Armenian Ombudsman: I got no answers to my questions on March 1 events

The Ombudsman of Armenia Armen Arutyunyan has expressed his dissatisfaction with the fact that until now he has received no answers to the questions announced in his report on mass disorders on March 1, 2008, in Yerevan.

"I got no answers to my questions put by me back in June 2008 in my extraordinary report on the events after the 2008 presidential election. I'm even more convinced that the police had acted inadequately. I have no answers to the questions connected with the actions of the police during the clashes on March 1, and also with the events in front of the building of the French Embassy in Yerevan and the 10 murders that followed. In my capacity as the Ombudsman of Armenia I did everything possible but achieved no results. For me, no answer is a sort of answer as well," Armen Arutyunyan has stated.

The Ombudsman has noted that he puts more hopes on the activity of the group engaged in collecting facts about these events.

Earlier, after Mr Arutyunyan's statements about use of force by the authorities against peaceful demonstrators on March 1, former President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan expressed his regret with the fact that Arutyunyan holds the post of Ombudsman, and said that it was "his most unsuccessful appointment."