Epress.am News from Armenia
The relative tranquility after several scandalous events in the Armenian army last summer was the result of a few systemic changes.However, this situation couldn’t have lasted long, said Helsinki Association for Human Rights President Mikhail Danielyan, speaking to Epress.am and turning his attention to the recent non-combat deaths that have surfaced in Armenia’s armed forces.
Danielyan said Armenian military police chief Vladimir Gasparyan last year was appointed Armenia’s deputy defense minister, while Gevorg Kostanyan was appointed Armenia’s military prosecutor, after which time army officials simply took a break, waiting to see what would happen under the new leaders, particularly if we take into consideration that Gasparyan, according to Danielyan, has a reputation of being quite strict.
“However, since phenomena in the army are ingrained, everything began again. Cases of ‘suicides’ are not uncovered and the guilty go unpunished,” he said.
The human rights activist recalled the case of Lieutenant Artak Nazaryan, who died in Jul. 2010, which investigative bodies are trying to direct on the path which they had set from the start, not taking into consideration the several violations in the case which were noted in the investigation.
“All this will continue insofar as the criminal ring operates in Armenia — RA Ministry of Defense Investigative Department, RA MIilitary Prosecutor’s Office, RA Military Police, forensic and other expert centers and why not, unintelligent attorneys involved in different cases. The Helsinki Association has all the irrefutable evidence supporting its remarks,” he said.