The message of President Vahagn Khachaturyan on the events of March 1, 2008

“Dear compatriots,

Distinguished citizens of the Republic of Armenia,

15 years ago, on March 1, 2008, the authorities of that time illegally used severe violence against peaceful protesters in the centre of Yerevan, which resulted in the murder of 10 citizens of Armenia.

This tragic occurrence, however, didn’t result from events of a day or a month, it was the apogee of electoral fraud, the atmosphere of political murders and political persecutions, criminal oligarchy and unlawfulness in the state system, rooted in our country for years on end.

The ferocity that the government of that time demonstrated on March 1, 2008, was beyond the measurements of a human tragedy and had a way wider coverage. The bullets fired that day were against the free will of our citizens, their inalienable rights, and the fundamental principles of democracy.

The crime of March 1 was a silent testimony of the fact that the government of that time failed the momentous task of creating a free, democratic, viable political system and state institutions, for a government that relies on severe violence cannot express or implement the dreams of the collective society and the nationwide goals.

Dear compatriots,

During the 15 years that followed the tragedy of March 1, our state faced severe ordeals, but in honour of our citizens, the peaceful revolution of 2018 came to demonstrate that Armenia moves straight towards democracy, which is against any manifestation of violence.

Even the political developments and elections following the grave war in 2020 proved that the free expression of the will of our citizens and the prevalence of democratic principles are indisputable.

Dear citizens of the Republic of Armenia,

Today, commemorating the innocent victims of March 1, we reiterate our will by choosing the path of making Armenia a state of law, freedom and democratic values, where the violence against the citizens and the resolution of issues through violent means will be excluded.”

***

Today, President Vahagn Khachaturyan, alongside Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, the President of the National Assembly Alen Simonyan, the Mayor of Yerevan Hrachya Sargsyan and the Deputy Mayor of Yerevan Tigran Avinyan, took part in the opening ceremony of the memorial dedicated to the victims of March 1 and laid flowers to the memory of the demised.