In connection with the events of March 1, 2008, the prosecutor`s office opened a public criminal case against the former commander of the RA police units

ArmInfo. The Prosecutor's Office has opened a public criminal case against the former commander of the RA police units in connection with the events of March 1, 2008. This was stated in a statement by the supervisory authority.

By a decision of the Prosecutor's Office dated September 4, 2026, as part of the criminal case initiated regarding the events that took place in Yerevan on March 1-2, 2008, a public criminal case was opened against G.G., who held the position of Deputy Chief of Police from 2003 to July 2, 2008, under Part 2 of Article 376 of the Criminal Code adopted on April 18, 2003 (negligent attitude towards service, resulting in grave consequences due to negligence). During the criminal investigation, it was revealed that G.G., as a police unit commander, ignoring the fact that in 2008 the necessary legal acts on the procedure for the use of special means by the RA Police forces did not exist, due to his negligent attitude towards service, he did not take measures to provide the units under his command with appropriate and up-to-date weapons and special means and to organize their safe and correct use. In particular, during the events of March 1, 2008, in the areas adjacent to the intersection of Paronyan, Grigor Lusavorich, and Mashtots Avenue in Yerevan, G.G. directly and through subordinate commanders gave orders to servicemen of the RA Police forces to use Cheremukha-7 tear gas, intended for use in enclosed spaces, from special KS-23 carbines against demonstrators. In the absence of procedures for the use of special equipment, expired, unusable, and slated for destruction special equipment was illegally deployed without warning, including Cheremukha-7 tear gas grenades, resulting in the death of three demonstrators, two serious injuries, and one moderate injury.

As a reminder, following the February 19 presidential elections won by Serzh Sargsyan, unrest erupted in Yerevan in 2008, culminating in clashes with law enforcement. The Armenian opposition, led by first president Levon Ter-Petrosyan, who also ran in the election, held rallies in central Yerevan beginning February 20, expressing dissatisfaction with the election results. On March 1-2, protests erupted into riots and clashes between protesters and law enforcement forces, resulting in the deaths of 10 people, including police officers, and over 200 injuries of varying severity.