Epress.am News from Armenia
Albert Adibekyan, the 20-year-old draftee serving in a military outpost near Chinar village in Armenia’s Tavush marz (province), died from a shot fired not by an Azerbaijani sniper as previously reported but by a fellow conscript, Armenia’s Defense MInistry confirmed on Monday.
According to preliminary information, Adibekyan was shot by Ignat Yengibaryan, who was serving in the same base and is now arrested. He is being charged with murder (RA Criminal Code Article 104 Section 1).
“The source of the report that Albert Adibekyan was killed by the opponent was Ignat Yengibaryan himself, who tried to confuse commanders,” RA Ministry of Defense press spokesperson Davit Karapetyan told RFE/RL’s Armenian service (Azatutyun).
Asked whether cases of soldiers being killed by fellow conscripts are characterized as death by sniper are frequent occurrences, Karapetyan said, “This is a unique case. Such misunderstandings [errors] are very few — it can be said, not at all. The ministry has never committed such an immoral and unlawful act.”
Helsinki Association for Human Rights military expert Ruben Martirosyan earlier had informed Epress.am that according to investigator Yura Badalyan, the autopsy revealed that Adibekyan was killed from a shot fired only 7 meters from him.
Recall as well that following news of Adibekyan’s death, a group of Armenian singers had issued a statement saying they were boycotting the Eurovision Song Contest held in Baku this year and in a country that is “known for massacres and killings of Armenians” and has snipers that kill Armenian soldiers.
It is yet unclear whether their position has changed since the real cause of Adibekyan’s death was uncovered.