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ARMED DEMONSTRATORS WAITING FOR POLICEMEN
Gevorg Haroutyunyan
Hayots Ashkhar Daily
Published on Aug 06, 2008
Armenia
The only issue included in the agenda of yesterday's session of
the interim parliamentary committee investigating the March 1-2
events and their causes concerned the disclosure of the details and
circumstances of the incident that took place on the Theatrical Square
in the morning of March 1 and the clarification of the operations
of the police officers. To this end, Major-General ALEXANDER AFYAN,
Deputy Chief of the Police, was invited to the committee session.
Responsible for the protection of public order, Deputy Chief of the
Police said that back on February 29 they had received information
that "The demonstrators who had gathered on the Theatrical Square
were going to be supplied with fire-arms, grenades, explosives,
iron sticks and clubs, and provocative acts were going to be organized.
This issue was discussed in the Police, and a task was set to examine
and explore the site. Accordingly, a plan of actions was drawn up. At
a quarter to 7 in the morning, the police forces were deployed along
the adjacent streets, and the operative groups prepared for examining
the site."
According to General Afyan, the police officials announced many
times before approaching the square that they were going to conduct
an examination of the site and asked the demonstrators not to create
obstacles. The policemen were unarmed, and the operative group did not
have special means. Whereas all the metallic and wooden benches of
the Theatrical Square and the adjacent territories were dismantled,
and there were barriers and even barricade-like constructions in
some places.
A. Afyan insisted that some of the demonstrators had called on
the other participants to disobey and resist the policemen. "All
this is a fact; there are proofs, and relevant video materials are
available. Unfortunately, the operations of the police officers were
impeded; threats and abuses were hurled. Then, they began throwing
stones at the policemen and using the iron sticks (1.5 meters long)
and clubs
I was responsible for ensuring public order, and I insist that the
policemen and the officers of the operative services were unarmed. It
was only at a quarter past 7 that the auxiliary forces deployed along
the street were instructed to intervene, restore the public trust
and help the operative forces carry out their task."
The Deputy Chief of the Police confirmed that the site had been
explored in the presence of witnesses, in a manner prescribed by law,
although, as he added later, there had also been demonstrators and
police officers among the witnesses. Mr. Afyan also assumed that the
operative service had recorded everything on video, but he didn't
insist that there were video materials available. "The fact has to be
0D clarified through the special investigative service. Definitely,
all the demonstrators had been warned about everything on the previous
day, and they were aware that the police were going to examine the
site. This fact was also confirmed by the criminal case which was
instituted thereafter. We also have a convict.
Thus, all the demonstrators were prepared. Supplied with arms, they
were waiting for the police forces, and started military operations
with us. This is a fact.
The statement that the police complied with an instruction to clear the
square is a lie. As a result of exploring the site, arms, iron stick,
grenades and bottles filled with petrol were discovered. If there had
been an instruction for dispersing the peaceful demonstrators, we would
have gone there with special means and water-pouring vehicles. We
went there for exploring the site. This information is precise and
unequivocal."
The Deputy Chief of the Police also answered the question which has
been continuously speculated during the recent months. "I supervised
the operation, and the instructions were given by me. There were around
600 policemen participating in the operation. Among them, 200 people
were from district police departments of Yerevan, 250 people were from
the patrol police regiment of Yerevan, 6 people were from the Chief
Police Administration, and 34 people were from the Chief Criminal
Department of Yerevan. The operative group consisted of 113 servicemen.
The others were policemen protecting public order, servicemen of the
patrol police regiment and officers from district departments. No
special detachments were brought here from Karabakh. Our forces
were enough.
Statements of this kind are speculations which pursue specific goals."
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Gevorg Haroutyunyan
Hayots Ashkhar Daily
Published on Aug 06, 2008
Armenia
The only issue included in the agenda of yesterday's session of
the interim parliamentary committee investigating the March 1-2
events and their causes concerned the disclosure of the details and
circumstances of the incident that took place on the Theatrical Square
in the morning of March 1 and the clarification of the operations
of the police officers. To this end, Major-General ALEXANDER AFYAN,
Deputy Chief of the Police, was invited to the committee session.
Responsible for the protection of public order, Deputy Chief of the
Police said that back on February 29 they had received information
that "The demonstrators who had gathered on the Theatrical Square
were going to be supplied with fire-arms, grenades, explosives,
iron sticks and clubs, and provocative acts were going to be organized.
This issue was discussed in the Police, and a task was set to examine
and explore the site. Accordingly, a plan of actions was drawn up. At
a quarter to 7 in the morning, the police forces were deployed along
the adjacent streets, and the operative groups prepared for examining
the site."
According to General Afyan, the police officials announced many
times before approaching the square that they were going to conduct
an examination of the site and asked the demonstrators not to create
obstacles. The policemen were unarmed, and the operative group did not
have special means. Whereas all the metallic and wooden benches of
the Theatrical Square and the adjacent territories were dismantled,
and there were barriers and even barricade-like constructions in
some places.
A. Afyan insisted that some of the demonstrators had called on
the other participants to disobey and resist the policemen. "All
this is a fact; there are proofs, and relevant video materials are
available. Unfortunately, the operations of the police officers were
impeded; threats and abuses were hurled. Then, they began throwing
stones at the policemen and using the iron sticks (1.5 meters long)
and clubs
I was responsible for ensuring public order, and I insist that the
policemen and the officers of the operative services were unarmed. It
was only at a quarter past 7 that the auxiliary forces deployed along
the street were instructed to intervene, restore the public trust
and help the operative forces carry out their task."
The Deputy Chief of the Police confirmed that the site had been
explored in the presence of witnesses, in a manner prescribed by law,
although, as he added later, there had also been demonstrators and
police officers among the witnesses. Mr. Afyan also assumed that the
operative service had recorded everything on video, but he didn't
insist that there were video materials available. "The fact has to be
0D clarified through the special investigative service. Definitely,
all the demonstrators had been warned about everything on the previous
day, and they were aware that the police were going to examine the
site. This fact was also confirmed by the criminal case which was
instituted thereafter. We also have a convict.
Thus, all the demonstrators were prepared. Supplied with arms, they
were waiting for the police forces, and started military operations
with us. This is a fact.
The statement that the police complied with an instruction to clear the
square is a lie. As a result of exploring the site, arms, iron stick,
grenades and bottles filled with petrol were discovered. If there had
been an instruction for dispersing the peaceful demonstrators, we would
have gone there with special means and water-pouring vehicles. We
went there for exploring the site. This information is precise and
unequivocal."
The Deputy Chief of the Police also answered the question which has
been continuously speculated during the recent months. "I supervised
the operation, and the instructions were given by me. There were around
600 policemen participating in the operation. Among them, 200 people
were from district police departments of Yerevan, 250 people were from
the patrol police regiment of Yerevan, 6 people were from the Chief
Police Administration, and 34 people were from the Chief Criminal
Department of Yerevan. The operative group consisted of 113 servicemen.
The others were policemen protecting public order, servicemen of the
patrol police regiment and officers from district departments. No
special detachments were brought here from Karabakh. Our forces
were enough.
Statements of this kind are speculations which pursue specific goals."
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress