Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly-Vanadzor

On July 10, 2019, HCA Vanadzor published the results of the study pertaining to the death cases of servicemen in the Armed Forces of the RA and the RA/NK in the first half of 2019.

According to the data of the study, we informed that in the first half of 2019, death cases of 23 servicemen occurred, 11 of which occurred as a result of car crash, 3 occurred as a result of health problems, 3 occurred as a result of murder ( 2 intentional, 1 attempt of murder of two or more persons), 3 occured as a result of suicide or inciting suicide, 2 occurred as a result of ceasefire violation, 1 occurred as a result of an accident (the servicemsan slipped into a chasm).

After the publication of the information paper on July 10, 2019, we obtained, from official sources, information on six more servicemen’s death cases, on which neither any message was disseminated nor they were touched upon by mass media.

1. Vrezh Karapetyan (health problem)
2. Hrachya Boyajyan (health problem)
3. Ara Khlghatyan (health problem)
4. Aram Sargsyan (health problem)
5. Yuri Hakobyan (health problem)
6. Arayik Tsaturyan/ Tsatryan (suicide)

Thus, death cases of 29 servicemen were recorded in the Armed Forces of the RA and the RA/NK in the first half of 2019.

It should be recorded that 5 out of the 6 unannounced death cases were officially (by the RA Prosecutor General’s Office) considered as not related and 1 was considered as related to military service. Namely, Vrezh Karapetyan’s, Hrachya Boyajyan’s, Ara Khlghatyan’s, Aram Sargsyan’s and Yuri Hakobyan’s death cases that occurred as a result of health problems were considered as not related to military service.

While, Arayik Tsaturyan’s (Tsatryan according to the RA Defense Ministry, RA Prosecutor General’s Office) death case was considered as a result of suicide related to military service.

It is noteworthy that no information was disseminated by official sources or mass media on the case qualified as suicide and oficially classified as “related to military service”.

According to the data of the RA Prosecutor General’s Office, in the first half of 2019, 11 out of 29 servicemen’s death cases that occurred in the Armed Forces of the RA and the RA/NK are related to military service, 18 cases are not related to military service.

It should be added that during July 2019, 3 death cases were recorded, 1 of which occurred as a result of ceasefire violation and 2 cases were qualified as suicide.

Thus, during January-July 2019, 32 death cases were recorded.

For the sake of comparison, it should be mentioned that 34 servicemen’s death cases were recorded during the same time period of 2018.

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