Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan received the family members of those policemen killed during the police regiment capture operation in 2016.
“I completely share your grief and think that it affects all of us, because I have always held to the view that we should not use violence in an attempt to solve domestic problems. In this respect, I am glad that our revolution went off without any instance of violence and a drop of blood. In general, there has been a long debate in Armenia over whether changes might occur without violence. I had always held to the opinion that they were possible, and I am happy that we finally managed to prove it,” Nikol Pashinyan said, adding that every citizen’s life is a highest and absolute value, and he perceives the problems from this very perspective.
“I think that our activities have already proved this. We also consider it important to restore social solidarity, and genuine solidarity in this sense is when all parties, all opinions are heard, and the interests, emotions and feelings of all sides are taken into account. In this regard, I think it is important to meet and communicate with you,” the Premier said.
Touching upon the court trial, Nikol Pashinyan stated in part, “As Prime Minister, I stated that I will not interfere in the activities of the law-courts, because I think that this is the wrong way, and we had many problems due to this practice. But for me, it is as much important that the rights of our country’s each citizen should be protected. Of course, I am closely following the process, and have already expressed my political position which, I think, is fairly balanced: there was not a single statement that took into account the interest of a group of citizens, and ignored that of others. Of course, our duty is to ensure the safety of citizens, the protection of human rights. It was important for me to hear your opinions and position. I do not bear verdicts, and I would not want to be in such a situation. I simply wished to get a general idea of what you think about the situation at hand. It was very important to listen to you. I am ready to meet with you again, if necessary.”
The Prime Minister urged the members of killed policemen’s families to benefit from their procedural rights, since the court is the only venue for the protection of their legitimate rights. “I will instruct those bodies subordinate to the Prime Minister to address some of the problems you raised. I share in your grief and the feeling of pain that exists in our society for various reasons. Unfortunately, there are many problems in our country, and I hope that in this situation we will all be able to come to such conclusions and decisions as stem from the interests of our people, State, and legality, in general,” Nikol Pashinyan emphasized.
In conclusion, the killed policemen’s family members thanked the Prime Minister for reception and for listening to the questions raised by them.
