Impeding adoption of March 1 victims’ compensation bill will mean sabotage by Republicans – MP

The bill on providing compensation to the families of the victims and injured during the March 1,2 2008 events in Yerevan has been submitted for government’s approval after which it will be presented for parliament’s discussion.

It is not the first time when a bill which envisages order of providing compensation to the families of 10 victims and others who were injured during the events is presented to the parliament. Earlier it was presented by that time MP Nikol Pashinyan but was rejected.

The Republican faction which changed the previous stance and is currently for the bill offered to include into it the families of the victims of October 27, 1999 tragedy as well as families of police officers killed during the seize of police unit in Yerevan.

Speaking to Aysor.am, author of the bill Lena Nazaryan, Yelk  parliamentary faction head, said that these cases should be distinguished.

“March 1 victims were shot at by state’s representative in other two cases state representatives were killed. In both cases the state has obligations as these were political incidents and the state should have guaranteed the right of living of the people but failed,” Nazaryan said.

She said she is for the proposals but they should be fixed in other bill and be discussed separately.

“The inclusion of all these incidents in one bill will take it too long to discuss. I think this is what they want. They say we are not against, we are for it, but include this as well. As a result the bill is endlessly discussed and does not reach its final phase,” Nazaryan said, adding that the families of March 1 victims need urgent help as many of them live in difficult conditions.

Another circumstance for quick approval of the bill is that the European Court for Human Rights (ECHR) will probably make decision soon on providing compensations to the families of the victims.

“It is important for Armenian government to compensate earlier than the decision of ECHR is made,” she said, adding that if the ECHR makes compensation decision it will be a shame for a state.

She said after the adoption of the bill the government will decide the terms and amount of compensation.

As to whether the Republicans will vote for the bill or not, Nazaryan said, “If my groundings will not satisfy them, I will suppose that they want to complicate the bill to move it to the field of endless discussions which in its turn will mean sabotaging the bill.”