“500 servicemen were recognized as unfit for military service and were
early discharged. Such a number of early discharged servicemen testifies to the
fact that military commissariats were unsuccessful in efficient organization of
detailed medical examination when conscripting into the military service”-said
Karen Andreasyan, Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Armenia. He assesses
the activities of the RA Ministry of Defense in 2011.

 Shortcomings
and problems identified

• Some cases of deaths occurred in the RA Armed Forces
  were conditioned by the problems resulting from non statutory relations and insufficient
  effectiveness of the prevention measures undertaken by officer personnel.
• Some officers serving in the RA Armed Forces expressed
  their desire to early denounce the agreement of military service; however,
  supreme commanders made unreasonable delay in the process and in some
  cases a differentiated approach was displayed towards the officers.
• Numerous complaints were received from military
  servicemen concerning the fact that the servicemen without  any disciplinary penalty were not
  released from service after the 24months service prescribed by the law which
  was reasoned by different justifications not deriving from the law.
• Persons having service postponement because of health
  condition were forced to appear for the second examination earlier than
  the period of postponement.
• By the decisions of the Central Military-medical Commission
  under the Ministry of Defense 500 servicemen were recognized as unfit for
  military service and were early discharged. Such a number of early
  discharged servicemen testifies to the fact that military commissariats
  were unsuccessful in efficient organization of detailed medical
  examination when conscripting into the military service.
• The compulsory military service in the Central
  Apparatus of the RA Ministry of Defense was carried out by uncertainty of
  a number of conditions and criteria of the military service that is being
  carried out in the military station close to populated area.  In some cases these conditions  were breached.
• Compulsory military servicemen’s relocation to the
  Central and Garrison Military Prosecutor’s offices for continuation of the
  service included corruption risks: existence of compulsory military
  service in these bodies in not acceptable.
• The measures undertaken by the management of the
  Ministry of Defense towards preventing corrupted enrichment of state
  officials in the system of the Ministry were not sufficient. Existence of
  such corruption phenomena considerably threatens the productivity of the
  Ministry’s activities and contributes to the increase of human rights
  violations made by this state body.
• The issue of housing conditions of many servicemen
  remained unresolved. 

 Positive
developments

• In 2011, Ministry of Defense Hotline received about
  1370 calls, of which 650 were set in process and received a positive
  solution; the remaining 720 were registered as a false alarm.
• The Ministry of Defense built and rebuilt about 5
  residential buildings, in the result about 210 soldiers were provided with
  the service apartments (about 90 servicemen in the city, and about 120
  servicemen in the regions).
• According to official data, in 2011 the death cases
  were significant reduced in the RA Armed Forces as compared to previous
  years.
• A number of military barracks, medical centers, canteen
  buildings, etc. were renovated in compliance with typical structures.
• In 2011  in order to exclude non-statutory relationship, the following methodological
  guidelines have been developed by the Defense Minister and delivered to
  troops:  special message “Commander is solder’s best friend”, 
  methodological guidelines “For immediate increase of the fighting
  spirit and alertness of the Armenian Army”, “For immediate increase of
  military discipline”, “For immediate increase of military discipline  and prevention of emergency cases and
  accidents”. The explanatory work
  for military units and discussions with participation of staff and
  commanders were carried out, as well as methodological guide “Crimes
  against Military Subordination Order and Statutory Relations between
  Servicemen” was prepared and delivered to the troops.
• In October 2011, the Defense Minister, the Military
  Prosecutor and the Human Rights Defender had a working meeting to discuss
  issues connected with struggle against crimes and human rights protection
  in the Armed Forces which resulted in the creation of a group working to
  prevent crimes in the RA Armed Forces.
• In 2011 the handbook “On Human rights and Fundamental
  Freedoms of the Armed Forces Personnel” 
  was translated with the support of the OSCE Office in Yerevan and
  the “Human Rights in the Armed Forces” training program was developed.
• Before the introduction of the course in the Armed
  Forces and military educational institutions, with the support of the OCSE
  Office in Yerevan lectures on human rights in the Armed Forces and their
  protection mechanisms were delivered to all military units and military
  educational institutions of the RA Ministry of Defense; deputies of the
  heads of military units and stations, lawyers and other specialists were
  present at the lectures.
• With the support of the OCSE Office in Yerevan  the draft of the handbook “Leadership in
  the Armed Forces’ was developed which aims at the development of the
  relations between the personnel of the Armed Forces, establishment of new
  management methods and means and prevention of non-statutory  relations. After analysis of the
  textbook by the Ministry of Defense and the Armed Forces Supreme
  Headquarters Staff steps will be taken for the introduction of the same
  course.
• Working groups composed of the deputy Defense Minister
  and deputy head of the Armed Forces Supreme Headquarter  were sent to military units deployed in
  the border of the country and remote areas, whose goal was to personally
  meet with staff members as well as to make orders aimed at strengthening
  the discipline and understand the moral and psychological conditions of
  the servicemen.
• A constructive cooperation has been underway between
  the Ministry of Defense and the Human Rights Defender’s office in
  consideration of complaints, solution of existing problems and in raising
  awareness on human rights protection in the RA Armed Forces.

 The introduced Chapter (18) of the HRD Annual Report 2011 is
available in full here.

 The HRD Annual Report 2011 was developed based on the complaints
received by the Staff of the Human Rights Defender, legislation analysis,
trustworthy and non-disclaimed publications in press, reports of the
international and local organizations as well as information received during
the interviews with field specialists and human rights defenders.