Still in January, Samvel Nikoyan, a senior pro-establishment member of parliament leading the probe, called on investigators to subject police officers who used Cheremukha-7 grenades to quell the street demonstrations of opposition supporters to criminal liability for mishandling the riot equipment.
Armenian law-enforcement authorities had said teargas grenades fired from a very short distance killed three of the eight civilians who lost their lives on that day. Ten people, including two police officers, were killed and more than 200 injured in street battles between security forces and demonstrators in Yerevan on March 1, 2008.
Earlier this year, Nikoyan cited a letter from the Russian manufacturer of the Cheremukha-7 grenades, which made it clear that they must not be fired at point-blank range.
Two opposition members of the fact-finding group of experts set up last year to assist the main parliamentary probe with expert insights and evidence into the circumstances of the deadly clashes made the results and conclusions of their investigation into the matter available through the media shortly after President Serzh Sarkisian formally terminated the activities of the group. The results of their studies also faulted riot police for mishandling the riot equipment and called for criminal investigations into each case.
“It is better late than never,” Nikoyan told RFE/RL on Friday in regards to the previous day’s decision of the investigators to bring criminal cases against the policemen who used teargas grenades on the unrest day.
“It is important that for quite a long time the commission has called for criminal proceedings against the policemen who used Cheremukha-7. The thing is not that instituting criminal proceedings means that the commission finds those officers to be at fault. The commission says that criminal proceedings must be launched and this should become a matter of special investigation,” said Nikoyan, who is currently deputy speaker at the Armenian parliament.
Nikoyan, however, said the commission has no sufficient grounds at the moment to call for the launch of criminal proceedings also against commanders who gave orders to their subordinates to use the outdated equipment in the melee.
“This will become clear during the investigation, and I think they [investigators] will comment on this issue,” added Nikoyan.
Meanwhile, Andranik Kocharian, the member of the dissolved fact-finding group of experts from the opposition Armenian National Congress, said that senior police offers who had given orders to shoot also bore direct responsibility.
“Three people were killed and three other wounded in consequence of the misuse of Cheremukha-7 grenades not suitable of application in open territories,” said Kocharian, adding that all actions of subordinate officers, including the selection of types of grenades, followed concrete orders from commanders.
“The orders were illegal and those who executed them also knew that Cheremukha-7 was not foreseen for use in open territories and, in fact, they executed illegal orders. If those who executed the orders are to be prosecuted now, then all those who issued those orders must be prosecuted as well,” concluded Kocharian.
Armenian law-enforcement authorities had said teargas grenades fired from a very short distance killed three of the eight civilians who lost their lives on that day. Ten people, including two police officers, were killed and more than 200 injured in street battles between security forces and demonstrators in Yerevan on March 1, 2008.
Earlier this year, Nikoyan cited a letter from the Russian manufacturer of the Cheremukha-7 grenades, which made it clear that they must not be fired at point-blank range.
Two opposition members of the fact-finding group of experts set up last year to assist the main parliamentary probe with expert insights and evidence into the circumstances of the deadly clashes made the results and conclusions of their investigation into the matter available through the media shortly after President Serzh Sarkisian formally terminated the activities of the group. The results of their studies also faulted riot police for mishandling the riot equipment and called for criminal investigations into each case.
“It is better late than never,” Nikoyan told RFE/RL on Friday in regards to the previous day’s decision of the investigators to bring criminal cases against the policemen who used teargas grenades on the unrest day.
“It is important that for quite a long time the commission has called for criminal proceedings against the policemen who used Cheremukha-7. The thing is not that instituting criminal proceedings means that the commission finds those officers to be at fault. The commission says that criminal proceedings must be launched and this should become a matter of special investigation,” said Nikoyan, who is currently deputy speaker at the Armenian parliament.
Nikoyan, however, said the commission has no sufficient grounds at the moment to call for the launch of criminal proceedings also against commanders who gave orders to their subordinates to use the outdated equipment in the melee.
“This will become clear during the investigation, and I think they [investigators] will comment on this issue,” added Nikoyan.
Meanwhile, Andranik Kocharian, the member of the dissolved fact-finding group of experts from the opposition Armenian National Congress, said that senior police offers who had given orders to shoot also bore direct responsibility.
“Three people were killed and three other wounded in consequence of the misuse of Cheremukha-7 grenades not suitable of application in open territories,” said Kocharian, adding that all actions of subordinate officers, including the selection of types of grenades, followed concrete orders from commanders.
“The orders were illegal and those who executed them also knew that Cheremukha-7 was not foreseen for use in open territories and, in fact, they executed illegal orders. If those who executed the orders are to be prosecuted now, then all those who issued those orders must be prosecuted as well,” concluded Kocharian.