Tuesday, August 15 2023 13:22

ArmInfo. Any question concerning human rights in the Armed Forces is under the direct  attention of the Human Rights Defender, stated  Human Rights Defender  of Armenia Anahit Manasyan during discussions regarding the death of  two Armenian servicemen who received fatal gunshot wounds. 

The discussion was organized by the Office of Human Rights Defender.

In connection with the incidents, the relevant letters were sent to  the competent state authorities for clarification.

Ms Manasyan stressed that the presence of such cases in the Armenian  Armed Forces gives cause for concern.

In this regard, she attached importance to the effective  investigation of these cases by the competent state authorities, as  well as the adoption of the necessary measures aimed at preventing  such cases.

Manasyan noted that she would be consistent in identifying the  existing problems and the implementation of steps aimed at solving  them.

On August 10 and 11, in one of the military units of the RA Armed  Forces the death of 18-year-olds, conscripts Zhora Karapetyan and  Granik Khnkoyan, were recorded. 

The Investigative Committee of Armenia intiated criminal  investigations in both cases on suspicion of incitement to suicide.  The servicemen's relatives do not believe in the official version of  the investigation.

Moreover, according to ArmInfo, numerous marks of beatings were found  on the body of conscript Zhora Karapetyan. Relatives said that  Karapetyan had two gunshot wounds to the head, which in itself  excludes the version of the investigation about suicide. They also  say that one of the officers of the specified military unit from the  junior officers, from the moment the recruits received the bank cards  on which they received their salaries, took them away from six  conscripts, including Karapetyan. And all the money transferred to  this card, including the relatives of the soldier, went into his  pocket. In addition, the serviceman was forced to carry out combat  duty not only instead of himself, but also of other colleagues. He  was constantly under pressure from a certain privileged circle of  military personnel. And on the day of the "suicide" he simply refused  to be on duty instead of a colleague, as relatives believe, for which  he paid with his life.

In addition, Granik Khnkoyan, who died on August 11, was an army  friend of Karapetyan. According to the relatives of the latter, the  day before his death, an officer of the specified military unit  humiliated him in front of the entire army, which caused "suicide".

In view of the fact that investigative measures are currently  underway, only their completion will dispel or confirm these  statements of the relatives of the deceased.