Former RoA Foreign Minister Alexander Arzumanian, recently released after spending sixteen months in jail, stated that the events of the past one and a half years in Armenia has set the country back by decades. Mr. Arzumanian, who was released under the provisions of the general amnesty, made his statement at a press conference held today. He said that Armenia was plunged into a political crisis on February 19, 2008 and that the regime sought to resolve it by the "massacre" of March 1, 2008. He said that there is much talk about how the regime tried to close the file regarding the events of March 1st by proclaiming a general amnesty. However, Mr. Arzumanian said that the file has yet to be opened. "No one has yet been held accountable for the deaths of ten citizens. The regime has lately been attempting to cover up the affair and place the blame on others. The March 1st file will only be closed when those responsible, those who gave the orders and the murders are held accountable. The actions of the regime over the past 18 months have been aimed to circumventing any punishment from the international community," Mr. Arzumanian said. Referring to the recent general amnesty decreed by President Sargsyan, Mr. Arzumanian stated that pardons are granted to those individuals who have violated the law. The HAK representative claimed that none of the political figures who wound up in jail had committed any acts that could be considered violations of the criminal code. The former foreign minister who ran Levon Ter-Petrosyan's campaign headquarters during last year's presidential race went on to say that the current regime wouldn't have released any one if it had its way. "The regime would have jailed each individual who participated in our rallies. The regime did its best to delay the release of the political prisoners," Mr. Arzumanian concluded.