Struggle of March 1 reached its goal - Nikol Pashinyan

ArmInfo.The struggle and sacrifice of March 1 reached its goal, because vote rigging is a closed chapter  in Armenia and there will not be a return to it. And it is Armenia's people, but not authorities or political forces, that is the  guarantor of it, Armenia's Premier Nikol Pashinyan stated that the unveiling ceremony of the monument of the victims of the tragic  events in Yerevan, on March 1, 2008. 

The monument was created by sculptor Albert Vardanyan, an eyewitness  to the tragic events. 

"I want to underscore that March 1 is not a day of mourning. Because,  of course, we mourn and commemorate the victims, but March 1 has a  wider context, and the meaning of the life and struggle of our killed  brothers is about something completely different. After the 2021  parliamentary election I had various occasions to say that for the  first time in the history of Armenia, elections became not the cause  of a domestic crisis but the way to overcome the domestic crisis.  This is also my personal conclusion from the 1 March 2008 events  because as you know I was personally significantly involved in those  events and the conclusion is that March 1 was actually about the lack  of democracy, it was about breaking the people's free expression,  deforming it, depriving the people of expression and making  decisions. And this is how we must perceive the meaning of March 1,"  the premier said. 

Eight protesters and two police officers were killed in the violent  suppression of anti-government street protests that followed a  disputed presidential election held in February 2008 which saw Serzh  Sargsyan take office. Former President Levon Ter-Petrosyan, the main  opposition candidate in the ballot, rallied his supporters to protest  against alleged vote rigging.  Ter-Petrosyan's supporters held  nonstop rallies in Liberty Square until they were forcibly dispersed  by riot police early on March 1, 2008.