Former head of Armenia's police troops charged over lethal use of special means on March 1, 2008

Armenia's Prosecutor General's Office has sent to court the criminal case against Grigor Grigoryan, the former commander (2003-2008) of the police troops.

According to the case materials, on March 1, 2008, during clashes between opposition demonstrators and law enforcement forces, Grigoryan ordered police officers to use "Cheremukha-7" tear gas grenades against the demonstrators, fired from "KS-23" carbines (despite the fact that "Cheremukha-7" is intended for use in enclosed spaces, and these grenades were past their expiration date). As a result, three demonstrators died, two sustained serious injuries, and one suffered injuries of moderate severity.

The "March 1" case is linked to the events of 2008, when, following the presidential election, supporters of Armenia's first president, Levon Ter-Petrosyan, who disputed the official results of the vote, launched mass protests. Ten people died during clashes between demonstrators and security forces.

Source: Sputnik Armenia