Former Deputy Police Chief Charged with Using Violence within the Scope of the March 1 Events

RA Prosecutor General Anna Vardapetyan presented details regarding the charges filed against the former Deputy Chief of Police, Sasha Afyan, in the “March 1” case.

According to her, during a consultation on February 29, 2008, Police Chief Hayk Harutyunyan ordered the cessation of the peaceful protests in Azatutyan (Liberty) Square.

Afyan gathered the servicemen of the Police Patrol Service (PPS) Regiment that same night, instructed them to arm themselves with special means, and forced them to violently disperse the peaceful demonstrators, which was outside the scope of their authority. Around 6:30 AM, approximately 1,200 police officers were deployed on the streets adjacent to the square and, using physical force and special means, illegally dispersed the citizens and prevented the gatherings.

On October 26, 2019, Afyan was charged under Part 2 of Article 38-309 of the RA Criminal Code (CC).According to Vardapetyan, the previously applied statute of limitations was deemed illegal because Afyan’s actions were considered equivalent to torture. This episode will shortly be submitted to the court with a bill of indictment.