The episode related to the use of the “Cheryomukha” special means in the March 1 case will soon be referred to court, Armenia’s Prosecutor General Anna Vardapetyan said in parliament, responding to a question from MP Anush Kloyan, according to Armenpress.
The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs is currently discussing the Prosecutor’s Office report on its 2025 activities.
The MP referred to the European Court of Human Rights ruling in the “Farmanyan v. Armenia” case, noting that the court had established the use of lethal force by the state, disproportionate actions, and a lack of effective investigation, and asked about the implementation of the ruling and the progress of the case.
The prosecutor general said that ECHR judgments are binding but do not replace domestic court decisions. According to her, the European court made several key findings that have served as a basis for new charges and for sending cases to court.
“The European Court clearly established that the rallies held at Freedom Square were peaceful, without incitement to violence or signs of violent actions, until the early morning of March 1, 2008, when police actions began,” Vardapetyan said, adding that this formed the basis for charges under Article 309 of the Criminal Code.
She stressed that the March 1 events should be viewed as a chain of actions.
“It is impossible to separate the killing of 10 people; this was the result of actions that began in the morning of March 1, involving not only the police but also the armed forces,” she said.
According to her, based on precedents from the European Court and Armenia’s Court of Cassation, a legal approach has been formed under which the actions constitute abuse of power accompanied by violence, classified as torture or equivalent treatment, and not subject to a statute of limitations.
Vardapetyan noted that several cases involving high-ranking police officials have already been sent to court and are under trial. Similar logic was applied in the cases of Valeri Osipyan and Robert Melkonyan, while former senior police official Hovhannes Tamamyan has been charged in a torture-related episode.
“In the near future, the episode related to the use of ‘Cheryomukha’ will also be sent to court. The European Court makes an important observation that the use of such means without proper training and procedures leads to consequences for which not only those who directly used them are responsible, but also those who authorized their use,” she said.
She added that the cases already sent to court will be supplemented with new charges, including against high-ranking Defense Ministry officials allegedly involved in the use of the armed forces.
Following the February 19, 2008 presidential election, mass protests erupted in Armenia led by first president Levon Ter-Petrosyan, who and his supporters rejected the official results declaring Serzh Sargsyan the winner. On March 1, clashes between protesters and police resulted in 10 deaths, including two police officers.
