A measure of restraint — a ban on leaving the country — has been imposed on Robert Melkonyan, former commander of the Yerevan Police Patrol Service Regiment, and his deputy Valeri Osipyan, who are charged in the March 1 case. The Anti-Corruption Committee announced the decision, Factor.am reported.
Earlier, the same body stated that criminal prosecutions had been initiated against two additional former officials within the framework of the March 1 criminal proceedings.
“In particular, charges have been brought against individuals who at the time served as commander and deputy commander of the Yerevan Police Patrol Service Regiment for organizing the dispersal of peaceful demonstrators staging a sit-in at Freedom Square in Yerevan on March 1, 2008, carried out by various police units using violence and special measures,” the statement said.
In 2018, upon the proposal of Nikol Pashinyan and by decree of President Armen Sarkissian, Valeri Osipyan was appointed Chief of Police of Armenia. More than a year later, on September 18, 2019, he was dismissed from that post and the same evening appointed Chief Adviser to the Prime Minister. However, he remained in that position for less than a month and was dismissed again on October 8.
