Families of deceased soldiers demand compensation from Armenian authorities

In Yerevan, more than 30 relatives of soldiers killed in peacetime held a protest rally. They demand from the Armenian authorities to pay compensations similar to those to be paid to the victims of the March 1-2 events. Otherwise, the protesters threatened to start a hunger strike.

The police reported that the action gathered over 30 people. According to the protesters, 5000-6000 families of soldiers who deceased in the period from the beginning of the Karabakh movement till the 2016 April events are deprived of the attention of the state. Parents of the deceased soldiers only receive minimum pensions of 30,000 drams (about 63 US dollars).

Ustrik Shakhbazyan, a participant of the protest action, said that her husband died at a military post in Yeraskhavan in 1992. The family has four children, and the youngest child was two years old when his father was killed.

Satik Matevosyan said that her only son Satik was killed at the age of 19 during the war in Karabakh. After that, she received no payments for 10 years, and then she was assigned a monthly allowance of 20,000 drams (42 US dollars).

Goar Bagdasaryan, whose 20-year-old son was killed in Ijevan 11 years ago, noted that her family received no help from the state.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met the protesters and promised to gradually solve their problems.