Armenian soldier runs away from hazing
By Mirsaid Ibrahimzade
Recently, the Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan made an amusing statement about the plan to advance the Armenian army to the list of top-20 armies of the world. Statements of this nature, which are obviously groundless, do not reflect the current situation and serve just for cherishing the hopes of Armenian people.
Before the desired entering the top-20 of the strongest armies, Armenia should first improve discipline among the soldiers. An egregious example of the lack of discipline occurred on August 12.
Armenian soldier Araik Ghazaryan, who served at the front line, left the duty station without permission and was detained near the Azerbaijani positions.
As a result of the preliminary interrogation, the reasons for the desertion of the serviceman became known. They were the hazing, arbitrariness, intolerable and inhuman attitude towards the military personnel in the military unit in which he served.
Ghazaryan was repeatedly subjected to physical and moral pressure from commanders and other military personnel. Hematomas and wounds on his body testified this.
This is not the single fact of cases of violence against soldiers in the occupation units of the Armenian armed forces. Interestingly, news about this kind of accidents mostly come from the Armenian units located in the occupied Azerbaijani lands.
A year ago, in the military unit, a lair of crime was formed in the village of Madagis, the occupied Terter region. Criminal cases were instituted against some of the officers, while others were convicted of various crimes. However, most of them are not dismissed yet and continue to perform their duties.
Armen Gezalyan, the unit commander, and his fellow Arthur Fakhradyan were involved in these dirty cases. In February this year, Fakhradyan was finally sentenced for his criminal actions.
Armenian military units in the occupied lands of Azerbaijan and in Armenia itself suffer from poor nutrition, lack of proper medical care and diseases. Recently it became known that tuberculosis is wide-spread in the Armenian military units located in the southeastern direction in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan.
The realities of the Armenian army did not change after the so-called “revolution”. That is why the Armenian youth is doing everything to dodge from service in the army.
Conscripts are especially afraid of serving in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, where in addition to hazing, beating and other kinds of humiliation, one can turn into "cannon fodder." It is no coincidence that Pashinyan, against the backdrop of a decrease in his rating among the population, is taking obvious steps towards war, not to peace.
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Mirsaid Ibrahimzade is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @MirsaidIbrahim1
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