On December 12 the next sitting of the Ad-hoc Inquiry Committee into the Events Occurred on 1-2 March 2008 in Yerevan and Their Reasons was held presided over by the Committee Chairman Mr Samvel Nikoyan. First time the sitting attended the Chairman of the New Times Party Mr Aram Karapetyan and board member Mr Hrachya Sargsyan. The former commander of the police troops, general-lieutenant Mr Grigor Grigoryan was invited to the sitting.

Mr Nikoyan expressed gratitude to Mr Grigoryan for accepting the invitation, as he was the first high-ranking official related to the March events, who expressed willingness to present clarifications on the events.

Mr Grigoryan informed in detail the members of the committee about the actions, number, main means of armament of the police troops, actions of the demonstrators and military servicemen during the March 1-2 events. In his word, protective means have been in the Police troops: rubber clubs, counterattack shields, plastic helmets, water cannon, special chemical means – bullets with Cheryomukha type gas grenade, firearm with the non-bullets, 10 Zarya type sound-light special means, from which 6 were used, and 4 were returned to the store. In the general’s word, the demonstrators were armed with metallic bars, sharp edged “hedgehogs,” stones, burning bottles, military grenades, firearm and Zarya type sound-light special means. The detachment of special importance, where 1 sniper was, also took part in the actions. Among the military servicemen from the first 80 wounded 25 had firearm splinter injuries. In his observation, the demonstrators’ aim was not to kill, but injure the military servicemen, as the majority of the wounded injured their legs. To Mr Grigoryan’s conviction, the demonstrators’ actions were organized. The police troops’ actions were of defensive character to prevent the demonstrators’ advancement to the Government building and president’s residence. Touching upon the events that occurred in Leo Street Mr Grigoryan noted that the demonstrators threw grenades to the direction of the troops which were  deployed near the shop Svin, as a result of which several military servicemen were injured, and from sniper’s shot military serviceman Tigran Abgaryan was injured and later died. The general assigned the sniper to occupy a convenient position and not to allow any armed person to shoot the crew. Later the sniper reported that he had noticed an armed person and neutralized him, injuring his legs.

At the end Mr Grigoryan noted that he was sorry for all the victims and the military friends, who were in prison but that was their choice. The general noted that he defended the interests of the state and statehood and did his utmost to avoid the victims and the wounded.

Mr Grigoryan answered the committee members’ questions.

Touching upon the next issue of the agenda Mr Nikoyan noted that the committee applied the U.S. Embassy asking them to help in conducting an expertise in any international expertise center for clarifying the problem of identifying Cheryomukha 7.

Mr Nikoyan said that the senior investigator on especially important cases of the special Investigation center Mr. V. Harutyunyan asked him the documents of disclosing the identity of the sniper from the copies of the reports of the servicemen of the detachment of special importance of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia.