NA AD HOC COMMISSION EXPECTS TO RECEIVE ANSWERS TO ITS QUESTIONS FROM FIRST RA PRESIDENT AND HEAD OF POLICE
NOYAN TAPAN
Ju ly 8
Samvel Nikoyan, the Secretary of the RPA faction, the Chairman of the
NA ad hoc commission on study of events that happened on March 1-2 in
Yerevan, on July 7, applied to RA Police Head Alik Sargsian asking him
to provide a certificate on a number of preliminary questions of the
commission. The range of the latters was confirmed at the commission’s
July 4 working consultation, "in the atmosphere of mutual consent." The
answer of the Police Head is expected in a ten-day term established by
the law. S. Nikoyan reported this at the commission’s July 8 sitting.
He said that commission members considered it expedient to single out
questions regarding the events that happened at dawn of March 1 in
Liberty Square, after which to ask additional questions to receive
explanations and new information. At that, the commission has asked
the Police Head to provide information on the actions done by the
RA Police at 07:00, March 1, their goals and legal motivation, legal
documents compiled, technical and special means used, the number of
representatives of law enforcement bodies involved in the actions, the
head of the actions, as well as the actions done by the demonstrants
and actions done by police troops aimed at their hundering, legality
and proportionality of special means used.
Besides, the commission inquired whether besides special means,
fire-arms was also used to the action participants or not, and with
what legal motivation, whether preliminary medical aid was provided
to those who suffered.
The next group of questions will regard the events following the
March 1 dawn.
S. Nikoyan also informed the commission that he has sent another
letter to first RA President, former presidential candidate Levon
Ter-Petrosian asking him to answer a number of quesitons and in case
of having proper factual materials also to provide the copies of the
latters. The commission, in particular, asked the opposition leader
whether before the morning events the Police informed about the goal
of their arrival, whether the Police provided information about the
approximate number of demonstrants being in the square at that moment,
the approximate number of policemen that arrived in the square,
the kinds of ammunition, actions done by the police and the actions
of demonstrants in response. According to the commission chairman,
the confronation of the two sides’ views will give the commission a
possibility to have a "many-sided, balanced approach."
S. Nikoyan also said that they should also apply to the Ministry of
Health to receive the copies of forensic expertise of ten victims and
people who received fire-arms injuries. According to him, they should
also apply to investigation bodies that carried out investigation
on the spot straight after the events demanding the copies of the
protocols compiled by them.