Tonoyan: Servicemen, who joined the opposition movement during the  "velvet revolution", are not facing criminal prosecution

ArmInfo. The criminal prosecution against the peacekeeping brigade, during the "velvet revolution" that joined the opposition movement, will not be.

This was stated to journalists by the head of the Defense Ministry of Armenia David Tonoyan on June 1 after the meeting of the government. According to the minister, in fact of the unauthorized abandonment of the military unit or place of service by the servicemen, an official investigation has been appointed, which will soon be completed, submitted to the General Staff, and will be delivered to the minister. It was on the  basis of the official investigation, and not on Tonoyan's personal  convictions, as the head of the Defense Ministry pointed out, that a  decision will be made. As of today, as David Tonoyan assured, the  serviceman is not threatened with criminal prosecution.

To recall, on April 23 a number of servicemen left the military units  and joined the protest actions in Yerevan. On May 9, at a press  conference in Yerevan, he said. Armenian Defense Minister Vigen  Sargsyan, responding to a question about whether the servicemen who  had voluntarily left the military units and joined the protest  rallies will suffer punishment, said that participation of military  men in uniform in civil actions is unacceptable and pointless. At the  same time, he called on the future Minister of Defense, regardless of  who will take this position to react strictly to this fact after  carrying out an official investigation. "For my part, I personally  accepted the statement of the commander of a part of the peacekeeping  brigade about resignation and demobilization and sent it to the  government, where it was sent to the Armenian president for approval.

According to the Constitution, the Armenian President must take an  appropriate step in legal regulation. I did this with regret, since I  treated with great respect the commander of this unit. I understand  the meaning of his report, I share, I myself would have done at least  the same>, said the head of the defense department.  "Everyone  understands perfectly well that such involvement on the one hand  directly opens the door to involving the army on the other hand,  which is unacceptable and means a collapse for the army." Therefore,  I call on the next defense minister to bring the investigation to the  end, "Sargsyan said. He added that only 209 servicemen were involved  in this case.