Calendar: March 9. Kocharyan Warns the Authors of the Announcement (video)

In these days of 1998, there is an active period of snap presidential election campaigns in Armenia. On March 8, representatives of Vazgen Manukyan’s election team Samvel Shahinyan and Filaret Berikyan are severely beaten during a meeting with voters in Ararat. The Prime Ministerial candidate, incumbent Prime Minister Robert Kocharyan makes a unique assessment on what happened on March 9, noting, that some candidates miss the 1996 election, but he won’t give such opportunity. Kocharyan hints that the 1996 elections and the post-election period are full of mass beatings, repressions, arrests. In many cases, afterwards, Kocharyan is forced to use more brutal and cruel methods than it was in 1996. By the way, just two days after beating of Vazgen Manukyan’s headquarters, a joint rally of the opposition candidates is held in the same Ararat on the initiative of Paruyr Hayrikyan.

            Again in 2000, this day is decisive for Robert Kocharyan. He publicly referres to the Unity Alliance leaders’ request to him days ago. The alliance demands the resignation of the head of the presidential staff Serzh Sargsyan and the head of the National Television Company Tigran Naghdalyan. Kocharyan considers the announcement absurd, the demands inappropriate, and the phenomenon worrying.

            Kocharyan warns the authors of the announcement that it can be dangerous for them. And indeed, shortly after, Prime Minister Aram Sargsyan and Prosecutor Boris Nazaryan are dismissed. And the head of “Unity” parliamentary faction Andranik Margaryan is appointed RA Prime Minister by the same Kocharyan’s decree. And this is despite the fact that on March 9 Robert Kocharyan announces that a people whose parliamentary majority is led by Margaryan can be pitied.

            Early morning of March 9, 1999, prominent politician, publicist Tigran Hayrapetyan was run over by a car and died. On March 9, the Pan-Armenian National Movement announces, that what happened is a political assassination that starts restrictions on freedom of speech. It is difficult to unambiguously state exactly when the restrictions started, but it is undeniable that our country has had constant problems in this field. By the way, Hayrapetyan’s mother considers his son’s death as premediated.

            On this day in 2001, the prominent maestro Ohan Duryan discomposedly announces about his intention to leave Armenia. The reason is the decision of the board of the Ministry of Culture to dismiss Duryan from the position of the chief conductor of the Opera Theatre. Maestro worked for 10 years for free in the homeland at the invitation of the government.

            On this day in 2001, the Court of Appeals upholds the first- instance court’s decision to sentence Nikol Pashinyan to 7 years imprisonment, correcting the use of amnesty, which reduces the sentence by 50 percent. Pashinyan’s lawyer once again stated that they didn’t seek amnesty, but demanded an acquittal.