Opposition demands that Ombudsman challenge legality of
orders of using armed forces on March 1 at Constitutional Court
20-02-2009 18:05:00 | Armenia | Politics
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 20, NOYAN TAPAN. The irrefutable proof of
the Public Committee on Study of the 2008 March 1 events is
evidence that in order to suppress the people complaining
against the electoral falsifications the authorities illegally
used the army. Levon Zurabian, the Armenian National Congress
(ANC) Coordinator, stated at the February 18 press conference.
He said that the opposition is going to apply to the RA
Ombudsman demanding that the latter challenge at the
Constitutional Court (CC) correspondence to the Constitution of
the orders to use the army and armed forces on March 1.
Video recordings were shown during the press conference of
how on March 1 at about 14:00 the BTR internal troops armoured
car appeared in the territory near the monument to A.
Miasnikian, in the rally place. According to Vladimir
Karapetian, a member of the Public Committee, ANC Foreign
Contacts Coordinator, bringing that car against the peaceful
demonstrants caused the natural and legal response of the
latters envisaged by Article 42, RA Criminal Code, necessary
defence.
"In consideration of the circumstance that after the midday
there were more than 50 units of military materiel with the RA
Defence Ministry state registration numbers in Yerevan, one can
assert that several dozens of Defence Ministry armed
representatives were involved in the law enforcers' actions," V.
Karapetian said. He added that there was a BRDM armoured car
near the government building on that day, which is at the
Military Police disposal. It was also mentioned that the BMP car
arriving in Yerevan at 20:00 from its dislocation place, Lori or
Tavush region, started off at least 8 hours ago, that is, before
announcing the state of emergency. V. Karapetian reported that
the Committee asks the fact-finding group to study all mentioned
materials.