On March 2 the National Assembly convened a special session. The President of the National Assembly Mr. Tigran Torosyan said that the President of the Republic, related to the events of March 1st , which took place in Yerevan, consulting with the President of the National Assembly and the Prime Minister, declared a state of emergency. And in case of declaring of state of emergency, according to the 14th item of the Article 55 of the Constitution by the force of right immediately a special session is convened in the National Assembly. Before touching upon the debated issue the National Assembly passed a decision on not broadcasting the special session live on the Public Radio.
Mr. Tigran Torosyan, President of the National Assembly, said that the Minister of Justice Mr. Gevorg Danielyan was appointed as an official representative of the President of the Republic for representing the issue.
The Minister of Justice, presenting the decree of the President of the Republic on declaring a state of emergency, pointed out the following restrictions defined in the area declared a state of emergency: meetings assemblies, demonstrations, rallies, and ban of other mass events, ban of other arrangements of stopping and suspending strikes and activity of organizations by the law enforcement bodies, if necessary, restriction of the move and realization of investigation of the persons, transport means. The publication related to the state and inter-political issues by mass media can be exclusively realized within the framework of official information. Without a permission of relevant official bodies and ban on political campaigning through leaflets or other ways, temporary suspension of the activities of the parties and other public organizations hampering the elimination of the circumstances serving as a base for declaring state of emergency, deportation of the persons breaching the legal regime of the state of emergency, and not living in the area, on their account, if they have no means it should be on the account of the state budget on the condition of further compensation of the made expenses.
After presenting the issue the Minister of Justice answered the deputies' questions. There were numerous speeches full of strict concern related to the created situation. The MPs assessed the decree of the President of the Republic of Armenia as an obligatory and also a necessary step and the only way of coming out of the created situation. According to them, the stability of Armenia and the international authority is endangered, and everyone should do his/her utmost for overcoming the unprecedented situation.
Mr. Mkrtich Minasyan, member of the RPA faction, representing the view of the faction, noted that the proposed events aim to regulate the created situation and called for standing next to the state and statehood for coming out of the created situation.
In his extraordinary speech Mr. Tigran Torosyan, President of the National Assembly, said it would be better not to have such discussion or the necessity for such a decree. "Several clarifications. The decree is already in force, the decree is functioning after its publication. It was said you look at us like an enemy. I believe it is not worth of saying because no one here looked at the other one as an enemy. Unfortunately, it is not the first time there were such displays in this hall. If we are consistent and sincere towards each other, we should look at what we do and what our colleagues do and prevent the display of such extreme events. Yes, there were such things, more disgraceful things happened – people and MPs were beaten in this hall, and what happened today is the continuation of that. That same hatred that was displayed in this hall, it is the same hatred of 1996, which is continued now. You say only the 30 percent is bad, and the rest are normal people. And who let those 30 percent to be among those normal people? How it can be that in 88-89s the gathered society would not let such people among them? Why don’t such things happen then? We should talk about that. It is said that it isn't the right way. Unfortunately, this is the only way left. In this situation this is the only right step left. Nothing was left to do then. Such a decision was not adopted easily as it may seem to some people, during the whole day the decision was not a reality, and an attempt was made to wait for more or less regulation. Here they say - let us call that man to come, what for? If someone had anything to tell that man let he/she did it then. I do agree that what is happening now was prepared by Mr. Levon Ter-Petrosyan. If you had anything to say you should have done it before. We would say - why are you spreading hatred, lie and revenge among these people? Aren’t you sorry for these people? Why are you gathering these people for 9 days long, breaching the law and putting them in danger? If you had something to say, you would say. Somebody made those rods and gave to the people beforehand. Isn’t that true? If you want to have a serious discussion let us be fair with each other. They say both sides are guilty, I do not admit such statements especially at such a difficult time. This just means avoidance. If there are mistakes on both sides, let us talk about those mistakes separately and not just equalize them.
Yes, of course, unfortunately, the democracy is not established in Armenia. Yes, unfortunately, during the whole time we could not achieve that nobody would have illegal arms in our country, could not do many things, could not provide full rule of law. These are real problems, and are extremely serious problems. But what connection has it with the fact that the policemen are fired from the crowd’s firearm, what an excuse it can have? What excuses have those sticks? Are those men with rods proper men? It is very shameful those persons to be considered our people. I don't say that there were not proper people, but I am against mixing everything and having emotional speeches. I am against it. If we have anything to say let us say it straightforward. Why didn’t anyone condemn those persons doing such things? You say this or that was done in the morning, haven't you seen the shots or did those sticks, grenades and arms appear there by chance? Or is it possible that we are so naive to think that during the 9 days of assemblies the organizers were not aware of that? It will be a hypocracy to think that people were having a rally and were not aware of that. If we are honest and sincere towards our people, we are to talk about all this. You say those people look for a leader, how they lived without that leader for 10 years, now they are looking for a leader. You say there is no trust, but - hatred... Of course, all this is present in one part of our society because very often the truthfulness and sincerity is missing, because very often there is a group interest. This is the reality. That man states all the time false data, that man always called for hatred, a man that was declaring - I will come out from all that if not nobody participates in it, that is, he does not care for anything: the country and the future and the people. He was saying he was a tool. And made those poor people his primitive tools. He did not suffer from that. Of course, there were people who were provoking and are provoking now. Let the majority be apart, and did you utter any word when they scolded your opposition colleagues were swearing them and publishing in thousands of copies? Did you ask what were they doing, why were they discrediting? The man does not share your view and can he be scolded? Did you ever ask why to declare - if he/she is not here he/she is a betrayer, dreg. You would say just once that the indifference towards that hatred led those men to that situation. You say they are our people, yes I agree that there are innocent people among those thousands of people but I cannot consider people those who burn cars and attack the policemen and soldiers, who destroy everything. Some of our colleagues say that they saw how there were people with rods. Will a decent person take a rod and stand in the street to harm another one? Will you do such a thing? Let us be honest and sincere, there is no need of emotional speeches, but fair attitude. Here it is stated to do this or that, we have only one thing to do now – to discuss the decree of the President and express our attitude. We should do this, and this is the most important. It is not by chance that it is reserved for the National Assembly. To delay the events means to let those 30% to continue its ugly things in our country. This is the reality. Everything was done having no other choice. I think the law enforcement bodies should be consistent and should not let such things in out country. This will have hard results for future. Those people achieved their aim: that man and group in his environment. Only one thing is needed: honest and sincere attitude to all this, not to have similar things repeated in the future, and not all the problems and difficulties of 17 and 1700 years old to be brought together and equalized and say that everybody is guilty, let us escape shedding blood. An honest and sincere attitude is needed in order to avoid shedding blood. Wet and dry cases should be distinguished. People were breaching the law for 9 days. Why didn’t anyone go to those poor people who were gathered there and to advise them not to do that as they were breaching the law?
What has happened should be a lesson, and only one thing should be done: to be clear and direct, sincere and honest. It has not always been done towards the people and consequently it happened. I think the decree of the President of the Republic is quite pertinent, and the parliament also bearing a responsibility for the situation as well as the future of the country should support this decree.”
Mr. Tigran Torosyan, President of the National Assembly, noted that as no deputy has presented a written text to the President of the National Assembly on the draft decision of the National Assembly on the invalidation of the announcement of realization of the events, by the defined order of the 14 item of the Article 55 of the Constitution, and according to the Articles 52 and 92 of the Rules of Procedure of the National Assembly, the decree of the President of the Republic of Armenia was endorsed and the special session was closed.
