Vahagn Harutyunyan not going to convince Serzh Sargsyan of anything
Vahagn Harutyunyan, head of the Special Investigation Service's Investigation Group looking into the deadly clashes of March 1, 2008, says there is no need to examine the videos showing army's engagement in the March 1 post-election unrest.
Harutyunyan meant people in military uniforms and buses with signs of Ministry of Defense shown on Melik Adamyan street on the day of clashes.
"What is the need of expertise? Let us suppose that there were soldiers there but how could they possibly be involved in political processes?" he said.
In reply to A1+ whether the appearance of military vehicles in the capital's central streets was a mere accident, Harutyunyan said, "I have answered the question many times. The buses belonged to the Ministry of Defense but on March 1 they were given to the police. I must say that even after the declaration of emergency situation our soldiers were not deployed in the hot spots - in Grigor Lusavoritch and Paronyan streets."
Vahagn Harutyunyan was surprised to hear the statement of Andranik Kocharyan, a member of the disbanded fact-finding group investigating the March 1 clashes. Kocharyan earlier cited former Defense Minister Mikael Harutyunyan who said army uniforms and weapons were distributed on March 1.
"I think that Kocahryan could check the authenticity of the statement himself," said Harutyunyan.
Answering A1+'s question whether he was pleased with the investigation, Harutyunyan said, "I am not satisfied as we have not revealed the ten murders. However the investigation is under way."
Harutyunyan says he periodically reports the president about the investigation.
Asked whether Serzh Sargsyan is satisfied with the group's work, Harutyunyan said, "It is up to Serzh Sargsyan to decide whether our arguments are convincing or not. I am not going to convince him of anything or evaluate our activities. The investigation is controlled by the Office of Prosecutor General."
