Osipyan saw no demonstrators with firearms during the dispersal of rallies on March 1-2, 2008

ArmInfo. During the events of March 1-2, 2008, the current Chief of the Armenian Police Valery Osipyan saw that the demonstrators had sticks, but not firearms. He stated this in an interview with journalists. According to him, a large number of police officers were involved in the March 1-2 operation, but one can not unequivocally assert that one of them exceeded his official duties and committed a criminal offense.

Asked if there was an order to disperse the demonstrators with firearms, Osipyan said that he could not know this, since he held a different position at that time. Nevertheless, Osipyan added, he, like hundreds of his comrades in the service, was in the center of Yerevan and participated in the operation against the demonstrators.  "I myself have not seen firearms, I saw sticks, but I did not see firearms," he said.

At the same time Osipyan ruled out that in today's Armenia, law enforcers would allow human victims in the dispersal of a rally, even an unlawful one: "This is unacceptable. I exclude that something like this can happen in Armenia, only in case of an armed coup. But I rule out that our citizens and the police will not do it. On the contrary, we want to strengthen ties with the society and show that the policeman is a part of society, "Osipyan said.

Meanwhile, the investigative body instituted a new criminal case on the events of March 1, 2008, according to which 1,300 policemen used violence and special measures against peaceful demonstrators to disperse them. Later, police officials made fake reports that these actions were forced, as information was received about the demonstrators had weapons. And when law enforcers tried to verify this information they met resistance from demonstrators, as a result of which force was used.