Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan recently shared a video on his Facebook page where he visited a monument dedicated to the victims of an incident that occurred on March 1, 2008. In the video, the Prime Minister can be seen placing flowers and captioning the moment with a heartfelt message, “To the memory of the victims of March 1, 2008.” It is important to recall that exactly 16 years ago, violent confrontations shook the center of Yerevan, resulting in the unfortunate deaths of 10 citizens.

The unrest began after the presidential elections held on February 18, 2008. Supporters of the first President of the Republic of Armenia, Levon Ter-Petrosyan, gathered at Freedom Square to demand a recounting of votes. These individuals embarked on round-the-clock protests, which lasted for a span of 10 days at the Freedom Square.

On the morning of March 1, the authorities made the decision to disperse the protesters who had gathered near the Khachatur Abovian monument. Later that evening, the country’s second president, Robert Kocharyan, declared a state of emergency. Tragically, during the clashes, 10 citizens lost their lives, including two police officers, and over 200 individuals from various walks of life suffered injuries.

The victims of this incident were Gor Kloyan, David Petrosyan, Tigran Abgaryan, Tigran Khachatryan, Armen Farmanyan, Hovhannes Hovhannisyan, Hamlet Tadevosyan, Grigor Gevorgyan, Samvel Harutyunyan, and Zakar Hovhannisyan. Their names are etched in history as martyrs.

In the aftermath of the unrest, a significant number of people were arrested and detained for their involvement in the disturbances as well as for violating public order.