Armenian CoM approves compensation for victims of March 2008 events

Payments to each victim of the events of March 2008 will amount to 10,500-63,000 US dollars. The exact number of people who suffered during the dispersal of the protests has not been identified, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) of Armenia reports. Many victims may not receive any compensation, since people were afraid to address doctors for help to register the severity of their injuries for fear of criminal prosecution, lawyer Armen Khachatryan explained.

On August 8, the Cabinet of Ministers (CoM) of Armenia approved a draft resolution on financial assistance to people who suffered during the dispersal of the protests. Successors of each deceased person will receive 30 million drams (about 63,000 US dollars), while each victim who got severe and moderate injuries will get 15 million drams (more than 31,500 US dollars) and 5 million drams (about 10,500 US dollars), respectively.

According to the Special Investigating Service of Armenia, 63 people, including 20 policemen, were recognized as victims.

Since 2008, there has been a problem concerning the registration of how many people got injuries and of what degree of severity there injuries were, notes Armen Khachatryan, a lawyer of the Armenian National Congress.

29-year-old Andranik Arutyunyan is recognized as a victim in the "March 1" case. He said that during the March events of 2008, he lost his eye and became disabled. Since then, he could not get a job because of his health state.