Today marks the 17th anniversary of March 1. On this occasion, Radar Armenia presents excerpts from Serzh Sargsyan's testimony in the "March 1" case, which was reopened after 2018.

Question: I would like to tell you about the circumstances of the consultation convened on February 23, 2008, at the Presidential Palace with the participation of high-ranking officials of the RA Armed Forces, in particular: at whose suggestion was that consultation convened, what was the necessity and purpose of convening a consultation in such a format, who participated, what issues and problems were discussed during the consultation, what decisions were made, what instructions were given to the RA Armed Forces, what problems were raised?

Answer: I do not remember the circumstances of the consultation in detail at the moment. It has been a long time. The consultation was convened by Robert Kocharyan and attended by high-ranking officers of the Armed Forces; the general goal was to warn the leadership of the Armed Forces that the leaders of the demonstrators are involving the officers of the Armed Forces in this process, that one of the deputy ministers has joined them, and are negotiating with the other deputy minister so that he joins them. Therefore, all this must not be allowed and stopped. This was the reason that the President of the Republic of Armenia rightfully gave an instruction that either they write an application and leave the Armed Forces system and continue to remain in the Yerkrapah, or they write an application and leave the ranks of the Yerkrapah and fulfill their official duties.

Question: Who were the Armed Forces in the post-election processes of 2008? Situations, grounds, and occasions. In which cases were provided for by the legislation of the Republic of Armenia on March 1, 2008, which officials were authorized to issue an order or instruction to use the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia?

Answer: The question concerns the law, and I am not a lawyer. The rules have changed in parallel with the development of the law, and I cannot answer unequivocally. Therefore, I suggest looking at the laws in force at that time.

Question: The investigation obtained data that back on February 23, 2008, during a meeting with the high-ranking command staff of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia, when there was no information about the non-peaceful nature of the gatherings, the President of the Republic of Armenia, Robert Kocharyan, gave a verbal instruction, stating: "I declare a state of emergency from 00 o'clock." On the same day, the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Armenia, Mikael Harutyunyan, issued top secret order No. 0038 to fulfill the tasks set by the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, which, in essence, put into operation the mechanism of using the army equivalent to martial law. As of February 23, 2008, what information was there regarding the overthrow of the constitutional order of the Republic of Armenia and the encroachment on the internal security of the Republic of Armenia, which served as a basis for using the armed forces of the Republic of Armenia?

Answer: Your assessment is wrong. I do not remember such words from Kocharyan. There was no such thing. Bringing the armed forces to a barracks state has nothing to do with martial law, and, frankly, if I were the Minister of Defense, I would have acted similarly, signed an order to bring the army to a barracks state, and, in my opinion, at that time it was the most effective way to keep the army away from political influences and interference.

Question: Are you familiar with the contents of top-secret order No. 0038, signed by the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Armenia, Mikael Harutyunyan, on February 23, 2008? If so, please state the purpose of converting the armed forces to a barracks state and what problems it solved.

Answer: I have not seen such an order; I am unfamiliar with it. I am familiar with it because it was recently published in the press. I also remember that back in 2009, Armen Sargsyan, the head of the capital construction department of the Ministry of Defense, was convicted for publishing an excerpt from the order above. I remember that the fact-finding group also spoke about it. Still, at that time, the order above did not receive my special attention, so I thought it had any connection with the post-election events of 2008.

Question: You mentioned that the fact-finding group investigating the events in Yerevan on March 1 and 2, 2008, also spoke about the excerpt published by the order above. In such circumstances, did all this not give you a reason to find out what connection Order No. 0038 had with the events in Yerevan on March 1, 2008?

Answer: No, I did not consider that the fact-finding group could be an expert in this matter at that time. As I mentioned before, I would also bring the Armed Forces to a barracks state in the same situation. The published extract mentioned bringing the Armed Forces to a barracks state, so it did not raise any doubts for me. This is a normal process in the Armed Forces.

Question: If there was a fear of possible political involvement of the YEREVAN… and it turns out that the actual actions are aimed at that danger, in particular, the dismissal of the President of the YERC, at that time, the Deputy Minister of Defense of the Republic of Armenia Manvel Grigoryan. Robert Kocharyan emphasized and clearly stated that by his order, Manvel Grigoryan went home and awaited the final decision on his fate. However, why was it decided to also entrust the provision of that regime to the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia after declaring a state of emergency?

Answer: First, let me note that the danger's source was the presence of active officers in the YERC and individual military personnel and units. Let's note that the threat did not disappear when we went to Manvel Grigoryan's house. Doesn't the Yerkrapah begin and end with Manvel Grigoryan? In addition, declaring a state of emergency was also a preventive measure.

Question: The investigation has provided factual information that many police and Military Police officers already surrounded the RA Government Building from February 28, 2008, to the morning of March 1. In addition, the aforementioned assembly battalions of the Armed Forces with their equipment were already moved to Melik Adamyan Street and Republic Square near the Government Building. …Moreover, it was also found out that the service members of the Republic of Armenia were moved from the central assembly station on the night of February 29 to March 1 and were stationed in the basement of the RA Government Building and for more than a month they carried out patrol duty in the Government Building and at the rear gates. The special forces detachment of the National Security Service of the Republic of Armenia chose strongholds in the Government Building and conducted surveillance of the adjacent area. In other words, if you were at work on March 1, 2008, you could not help but notice the units of the RA Armed Forces and other troops surrounding that building, their military equipment, and armored vehicles. What do you say in this regard?

Answer: Regarding the circumstances mentioned in the question, I can only say that on the morning of March 1, when I came to the government building, no one was there; only police officers were near the government. In the evening, in the back of the government building on Melik Adamyan Street, I noticed cadets of the Vazgen Sargsyan Institute. On March 3 or 4, I saw the leading officers of the Defense Army of the Republic of Artsakh in the government building. I understood that Artsakh army units had also come to Yerevan. I did not inquire about the necessity, purpose, or motives of the latter's arrival, and I did not ask anyone any questions.

Question: As I have already mentioned, the data obtained in the case show that by the top secret order No. 0038 of the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Armenia, the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia were brought into a barracks state, the separate units were sent under the subordination of the Deputy Minister of Defense, Head of the Yerevan Garrison Yuri Khachaturov. Subsequently, it was also revealed that after the afternoon of March 1, 2008, and in the following few days, Yuri Khachaturov carried out the activities of the military administration that came under his disposal in the building of the Government of the Republic of Armenia, on the second floor, adjacent to your office. What activities did that military administration, headed by Yuri Khachaturov, carry out? According to the data obtained during the investigation, you and the Deputy Prime Minister, the same Minister of Territorial Administration Hovik Abrahamyan, visited and participated in the administration's work. What do you have to say in this regard? If you answer the question positively, please give a detailed testimony.

Answer: First, Yuri Khachaturov's permanent location was the headquarters. However, since Yuri Khachaturov was tasked with guarding the most significant state facilities, and the RA government building enjoys such a status, he was most likely temporarily stationed in the RA government building to ensure the security of the government building. As for my participation in their work, this does not correspond to reality. I only remember one incident. On the evening of March 1, Gorik Hakobyan reported that the protesters had reached Prospect and could go up towards the government building. At that time, I entered the conference room on the 2nd floor. I told all the military and other people there that if the protesters came to the government building, I would come out and defend the building, after which I asked everyone whether they were with me, and everyone unanimously gave a positive answer.