Epress.am News from Armenia
The parents of soldiers who died in the Armenian army in non-combat conditions tried at around noon on Thursday to stage a demonstration in front of the main entrance of the Armenian presidential palace but were met by a wall of police; numerous law enforcement officers blocked the way to the residence and only opened the road for passers-by.
The protesting parents were enraged at the police's actions. Gohar Sargsyan, mother of Tigran Ohanjanyan who died in the Armenian army in 2007, reminded Captain Baghramyan who was in charge of coordinating police actions that over the course of the last two months they've been able to hold multiple protests at the gates of the presidential residence without any obstacles. The Captain, however, answered that the law prohibits demonstrations in front of the palace, while in previous cases the parents “abused my trust in you” and stopped at the main entrance of the presidential residence instead of passing it by. The parents, in turn, continued to claim the police had no right to block their way.
“Open the road! Don't make me resort to insults. I have no wish to curse you, but you're forcing me to say that I want to see these black clothes on your mothers and sisters! It's been nine years since my son was murdered in the army, and the case has still not been solved! Why? So that a bastard like you blocks my way?” Gohar Sargsyan protested.
The parents soon phoned representatives of the Armenian Ombudsman's rapid response group and requested that they arrive at the scene. Sargsyan asked Ombudsman staffer Rafayel Poghosyan to negotiate with the police in the presence of the parents and journalists, but Poghosyan refused to do so. He privately conversed with law enforcement officers for about 10 minutes, after which the parents of dead soldiers were allowed to move forward and stand in front of the residence gates.
In the meantime, a police officer was complaining to Poghosyan about how the parents “keep insulting me, but I don't do anything for I know their sorrow.”
The group of parents have been staging weekly protests in front of the RA Presidential Palace, the National Assembly, and RA Government building for years demanding fair investigation into their sons' deaths. They also demand that the Armenian parliament form an ad hoc committee to ensure transparency and effectiveness in the investigation of criminal cases into non-combat army deaths, as well as discover the real circumstances of their sons' deaths, which, as the parents claim, have still not been discovered, perpetrators have not been punished.