YEREVAN. – The Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, has issued a message on the occasion of the 11th anniversary of the tragic events that occurred in capital city Yerevan, in March 2008.

“Eleven years after those events, it is extremely important to give a political assessment to what happened,” the message reads, in particular. “The main—and perhaps the only—target of that violence and unlawfulness was the citizen of the Republic of Armenia, his right, his dignity and freedom.

“The shot that was fired at each and every one of the victims of March 1 is a shot fired at each and every one of us.

“There cannot be a return to the morals and relations of the past.

“The chapter of resolving matters through violence is closed in Armenia. 

“Our joint mission is turning Armenia into a country of law and justice, truth and values.

“Each and every citizen should be one-hundred-percent sure that the government, the prime minister is not the sponsor and coordinator, but the opponent and antipode of any unlawfulness. 

“The people and the government are united.

“Today at 18:30 [6:30pm], I invite you all to carry out a march from Yerevan’s Liberty Square toward the [Alexander] Myasnikyan statue. With this march, we will pay our tribute to the victims of March 1, all political killings, and we will say our resolute ‘no’ to violence, injustice, unlawfulness, corruption, electoral fraud, violation of rights [in Armenia].”

On March 1 and 2, 2008 the then authorities of Armenia used force against the opposition members who were rallying in downtown Yerevan, and against the results of the presidential election on February 19, 2008. Eight demonstrators as well as two servicemen of the internal troops were killed in the clashes. But no one had been brought to account for these deaths, to this day.