20:00, 29 January 2010

Dzhafarov: hazing caused mass execution in military unit

The reason of the armed incident in one of military units of Azerbaijan, where six servicemen were killed and two more wounded, is in impunity for hazing and non-manual relation in the army. This was stated by retired colonel-lieutenant and former employee of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) Uzeir Dzhafarov.

The massacre took place in the Dashkesan District of Azerbaijan, adjacent to Armenia. Two soldiers shot dead their six comrades-in-arms, and then, according to one version, committed suicide, according to the other one - were killed at an attempt to run away.

The MoD confirmed the fact of the skirmish, and the local investigatory bodies initiated a criminal case.

According to colonel-lieutenant Dzhafarov, high-ranking officers are among the casualties.

He believes that the reason of the tragedy was in hazing and non-manual relations, as Radio Liberty reports." "The guilt of the unit commander was obvious; however, for some reason it remained outside the attention. Until impunity in armed forces continues, we'll have many tragic cases of this sort.