THE VICTIMS OF THE `PEACEFUL DEMONSTRATORS’
GEVORG HARUTYUNYAN
Hayots Ashkhar Daily
30 Aug 2008
Armenia
During its yesterday’s session the NA Temporary Committee investigating
the results of March 1-2 developments touched upon the circumstances of
the death cases and the results of the forensic expertise. For that
purpose the committee invited the Director of the Scientific-Practical
Center of Forensic Expertise Shota Vardanyan.
The latter firstly announced that by now the structure headed by him
has made an examination of 125 ambulatory, 140 stationary and 10 dead
bodies. As a consequence of what has happened only two have died in the
hospital, 40 days after the tragic events, because they got brain and
spinal cord injuries. Medical interference is helpless in such cases.
Four of the ten victims died because of gun injuries. Three of them are
policemen. The other six have died because of the stroke of a blunt
tool.
Shota Vardanyan also said: `It is a metallic tool, 9 centimeters long
about which we have only a theoretical knowledge. And it is only after
a complex expertise that we can give the concrete shape of the tool,
which we haven’t done yet.’
According to the Director of the center 25 people got injuries because
of blasts, from which six ` of serious gravity. None of the citizens
has received gun injuries. From the 111 policemen who appeale
d for
medical help, 93 were injured by a blunt metallic tool. Only 1 citizen
was injured by a blunt metallic tool, another 5 citizens got not very
serious injuries. 87 policemen got injuries of different types of
serious gravity.
Touching upon the rumors saying that the number of the victims was much
more than it has been officially announced Shota Vardanyan said: `We
are all from Armenian families and we all know our local traditions. As
you know we can’t hide the dead bodies, because we must complete all
the traditions. European experts also asked this question. It took us
two days to explain them that in Armenia we respect dead bodies more
than live people. They also stated that there were 38 dead bodies in
the morgue.
But that day people didn’t die only because of that tragic event. There
were cases of natural death as well. We had only eight dead bodies
linked with March 1-2 developments. All the data are registered in the
morgue, the ambulance service, funeral bureau, and police.’
The director of the center didn’t exclude that three of the eight
victims could have died because of `hedgehogs’. And there are many
testimonies and witnesses who can prove that the demonstrators have
used `hedgehogs’ in the Theatrical Square.
Shota Vardanyan also stated that: `Our center has the opportunity to
make any type of forensic expertise. Even the European experts state
that we make swifter and better expertise. It is a fact that the
demonstrators have used grenades and guns.’