March 1 has been solved, but the culprits have not been punished yet. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan told this to reporter after the unveiling of the monument to the casualties of the tragedy that occurred in Yerevan on March 1, 2008.
When asked why the culprits were not punished yet, he answered: "For a variety of reasons, including a number of legal decisions known to you. The fact that the murderers of March 1 have not been found yet does not mean that it won't happen like that.
One of the big problems is that, based on the proceedings of the criminal case as well, it has been proven that immediately after March 1, 2008, the investigation not only did not make all the efforts to solve the crime that occurred, but also all the efforts were made that solving will either be difficult or impossible. (…).
One can imagine the consequences of all this. But it doesn't matter, as far as I can express a position regarding law enforcement agencies, my position is that we should achieve full and complete solving [of the crime]," said Pashinyan.
To the question, in that case, with what conviction did he once announce that the case was solved, the premier answered: "I declare with conviction even today that it has been solved. You know there was a criminal case, there was a trial. It was terminated due to legal interpretations, which is a matter of another dimension. When I say ‘solved,’ I mean the reality, what sequence of steps happened. Ultimately, let's not forget that within the framework of this criminal case, it was found out that squads were formed, it was found out that illegal payments were made, that it was done under the auspices of the army. The main people responsible were in court, but under known circumstances, an attempt is made to do so that... I don't want to comment on irrevocable legal decisions. A decision has been made; we all have to take note [of that]. Including the decision of the Supreme Court; and those decisions that are not appealable.
March 1 is solved at least to the level of perpetrators. The actual perpetrators are not known, and how the rest of the chains worked is certainly solved."
Pashinyan responded to the question of whether it would be possible for all of this to be openly presented to the public in the future.
"Those questions are not for me to answer. I've already said that my position is that yes, it should all be solved. That is the task of the law enforcement officers, they should solve that problem," the Armenian PM said.
On the evening of March 1, 2008, the Armed Forces and police units had carried out special operations—using weapons, explosive devices, and special means—to disperse the protesters in the downtown streets of capital Yerevan. As a result, hundreds of people were injured, and 8 civilians and 2 policemen died.
