Armenian residents commemorate victims of March 2008 protest suppression

Five thousand people took part in the march on the 11th anniversary of the clashes of oppositionists with law enforcers. The authorities will never solve internal problems by force, the Prime Minister, Nikol Pashinyan, has promised.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on February 15, investigators reported on the completion of the inquiry into the mass riots on March 1-2, 2008, in Yerevan. The charges were brought against the second president of Armenia, Robert Kocharyan, and other former high-ranking officials: the Defence Minister, Seiran Oganyan; the Chief of the General Staff Yuri Khachaturov; and Armen Gevorgyan, the then Vice-Premier.

The march, dedicated to the tragic events of 11 years ago was headed by the Premier Nikol Pashinyan with his wife and daughter. In total, the action, according to the organizers, was attended by over five thousand people. Activists stretched a banner reading "Never again!" and carried photos of those who perished during the dispersal of demonstrators in 2008.

On behalf of the state, Mr Pashinyan apologized to the victims of the crackdown on the demonstration and all those who were subjected to political persecutions. "I also apologize for falsifying the elections, for corruption and political killings. Henceforth, the page of Armenian history, when problems were solved by violence, is closed forever," the Prime Minister has stressed (translated by the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent).

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on March 1, 2019 at 10:22 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.