Soldiers continue to get robbed, killed in Armenian army
By Rashid Shirinov
Although the government has changed in Armenia, the situation in many areas remains deplorable. One of them is the army, where the number of murders keeps increasing every month.
Another murder has recently taken place in the Armenian army – the deputy commander of a company shot a contract soldier Hovhannes Melkonyan in his stomach from the machine gun of another soldier. Previously, there were three murders in May, and, as usual, suicide was simulated in two of the cases.
The report by the Peace Dialogue organization on the deaths in the Armenian army in 2010-2017 reads that only 235 servicemen died due to ceasefire violations, while the death of even more Armenian soldiers, 296 people, occurred mainly due to internal factors. These include the atmosphere of impunity in military units, murders, suicides due to arbitrariness, as well as accidents by negligence and recruitment of young men with health problems.
Over the last eight years, there were 56 cases of murders, 69 suicides, 90 deaths by accident, 39 due to health problems, 16 because of violation of safety rules, while nine deaths occurred due to inaction of commanders and negligence.
Meanwhile, the Armenian media have recently published the story of an Armenian soldier who could survive in the army but was being literally robbed by the military unit superiors. The soldier’s aunt told reporters that at first, the family was taking care of him, but later he began to ask for money.
“We were sending packages every month. Then he started asking for 5,000 drams ($10). When we asked why, he said they [the army unit command] did not give the soldiers everything sent, and therefore the soldiers decided to raise money for food,” the woman noted.
Moreover, prior to demobilization, the unit’s command demanded 15,000 drams ($31) from the soldiers just because those who demobilized previously stole gasoline from a tank, the soldier’s aunt mentioned.
It is worth noting in this regard that the Armenian army is experiencing serious problems in terms of weapons and military vehicles, as well as hygienic items. This was especially evident during the April battles in 2016. Later people began to collect basic necessities for soldiers, such as soap and napkins. However, it is questionable whether the items reached the ordinary soldiers.
Today people in Armenia want to believe that the recent “velvet revolution,” in which Sargsyan’s government resigned and Pashinyan became the prime minister of the country, will have a positive impact on the situation in the army. However, bullying and violence still continue to reign in the Armenian army, as well as murders and suicides continue to take place at the same pace.
Thus, the murder of Melkonyan will apparently not be the last death of an Armenian soldier in non-combat conditions this year. Pashinyan still has much work to do in order to please the population and make people believe that their sons will not be killed or robbed in the Armenian army.
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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov
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