Protest rally against non-combat losses in army held in Armenia

Today, a large protest rally was held near the building of the Armenian Government, where protesters expressed their indignation about the increasing number of non-combat losses in the Armenian Army. Parents of the soldiers, who perished in the peacetime and rights defenders demanded fair investigations into soldiers' deaths.

"We hope that the action will affect the authorities, since no such large-scale rallies were ever held. By our protests we try to put pressure on our decision-makers and - maybe - awaken their conscience," the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was told by Anait Avetisyan, mother of Araik (Robert) Avetisyan, a soldier who was killed in the army.

Another protester - Lucy Antonyan, mother of Arthur Grigoryan, who was recruited in 2007, - said that her son had been severely beaten by company commander David Airapetyan in the army unit deployed in the city of Goris, where Arthur Grigoryan took his service.

Tigran Ambartsumyan, father of the 19-year-old soldier, who perished a month ago in an army unit in the city of Kapan, urged the audience not to keep silence.

"The body of my son was found in the forest; and until now there are no suspects and detainees. Being a citizen of Armenia, I can't meet my President; they say there's no such procedure or law. At least with your help I want to ask President to force the public prosecutor to reveal the circumstances of my son's death. <...> Both the public prosecutor and investigators want to convince me that my son had committed suicide. That he, being already dead, took away skin from his skull. Enough, people, every day a dead body arrives from the army!" the soldier's father stated.

The participants of the rally were holding pictures of soldiers, who perished in the army during the peacetime, and posters with the slogans: "Nation unable to maintain its army will have to maintain other's army", "Stop keeping silence!", "Undeclared war against Armenian soldiers is on!", "Army without killers!", "Motherland, defend your defenders!" and "Life without violence is aim of every human!"

The nearby policemen kept the distance.

According to the Vanadzor Office of the Helsinki Civil Assembly, during 2010, the Armenian Army saw 42 deaths; and only nine of them were caused by ceasefire violations. Most of them resulted from breaking the statute rules of relationships.

According to Arthur Sakunets, the head of the Vanadzor Office, the Ministry of Defence issued its formal statements on only 10 cases out of 42.