actions done against the
Police had mainly organized character," the President evaluated.
The third group of the participants, according to Kocharian, includes
people, who attacked, participated in the rally, but then took an
active part in robbery. "These three groups’ guilt is of different
degrees, and the approach to them should be also differentiated. It
will be very unfair if law enforcement bodies not punishing the
organizers and the instigators only punish the people, who I think
themselves fell a prey to this rally," the President said emphasizing:
"everyone should receive the punishment he has acquired by his actions,
which he deserves ,and first of all, certainly, the organizers should
be punished, whose activity resulted in the rally’s coming out of
control and turning into a crowd. No one has ever managed to control
a crowd in the history, and when you gather people, you should be
responsible for these people and the consequences," he said.
According to the President, a special attitude should be also shown
to the people, who used arms and explosives, "we know approximately,
in which circles we should look for them." According to the head
of state, both "the people of that stratum" and the organizers just
avoid law enforcement bodies.