ArmInfo.The struggle and sacrifice of March 1 reached its goal, because vote rigging is a closed chapter in Armenia and there will not be a return to it. And it is Armenia's people, but not authorities or political forces, that is the guarantor of it, Armenia's Premier Nikol Pashinyan stated that the unveiling ceremony of the monument of the victims of the tragic events in Yerevan, on March 1, 2008.
The monument was created by sculptor Albert Vardanyan, an eyewitness to the tragic events.
"I want to underscore that March 1 is not a day of mourning. Because, of course, we mourn and commemorate the victims, but March 1 has a wider context, and the meaning of the life and struggle of our killed brothers is about something completely different. After the 2021 parliamentary election I had various occasions to say that for the first time in the history of Armenia, elections became not the cause of a domestic crisis but the way to overcome the domestic crisis. This is also my personal conclusion from the 1 March 2008 events because as you know I was personally significantly involved in those events and the conclusion is that March 1 was actually about the lack of democracy, it was about breaking the people's free expression, deforming it, depriving the people of expression and making decisions. And this is how we must perceive the meaning of March 1," the premier said.
Eight protesters and two police officers were killed in the violent suppression of anti-government street protests that followed a disputed presidential election held in February 2008 which saw Serzh Sargsyan take office. Former President Levon Ter-Petrosyan, the main opposition candidate in the ballot, rallied his supporters to protest against alleged vote rigging. Ter-Petrosyan's supporters held nonstop rallies in Liberty Square until they were forcibly dispersed by riot police early on March 1, 2008.