Sargsyan interrogated as witness

Armenia's ex-president, ex-prime minister Serzh Sargsyan was interrogated as a witness in the case relating to the tragic events of March 1, 2008.

The Haykakan Zhamanak newspaper, citing its own sources, reported that the Special Investigation Service (SIS) was interrogating the former Armenian leader for five hours. In addition, it is reported that in the near future he will be interrogated again. The SIS have refused to comment.

In 2008 Serzh Sargsyan was elected President of Armenia. The opposition led by Levon Ter-Petrosyan disputed the election results. As a result of protests on March 1-2, ten people were killed in clashes between the police and demonstrators. The second president of Armenia, Robert Kocharyan, is accused of overthrowing the constitutional order. He is currently under arrest. 

Former head of the Central Bank of Armenia Bagrat Asatryan, speaking with the correspondent of Vestnik Kavkaza, noted that Serzh Sargsyan participated in the crimes against the people on March 1, 2008 in the same way as those who accused in this case. "Back then, Serzh Sargsyan was de jure Prime Minister of Armenia and had to know everything about it and could have stop it. In addition, it was done only in order to make him new President of Armenia. The people did not elect him," he stressed.

"I was an active participant in those protests, I think that Sargsyan has something to tell the investigation and the court, and his confessions could literally put everything in its place. I want to emphasize that our society can develop further only if this page of our history is closed. It requires all participants in the March 1 crimes must speak out and confess," Bagrat Asatryan expressed confidence.

Ex-mayor of Yerevan Vahagn Khachatryan noted that Serzh Sargsyan should have been interrogated in the case relating to the March 1, 2008 crimes 10 years ago. "I don’t know what exactly is his fault in those crimes, but he was made president after those events, and this is of paramount importance. He should have been questioned 9-10 years ago, when he just became president, and it’s very important that it finally happened," he said.

Vahagn Khachatryan stressed that all those people in power, who were investigating the March 1, 2008 events all these years "are participants in those crimes." "All of them should be punished. I was among those attacked, some my friends were illegally convicted. I witnessed what had happened. I think that it is also clear for the current authorities that these people should be convicted, and now it’s up to the investigation and the court," the ex-mayor of Yerevan concluded.