23:03, 21 February 2019

Armenian authorities agree to review five cases on soldiers' deaths

On the contact line in Nagorno-Karabakh. Photo by Alvard Grigoryan for the "Caucasian Knot"

The Investigating Committee of Armenia concluded an agreement with human rights organizations to review under public control the cases on the deaths of six soldiers, whose relatives were dissatisfied with the results of the investigation.

This is the first case in Armenia when the investigation will take place in such a format, notes Artak Krkyasharyan, the head of the Chief Military Investigating Department. The cases on the deaths of Valery Muradyan, Tigran Ogandjanyan, Arman Akopyan, and Andranik Silakyan in peacetime will be reviewed, as well as the unsolved case on the deaths of two soldiers in Matagis, the "News-Armenia" reports.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that in September 2011, NGOs and parents of the deceased soldiers protested against murders and cruelty in the army. In October, the activists said they were under pressure from the Deputy Defence Minister. Parents of soldiers Tigran Ogandjanyan and Valery Muradyan were among authors of the appeal.

The review of the cases was initiated by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who met the parents of the deceased soldiers. In all five cases, the official versions voiced out by investigators raised doubts among the affected families.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on February 21, 2019 at 07:33 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.