Psychological harm to Kocharyan
Head of the ANC's legal support center Gagik Jhangiryan says Robert Kocharyan is seriously concerned about Serzh Sargsyan's assignment to reveal the events of March 1.
"Serzh Sargsyan's assignment has caused serious psychological harm to Robert Kocharyan. The latter has addressed a letter to the incumbent president, asking him not to throw the whole blame for the events of March 1 on him. This is what the entire interview is about," Mr. Jhangiryan told "A1+" today.
Jhangiryan assumes that Serzh Sargsyan's assignment will concern certain government officials. "They will do everything possible to stop the process and Robert Kocharyan's interview is brilliant proof of that."
According to Jhangiryan, there are many discrepancies in Robert Kocharyan's interview. Touching upon Kocharyan's statement that "he can definitely say that nobody gave the command to open fire at people with combat arms", Gagik Jhangiryan said:
"I am not sure whether there was a command or not. Of course, theoretically speaking, any armed soldier or police officer can use a weapon for self-defense in case of an assault. But the events of March 1-2 don't fit in that framework from the angle of law and order."
Jhangiryan recalls that what happened was the opposite. "On the dawn of March 1, the people defended themselves from police officers and special squadrons. Kocharyan intentionally changed the places of victims and criminals in his interview."
Jhangiryan draws everyone's attention to the part of Robert Kocharyan's interview in which he says the murders of March 1 were committed in a sector that was out of the opposition leaders' control.
"Kocharyan accepts that the murders were committed by the authority representatives or their illegally armed bandits. The murders took place in a territory that was out of the opposition's control and were under the control of police officers, soldiers and the rest," said Jhangiryan.
Gagik Jhangiryan says what's interesting is the part of Robert Kocharyan's interview in which he says the fact that none of the more or less prominent representatives of the opposition was physically injured on March 1 goes to show that there was never an intention to "execute" the opposition movement. "Most of the opposition activists were either arrested or had gone underground on the morning of March 1, while Levon Ter-Petrosyan was under house arrest and the supervision of Kocharyan's security service."
According to Gagik Jhangiryan, Robert Kocharyan's statement on the state of emergency is not accurate either. "The state of emergency was declared after the stores were robbed, but Kocharyan declared that stores were being robbed and cars were being burnt on television thirty minutes before it all began. This means that it was a signal for some forces to take action."
As for Robert Kocharyan's words stating that he declared a state of emergency after consulting with the prime minister and receiving the parliament's affirmation, Jhangiryan said:
"Unfortunately, Kocharyan doesn't say whether he considers that decision constitutional or not. Did Article 55 of the RA Constitution allow him to apply armed forces in a state of emergency?"
According to Mr. Jhangiryan, the part of Robert Kocharyan's interview according to which Levon Ter-Petrosyan declared that he was going to seize the presidential residence is inaccurate.
"Levon Ter-Petrosyan disputed the results of the elections in the Constitutional Court and never had the desire to seize the presidential residence, neither before nor after March 1, 2008."
Jhangiryan recalled that after the release of political prisoners, the authorities and the opposition will engage in a dialogue the main topic of which will be the special presidential and parliamentary elections. "That will first and foremost endanger the pro-government officials' businesses and security and that is what this interview is aimed at."
