The RA National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Stae and Legal Affairs unanimously passed a resolution that would allow for the creation of an ad-hoc commission to investigate the events of March 1, 2008.
Four years have passed since the massacre that took place on March 1, 2008.The authors and organizers of that crime have yet to be brought to justice in the ensuing four years.
Relatives have sent an protest letter to PACE Monitoring Committee Chairperson Dick Marty.
"After the assignment of the RA President the investigation group has been staffed, more than 70 witnesses have been interrogated, it has been tasked to carry out operative intelligence works, all the possible version and evidence-base has been reconsidered and 500 persons who were in that scene are to be interrogated", said V. Haroutyunyan.
The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and its member organisation in Armenia, Civil Society Institute (CSI) welcome the release of political prisoners in Armenia.
At a consultative session today designed to discuss judicial/legal reforms, President Serzh Sargsyan urged top officials representaing Armenia's law enforcement sector to redouble their efforts into an investigation of the events of March 1, 2008.
On April 9, 2009, Sarkis Hatspanian was sentenced to 3.5 years imprisonment after being found guilty of “false denunciation” by the Kentron and Nork-Marash District Court, Judge Gagik Avetisyan presiding. The political opposition, especially the HAK (Armenian National Congress) considers Hatspanian, to be a political prisoner.
On February 25, 2009, the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, of the United States Department of State issued its 2008 Human Rights Reports. The report focusing on the state of human rights in Armenia during 2008 was quite critical of the Armenian government’s human rights record for the year and mentioned the events surrounding the March 2008 presidential elections and the events that followed as examples of serious violations....
Despite ill health and the protestations of relatives, Tigran Baghdasaryan declared that he was going on hunger strike on April 2nd. The painter has been under arrest as of March 1st and is being held at the Nubarashen detention facility.