Family of Armenian Soldier Killed During Non-Combat Determined to Uncover the Truth

The family of Vardan Sevyan, 20, a soldier found dead in his military unit in the Armenian town of Goris on Aug. 19, 2011, is determined to fight to reveal the circumstances surrounding Sevyan’s death, according to local journalist Tsovinar Nazaryan, sister of Artak Nazaryan, the victim of another non-combat death in the army.

As reported earlier, military officials claimed that Vardan Sevyan committed suicide after learning that his girlfriend had married another man, but Sevyan’s mother and sister strongly reject that explanation, saying that Vardan did not have a girlfriend. They also say that he had complained of ill-treatment at the hands of an army officer.

Tsovinar Nazaryan, the journalist, has created a Facebook event page to gather donations on Sept. 3 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm near Tamamyan’s statue at Yerevan’s famed Cascade to assist Sevyan’s family.

Nazaryan notes that Sevyan’s father is a refugee, while his mother was raised in an orphanage.

“Their neighbors continuously help them. But in Chambarak [also spelled Jambarak, a village in the Armenian province or marz of Gegharkunik], everyone lives in poor conditions. We have to help this family. I am proposing we collect money, clothing and home appliances for the family.”

Another Facebook “event” page has been created regarding the case of Aghasi Abrahamyan, an 18-year-old conscript serving in an army unit near Nagorno-Karabakh who died shortly after being hospitalized with serious injuries late on Friday.

Creators of the Facebook page say they want to see authorities launch a criminal investigation to uncover all the circumstances surrounding his death and to keep the public informed of developments in the case.

“Continuously learning about such deplorable events, Armenian youth hesitate to serve in the national army. For many, this uncertainty turns into fear, and fear is a soldier’s first enemy,” reads the Facebook page creators’ statement, in part.