Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly-Vanadzor

HCAV continues protecting military servicemen’s rights, raising awareness regarding their rights, as well as restoring (in Armenian) their violated rights.

Among other issues, it is worrisome that relevant notes are not made in military record books of compulsory-term servicemen, reservists and volunteers, who participated in the 44-day war and, in many cases, also got injured.

Reservist major A.H.  got injured during the 44-day war and after recovering, in December 2020, went to the military unit to have a relevant note about participating in the hostilities made in his military record book. After not receiving any information for more than 6 months, he applied to the regional subdivision, where he was informed that his personal file had not been returned to the subdivision yet. After that, he applied to HCA Vanadzor, requesting to protect his rights. It was only after HCAV sent a letter - in June 2021 -  that the MoD responded that the relevant note was made in A.H.’s military record book. 

A number of military servicemen, who participated in the 44-day war in 2020, had a relevant note about participating in the hostilities made in their military record book only after HCAV provided legal aid, when they applied to the Organization and informed that they had participated in hostilities, got fragment or other type of injury, but no relevant note had been made in their military record book.

T.T. was serving his compulsory military service, when the war started. He got injured in October 2020.  According to the information of MoD, the military unit, where he was serving, disbanded, which is why it was not possible to verify the documents sent from that military unit, and that is the reason why no note was made in the military record book about participating in the hostilities and getting injured. HCAV sent a letter, and only after that the MoD informed that in April 2022 the regional subdivision received the relevant documents about the serviceman’s participation in the hostilities and his injury in order to make a note in his military record book. 

After the Organization voiced the issue, the RA Ministry of Defense gave relevant instructions to various bodies functioning under the MoD, and the relevant notes were made only 1-2 years after the hostilities ended.

H.M. was serving his compulsory military service, when the war started. He was also injured and according to him, no note was made in his military record book about participating in the hostilities. Moreover, he stated that the command staff informed them that they were not going to make a note in the military record book. H.M. applied to HCA Vanadzor in order to protect his rights. In November 2021, only after receiving legal aid from HCA Vanadzor was a note made in his military record book about participating in the hostilities. 

By the way, in case of the mentioned notes, participants of hostilities have certain privileges, in particular, the right to free of charge treatment in sanatorium in a procedure and conditions established by the RA Government, the right to free of charge travel by all types of public passenger transport (except taxi) in the territory of the Republic of Armenia, regardless of ownership.

During his compulsory military service, L.M. participated in the 44-day war operations, as a result of which he got injured. In February 2021, he was discharged without any note in the military record book about participating in the hostilities. First, he himself applied to the  RA MoD Conscription and Mobilization Territorial Subdivision, and not achieving anything, he applied to HCA Vanadzor. On 28 July 2021, after HCAV addressed a letter to the RA Ministry of Defense, documents about L.M.'s participation in the hostilities and his injury were sent to the appropriate subdivision for relevant notes to be made in his military record book. 

A participant of hostilities, who has the right to military pension for 1st or 2nd degree disability, as well as children, parents, spouse - aged up to 27 - of a serviceman who died (was killed) have the right to be admitted and get educated - without participating in the competition, but rather, having a separate competition held (in case of having reached the minimum threshold of points in the examinations) -  in accredited higher education institutions, state and accredited non-state institutions providing primary vocational (handicraft) and (or) secondary vocational education, at the expense of the RA state budget and in a procedure established by the RA Government. 

In addition, family members of the serviceman who died as a result of a disease or a mutilation or injury he got during the hostilities are provided with quality medical aid in the relevant departmental military medical institutions.

As a compulsory-term military serviceman, R.S. participated in the 44-day war and got injured; however, before being discharged, no note was made in his military record book about participating in the hostilities. Only after HCAV addressed a letter, in October 2021, a relevant note was made in R.S.’s military record book. Moreover, he also had not received the monthly payment for a certain period of his military service and the transport expenses for reaching home when he was discharged; After HCAV’s letter, he also received that money.