Epress.am News from Armenia
The RA Special Investigation Service (SIS), in a statement issued Friday, considered unacceptable clips recently posted on YouTube allegedly depicting the events of Mar. 1–2, 2008, in Yerevan, accompanied by “unfounded and fabricated comments, which pursue purely political aims and makes room for speculations.”
As previously reported, on Jun. 15, a user by the name of martimek2008 (which is “Mar. 1, 2008″ in Armenian) uploaded a 2 minutes, 45 seconds clip on YouTube titled “Grigor Gevorgyan shot by snipers” allegedly filmed during the events of Mar. 1–2, 2008, in Yerevan, when national police and military forces, called in to disperse the mass riots following a contested presidential election, used “excessive force and violence” which left 10 people dead and many more wounded. The circumstances surrounding the events during these days (as well as the investigation into the people behind the murders) have still not been officially clarified.
The same user also uploaded other clips on YouTube on the events of Mar. 1–2, 2008: 41-second clip titled “See how they fire on Mar. 1, 2008,” a 58-second clip titled “Samvel Harutyunyan’s Execution… 01.03.2008,” and a 6-second clip titled “Border Troops in Liberty Square.” Note, all the clips are titled in Armenian.
Armenia’s Special Investigation Service, in its statement, notes that the clip posted on YouTube on Jun. 6, 2011, is titled “Samvel Harutyunyan’s Execution… 01.03.2008,” but “there is no scene in the video depicting the fact of the murder of Samvel Harutyunyan or any other person.”
“Moreover, in accordance with the forensic examination, Samvel Harutyunyan’s injury was caused as a result of the impact from a blunt object, and death overtook him much later after receiving the injury — at the hospital, from a general intoxication of his system.
“As for the clip uploaded on YouTube on Jun. 16, 2011 [“Grigor Gevorgyan shot by snipers”], in terms of evidence, it only affirms the facts acquired and confirmed through the investigation, that Grigor Gevorgyan’s body was taken to the scientific center of forensic examination from near the shoe repair booth next to the courtyard entrance across the street from the intersection of Paronyan and Leo streets, and not more. Once again we urge those who filmed the footage to bring their videos in their entirety to the investigate body, which might be helpful for the investigation, for verifying certain facts. Incompetent comments [by those who have a stake] only have the intention of misleading the public and manipulating the incidents and the circumstances surrounding them,” reads the SIS statement.