Azernews.Az

YEREVAN – Former US Charge D'Affaires in Armenia Joseph Pennington said in a classified cable released by WikiLeaks that neither the Armenian public nor the international community "will ever know the full truth" behind the bloody post-election clashes in March 2008.

"Until the authorities provide an independent, transparent explanation to Armenia's citizenry describing what really transpired in the dark hours of March 1-2, the infamy of the events will dog the ruling regime and risk undermining its legitimacy," Pennington wrote in the State Department cable sent in April 2008.

Pennington pointed out that it has been difficult to obtain detailed information on the deaths of the eight people killed in the clashes between protesters and security services following the 2008 presidential elections in Armenia.

"Besides the total number killed, official information on the specifics of the deaths has been sparse," the cable says. "The lack of a full, public accounting has only served to fuel rumors of a higher death toll and government cover-up. One prominent rumor has it that authorities planned the killings in advance in order to impose the state of emergency, clamp down on the opposition, and discredit its leaders. The fact that very few of the victims' families have gone public with details of their losses has only reinforced the currency of these rumors."

The US diplomat said two controversial YouTube videos showing security forces shooting on and driving over presumed protesters "have added even more fuel to the fire".