Today is the 17th anniversary of the "March 1" atrocity. A day that will remain a stigma in the newly independent history of Armenia.

In the 2008 presidential elections, the then-incumbent government secured the "victory" of its successor, Serzh Sargsyan, through widespread electoral fraud. Unable to accept what had happened, hundreds of thousands of citizens took to the streets to support opposition candidate Levon Ter-Petrosyan and reject the usurpation of power.

The announced round-the-clock rally, the powerful nationwide movement that had been going on for several days, made the authorities understand that maintaining the seized presidential seat was no longer possible. The officers resorted to unprecedented violence, violating the legislation and all international norms. First, in the early morning of March 1, special police forces attacked and forcibly dispersed the round-the-clock rallies taking place in Freedom Square. During the day, the people gathered near the statue of Myasnikyan, and in the evening, the regime turned to weapons, shooting at its people.

10 citizens were killed, and hundreds were injured.

Hundreds of supporters of Levon Ter-Petrosyan were arrested and convicted on trumped-up charges. Later, most of these criminal cases were appealed to the ECHR and overturned, and those convicted on trumped-up charges in the "March 1" case were acquitted.

The "March 1" criminal case was reopened in 2018. Charges were brought against then-President Robert Kocharyan, Defense Minister Mikael Harutyunyan, Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces Seyran Ohanyan for forcibly overthrowing the constitutional order, and Security Council Secretary Armen Gevorgyan for aiding in the overthrow of the constitutional order.

After the Constitutional Court's decision, the case was dismissed, their actions were reclassified, and now the "March 1" trial is underway in the Anti-Corruption Court. New charges have been filed against Kocharyan and the other defendants.