Epress.am News from Armenia
Only 10 out of the 34 cases of death in Armenia’s armed forces were publicized first by the RA Ministry of Defense, said head of the Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly Vanadzor office Artur Sakunts at the Civilitas Foundation public forum on “The Army and Society” today.
“We highlighted the remaining 24 cases, after which the defense ministry only responded,” said Sakunts, referring to cases brought to light by human rights defenders.
“And how many cases are there that we don’t know of, and I’m not even talking about incidents of violence,” he said.
In his opinion, the public knows little of incidents of violence in the Armenian army, since usually the person committing the act of violence and the one who is subject to it come to an agreement.
Sakunts, who appeared on a panel alongside Alexandr Avetisyan with the RA Ministry of Defense and journalist and former soldier Garegin Khumaryan, said those who are mainly responsible for the incidents in the army are Armenia’s Supreme Commander in Chief, RA Minister of Defense and the RA Chief of General Staff (these positions are currently held by Serzh Sargsyan, Seyran Ohanyan and Yuri Khachaturov, respectively).
In 1989, when Armenia didn’t have a regular army, people voluntarily defended their homeland, said Sakunts, while today there is a regular army, however, people don’t want to serve.