YEREVAN. – A charge of murder has been brought against the former chief of staff of the Armenia Police internal troops,  Gegham Petrosyan, who is detained within the framework of the criminal case into the events that occurred in capital city Yerevan, in March 2008.

Speaking to Armenian News-NEWS.am, Marina Ohanjanyan, Spokesperson for the Special Investigation Service (SIS), confirmed this information.

She added that a petition has been filed with the court for Petrosyan’s arrest.

Petrosyan’s attorney on Wednesday appealed the decision to detain him.

According to our information, Petrosyan was interviewed in the past as a witness and had testified against one of the defendants along the lines of the aforesaid criminal case.

SIS had informed that Gegham Petrosyan, who was deputy commander of the police troops and former chief of staff of the police internal troops as of March 1, 2008, was detained Tuesday along the lines of the abovementioned criminal case, and on suspicion of killing Zakar Hovhannisyan with a firearm during those events in Yerevan.

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.

To this day, no one has been brought to criminal account for these ten deaths.