18-year-old conscript Mais Aghababyan serving in the Army in Nagorno Karabakh was transferred to the Central military hospital of the Ministry of Defense of RA by the order of the Minister of Defense for identification of visual problems occurred in the result of lash with the metal part of the belt. Quite possible he will return to the service in coming days.  

Mais Agahbabayn's mother Rosa Karapetyan said her son was informed about that on February 16, he was told that there is a slight problem with his eyes and he should restart the service.

Doctors continue to insist that Aghababyan does not have serious vision problems and fits for non combatant service. Parents do not trust to the doctors' opinion because their son says he sees darkness in the left eye and sometimes the eye becomes totally blind.

»My eye seems to be like a normal eye, but you saw the car flashlight, right? The electricity should be supplied for the lamp to be on; but the electricity is not supplied...», described the state of his vision Aghababyan while speaking to hra.am journalist. 

Aghababyan also says that despite it is recognized that he fits for non combatant service, he served as the ordinary soldier after recruitment and he thinks it is possible that this time it will be the same.

«Treat my child's eye properly and let him go and serve in the army», says conscript's mother.

 The guy was injured by his colleague Shahen Aghasyan on August 11, 2010 after serving in the army for 1, 5 months. On August 12 the conscript was transferred to the Military hospital of Martuni. On the same day he was transferred to the Military hospital in Stepanakert and the next day he was transferred to the Central Military Hospital of the RA Ministry of Defense where the forensic expertise was assigned.  

The First Garrison Investigative Department of the Defense Ministry's Investigative Service instituted the criminal case under the Article 359 part 1 of the Criminal Code and Aghababyan is recognized as a victim. Later on October 22, 2010, the indictment based on the Article 359 part 2(4) was sent to the Court of General Jurisdiction of Syuniq marz.

Head of the Investigative Service of RA Ministry of Defense Armen Harutyunyan clarified in the reply statement N 193, dated October 9th  that the incident happened around 11 p m. 

"While running around the drill ground of the military unit, by violating the Rules of Regulation of the relations of servicemen in case of absence of subordination, by humiliation of the honor and dignity of colleague Mais Aghababyan, he swore and lashed to his face with the soldier's belt and caused bodily injury around the left eye", said Harutyunyan in the reply statement.

Later, in the reply statement received on December 9 Head of the Military Central Medical Commission of the Ministry of Defense A. Petrosyan presented results of the first expertise. «Residual effects after second-degree contusion of the eyeball- corneal caligo of weak intensity, slightly expressed chaps of the edge of the pupil (ժ.4-ժ.5). OD healthy (vis OD=0.5, vis OS=0.2-0.3). According to the results of medical examination Mais  Aghababyan again was recognized to fit for the non combatant service»

With the explanation of doctors, parents were able to derive from this complicated medical terminology that their son's eye has 7 mm chap and only 2 mm was recovered and currently their son says he sees only darkness in the left eye.

Director of the Ophthalmologic Center after S.V Malayan Alexnader Malayan says to hra.am that Aghababyan underwent a medical expertise with total cost of 2000 USD in their Center. He also said that the guy and his parents exaggerate everything.

Malayan stresses out that there is no such a term as "chap", there is a notion «penetrating wound». Event if it is only 1 mm the immediate surgery is needed, otherwise that can lead to blindness. However he excluded this possibility in Aghababyan's case.    

 «This kid just mock of the half of the military medical personnel and several clinics... His vision is normal, he can see very well, there are no visible changes in his eyes», informed Mr. Malayan to hra.am. 

However he refuses to present actual information that proves his words although confesses it is not secret.

"I ask pardon from the Lord but if I discover illness now I will not record it", says Malayan and expresses his anger for soldier's mother, as she is complaining in all state institutions and structures.

Defense lawyer of the case Seda Safaryan informed hra.am that the Court of Stepanakert turned down a written motion on allocation of the materials of the criminal case, including the medical documents.

Although parents says that one of the doctors of the Ophthalmologic Center after S.V Malayan Sofia Kasyan after the medical examination said that the state of the vision of their son is bad, currently Kasyan denies she said that.

For clarifications hra.am journalist spoke to the press secretary of the RA Minister of Defense David Karapetyan. The latter said they should not address to the Ministry every time when the soldiers have problems with their health.

"It is inevitable that among thousands of soldiers there are people who have health problems and undergo a medical treatment. Please do not ask information about the same person four times per day. It is the absurdity and nonsense, it is a shame, and it is specific for Armenia only. In the normal states there is no any information about the health condition of a soldier. There are ill soldiers in the American Army, in the Russian Army but it is not on the front pages of their newspapers", said Karapetyan and added that the information will be open only upon completion of the examination and when the professional conclusion is submitted.

Conscript's parents are convinced that the doctors came up with the wrong conclusion because Shahen Aghasyan who injured their son is a citizen of Nagorno-Karabakh; his father participated in the war and enjoys a great respect. They say, Shahen Aghasyan told Mais Aghababyan that he will be taken to jail if it is found out that Aghababyan has serious vision problems.

Karine Ionesyan   

Source: www.hra.am