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.