Nine years after March 1, 2008 state terrorism against RA citizens, law-enforcement bodies do not consider it “necessary” to investigate the case and bring those guilty to justice
18:52, March 1, 2017 | News, Own news | March 1
Nine years have already passed since March 1, 2008. The state terrorism against the unarmed Armenian citizens on that day and during the subsequent 20 days led and ordered by Robert Kocharyan has not received any legal assessment so far; the circumstances of at least 10 victims’ death are not revealed and no one faced criminal responsibility.
Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly-Vanadzor responded to the RA Special Investigation Service statements seeking public support in revealing the circumstances of the victims’ death and repeatedly submitted suggestions and inquiries on the progress in the criminal case.
Every time, the answer was the same: “All the measures under the RA Criminal Procedure Code were and are still taken under the criminal case to ensure a comprehensive, thorough and impartial investigation into all the circumstances and reveal all the crimes committed during the mass riots, including the circumstances of the 10 persons’ death.”
Some months ago, the Organization also suggested questioning the current Chief of RA Police, Vladimir Gasparyan, former Head of RA Defense Ministry Military Police in 2008, based on the contradictions in his interviews to a media at different times. In his interviews, Vl. Gasparyan once insisted that during his time in office, he never committed any unconstitutional action and considered the involvement of the army to make logic and then contradicted himself excluding any participation of the army in the March 1 incidents. And later he suggested editing some of his answers.
In response to this, the RA Special Investigation Service confined itself only to “filing the letter to the criminal case” and promising to carry out investigative actions “if necessary” by thus showing absolutely no interest in identifying and bringing to justice the perpetrators of the March 1 crimes.
For 9 years, the investigation into the criminal case is at a standstill and it is more than obvious that the competent bodies do not consider it “necessary” to process the case and even identify and prosecute those who committed the murders.
Impunity still proves insurmountable…