InternationalA year after the March 1 tragedy in Armenia, a mother still seeks justice
The mother of Tigran Khachatrian, 23, speaks out
Published: Saturday March 07, 2009
Tigran Khachatrian remembered. Armen Hakobyan / Armenian Reporter.
Yerevan - Every March 1 Alla Hovhannisian will visit her son's grave to commemorate the anniversary of his murder. Her son, Tigran Khachatrian, only lived 23 years. He was killed near Miasnikian Square in Yerevan, as a result of a police officer firing an outdated tear gas gun.
"On March 1, 2008, we woke up full of joy as it was the first day of spring," she said, using the old Soviet way of reckoning the seasons. "Tigran congratulated me on the first day of spring as he knew I don't like winter and I love spring. Together we went to the market and then he went to work. At two o'clock he came home and said that people had been dispersed and beaten in Freedom Square. His father and I told him not to go there. We told him that it was dangerous. His last words to her were, ‘Even if there is danger, I must go,'" recalled Tigran's mother.
From now on March 1 has another meaning for the Khachatrian family. The hardest thing for them was explaining to nine-year-old Evelina why her dear brother would never return.
"Evelina felt the death of her brother very profoundly. Tigran was 15 years older than her and loved her as his own child. Evelina resembles Tigran a lot. Tigran took her to school every morning on his shoulders. He loved her very much. Evelina has not forgotten Tigran. A few days ago she found a painting in one of her notebooks. She said, ‘Mom look, Tigran painted this,'" recounted Mrs. Hovhannissian, suppressing her tears.
Three of the victims of the tragic events of March 1, Tigran Khachatrian, Gor Kloyan, and Armen Farmanian, were killed by outdated Cheryomukha-7, which is a tear gas weapon used by the police. It is not meant to be shot at people at close range, but rather against a hard surface to release the tear gas. To date no one has been held responsible for Tigran's death.
"I blame the administration in the death of my son, since my son was killed by a special means [tear gas weapons] and that special means was in the hands of a police officer. They shot my son in the head, behind his left ear. I think that instead of wanting to uncover what truly took place on March 1, they want to cover up the case. The parliamentary commission studying March 1 has not yet visited our house or the houses of the rest of the people who were killed. Maybe we have important information to give them," Mrs. Hovhannisian said.
During the past year the mother who lost her son has participated in all of the opposition rallies.
"I believe that at least during the rallies I can hear the truth about the March 1 events, as I cannot find the answers to the questions bothering me on any of the TV stations," she said.
The Khachatrian family did not support former President Levon Ter-Petrossian in the past. Mrs. Hovhannisian said that during the presidential elections, the members of their family voted for presidential candidate Artur Baghdasarian. According to her, her son participated in Mr. Baghdasarian's rally the week before the elections; he was one of his supporters.
"Tigran was very excited about Artur Baghdasarian. A day before the elections he asked, ‘Mom, is it true that Baghdasarian is a fake oppositionist?' It was obvious that Tigran had opposition views toward the administration. He was in a dilemma. Maybe he voted for Ter-Petrossian," recounted his mother.
"I always thought that Tigran did not participate in the opposition rallies, but when we took his mobile phone from the Special Investigations Service, we saw that he had taken pictures of the March 1 rally and had also participated in another rally, and there are pictures of that rally in his telephone," said Ms. Hovhannisian.
Tigran was the eldest of the three Khachatrian children. He was studying at the Agriculture Academy and at the same time working with his father and younger brother, Aram. He had opened a taxi service. "He was very hard working and honest. We had taken a loan to open the taxi service. After Tigran's death we closed the service. After Tigran's death my husband did not leave the house for six months. My younger son also did not leave the house and so there was no one to take care of the business," continued Mrs. Hovhannisian.
She recalled that last year on March 1 she tried very hard to persuade her son not to go to Miasnikian Square, but in the evening Tigran went to the rally. A few hours later she called on her son's phone, but no one answered.
"At 11 p.m. his father went downtown to look for Tigran. At 3 a.m., after searching for him in all the hospitals, he found Tigran in the morgue, completely covered in blood. Then my husband came and said that Tigran had been killed. I did not believe him as Tigran was an ordinary citizen. Why would they kill him? My younger son did not believe his father's story. He and my husband once again went to the morgue. Then my son came and said the same thing; Tigran was killed and drenched in blood," recounted Mrs. Hovhannisian.
After losing their son, the sole aim of the Khachatrian family has been to remove the "participant in disorders" label, which the authorities and pro-government TV stations have given him.
"I truly believe that my son was an innocent victim. I want to know who killed my son, who gave the order, why they killed him, and who gave them permission to use outdated special means. I demand and expect a just investigation," said his mother.
A year after the tragic events of March, Serge Sargsian, the president of Armenia, lit 10 candles in one of the churches in Yerevan, in memory of the 10 victims.
