Prosecutor's Office Will Act on Concrete Information Regarding Tanking People

If there is concrete information regarding the army being used against the people to crush individuals with tanks, the Prosecutor's Office will take appropriate actions. This was stated by the Office of the Prosecutor General of Armenia in response to a written inquiry from NEWS.am regarding Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's statements during the rally on March 1.

It is recalled that the Prime Minister addressed the gathered crowd in Republic Square, stating, "Those who want to crush people with tanks today, use the army against the people, are defeated..." Following this statement, NEWS.am inquired whether the Prime Minister's remarks contained elements of an apparent crime, and if so, whether the Prosecutor General had instructed to identify those who intended to crush people with tanks and what measures had been taken to prevent the alleged crime.

In response, the Prosecutor's Office reminded that "it is the duty of bodies and individuals authorized to carry out operational-investigative measures to prevent and reveal crimes directed against the constitutional order and of other natures in their daily operations." The Prosecutor's Office also stated that appropriate actions would be taken if concrete information regarding the circumstances noted in the inquiry is available, with due oversight by the Prosecutor's Office.

Thus, the Prosecutor's Office emphasizes that the accusations directed at the army by the Prime Minister lack legal grounds. It should be noted that prior to the statement regarding "crushing people with tanks," the Prime Minister had previously blamed the army multiple times for attempting a military coup, which has not received any legal evaluation up to this point.

In fact, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia has not deviated from its constitutional functions following the Prime Minister's and the government's resignation statement on February 25, has not deployed tanks or other military equipment in the capital, and has not made public calls directed towards seizing power or forcibly overthrowing the constitutional order, nor engaged in other actions prohibited by the criminal code.

Conversely, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's statements regarding a military coup attempt or crushing people with tanks, lacking legal justification, have seriously damaged Armenia’s reputation globally, casting doubt on the democratic system established in Armenia for decades. Unfortunately, the leader's populist statements, aimed at political objectives, have become a tool in the hands of political leaders of adversary countries.

As a result, immediately after the statement from the General Staff, the military coup attempt was condemned and qualified by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, the Azerbaijani “National Front” Party, and other pro-Turkish and pro-Azerbaijani political figures.

In such a situation, the Prosecutor General of Armenia should at least advise the leader of a state facing post-war crisis and new security threats to refrain from irresponsible statements, avoid actions threatening the security of the country, and act with reason and calmness.