In Armenia, inspectors object to fact-finding group's conclusions on March 1, 2008, events

The Special Investigatory Service of Armenia denies the conclusions of the fact-finding group on the events in Yerevan on March 1, 2008, in the part of the death of Police Major Hamlet Tadevosyan. Inspectors assert that the group has distorted the results of their work. It was stated by the head of the Service Vaagn Arutyunyan.

The fact-finding group on March 1 events believes that police officer Tadevosyan was killed by explosion of the grenade that was attached to his belt, and that the criminal case materials dealing with his death have obvious contradictions and law violations.

Vaagn Arutyunyan has refuted the conclusions of the group. Under the statement of the inspector, Tadevosyan was killed by a grenade thrown at him from the crowd, which was holding a rally. At the same time, according to Mr Arutyunyan, no traces were found on the asphalt from the fall and explosion of the grenade; and it is not known who of the persons standing near Tadevosyan had suffered.

Speaking to the sitting of the temporary parliamentary commission on studying March 1 events, Vaagn Arutyunyan has admitted that there were drawbacks in the course of investigation, but not the ones, which could affect the impartiality of the investigation.