Parents of soldiers, perished in Armenian army, hold protest action near presidential residence

Today, the protest action against crimes in the Armenian army was held near the residence of Armenian President. Vardan Gukasyan, the representative of the Ministry of Defence of the country, advised the protesters to go to the military police; however, parents of dead soldiers refused and claimed Serzh Sargsyan.

About 60 people, including parents of soldiers perished in army and human rights activists, attended the protest action. They demanded a fair investigation into crimes and disclosure of deaths of soldiers in peacetime.

Initially, the protesters stood in front of the presidential palace, on the opposite side of the street, since police squads located in Bagramyan Avenue prevented people movement to the presidential residence. Then, after a short period of time, the protesters managed to get through the police cordon, to cross the street and to go to the grating in front of the presidential palace.

Organizers and participants of the protest action held in their hands portraits of soldiers perished in the army in peacetime. Protesters shouted to the "raspberry berets" (special forces), standing between people and grating: "Why are you standing here? Are you defending the murderers?"

Then the protesters have turned to traffic, showing portraits of perished soldiers Gevork Kotinyan, Tigran Ogandjanyan, Artak Nazaryan, Agasi Abramyan, Arthur Kazaryan, Robert Avetisyan, and others.

Vardan Gukasyan, the representative of the Ministry of Defence of Armenia, who came out to negotiate with the protesters, advised parents and representatives of public organizations to go to the military police, where they could get answers to their questions.

Many of the parents of soldiers perished in the army refused to go to the military police, explaining their refusal by saying that they did not believe the investigators, and told journalists that, in Armenia, investigators, doctors conducting forensic medical examinations, judges - "all had united in criminal groups with main aim to disguise anarchy in the army".

Aida Asatryan, the head of the letters department of the presidential staff, also came out to the protesters. After listening to the requirements of the protesters, she promised to report on all questions to the President.

The leaders of the Vanadzor office of Helsinki Civil Assembly, organizations "Journalists in the name of human rights", "Youth for Democracy" and other NGOs stated that the protest actions aimed at the protection of human rights in the army, will be continued. In particular, according to them, the protest actions will be held every Thursday near the government building.