The Facebook initiative "Army without Murderers" held a protest action in front of the RA Government building on the 1st of September to support mothers of servicemen killed in the army. In their announcement members of the group mentioned that 19 cases of murder have been registered in the army during this year whereas the real number of victims is much more.

"We demand to finish with criminal morals reigning in the army, the criminal judicial falsifications and patronage of criminals, to conduct fair trials and strictly punish the guilty," the announcement spread by the group reads.

Only the Minister of Justice (see the video) and the Head of Police came out of the Government building. Head of the Police Alik Sargsyan told the participants of the protest action: "I will talk to the Minister of Defense today, let him receive the people, give clarifications... I didn't know that you haven't met him - Seyran Ohanyan. If you are raising this issue today in such a sharp manner, I realize that there is a need for it".       

The last of the cases that made a lot of noise was the murder of an 18-year-old term serviceman Aghasi Abrahamyan in the NKR military unit "Yeghnikner" on August 26. He was in the army for 9 months.  

His relatives were told that Aghasi was taken to the military unit first-aid post with symptoms of poisoning, then he was transferred to Stepanakert hospital where he allegedly in an unconscious state made an abrupt movement, fell down from the bed, hit his head and died.    

After seeing the serviceman's body in the morgue, his relatives claimed that Aghasi was severely beaten and underwent violence. They said the boy's ear was torn off, all his body had traces of torture.   

According to forensic-medical expertise, the direct reason of the death was acute disorder of vital functions of the brain. The conclusion too confirms injuries on A. Abrahamyan's body - haemorrhages, scratches and wounds on the head, body and limbs.   

On August 30, the Minister of Defense Seyran Ohanyan officially confirmed that Aghasi Abrahamyan was severely beaten. A criminal case was started by point 14 of part 2 of article 112 of the RA Criminal Code (intentional infliction of heavy injuries to the health that cause death).  The number and names of the arrested are not yet publicized for preliminary investigation reasons. According to the information of the Defense Ministry speaker Davit Karapetyan, two people have been arrested - an officer and a soldier. According to some information the medical assistant of the military unit, Nver Mirzabekyan, has also been arrested being charged with giving a wrong medical conclusion.      

Mary Alexanyan

Karine Ionesyan

Photos by Sofia Manukyan

Source - www.hra.am