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VIOLENCE TOOLS HAVE BEEN IMPROVED
Interview with Arthur Sakunts, head of Helsinki Citizens' Assembly
Vanadzor Office, member of Real Army Initiative
Mr. Sakunts, there was another non-combat victim a few days ago,
parents do not believe that it was a suicide. How will this issue be
settled? Isn't murder the same as inducing to commit a suicide?
Cover-up of a crime is also impunity. Humiliation of dignity,
corruption, violence, fraud is covered up, not their revelation
is limited. Methods have been elaborated so that the possibility of
revealing is zero, now the instruments eliminating revelation of crimes
are improved. Here comes the main issue: without political will and
the rule of law there are two tendencies, the actions to prevent them
and the actions to implement violations. The hierarchies which regulate
life in prisons and the armed forces exist in parallel to the hierarchy
which is provided by law. Hierarchies, procedures defined by law are
declarative in nature. Issues are settled interpersonally, the methods
of psychological pressure may have a deciding role for a person. There
may be no traces of violence. Sometimes a citizen undergoes violence
at a police station but cannot prove it because no bruises are left,
they have learned how to hit so as not to leave any traces. In the
army interpersonal settlements may have consequences because military
service lasts for two years, and as a result of interpersonal relations
a person appears in the state of a slave, and such treatment may make
one sick and tired of life. The Criminal Code puts it as "inducing
to suicide", which relieves the essence of a crime. This is violence
itself, the tool of the same crime which deprives a person of life,
and it is necessary to change the criminal policy fundamentally.
Should some articles of the criminal code reviewed?
Because one shoots oneself, the act of the person who induced one
to that step should not be attenuated. This is real murder but the
mechanics of murder, the tools of murder have been improved. There are
specialists in the world who can diagnose psychological violence. We
do not have such tools, we need to develop the methods of detecting,
diagnosing, recording psychological and physical violence. I also
proceed from the presumption of innocence that the investigative
bodies want to reveal but they lack abilities. It repeats from case
to case that the commander did not exercise due control, field manuals
are not observed duly due to the quality of officers. In other words,
small accidents are ignored but they accumulate and blast into death or
murder. It is absurd to raise awareness and ensure better discipline,
as the minister instructed a few days ago.
The minister of defense was reappointed. Does it mean Serzh Sargsyan
likes the style of the Ministry of Defense and expected such reforms
there?
No reforms have been carried out in the armed forces, reforms were
only spoken about. The peacekeeping battalion can be considered a
new achievement but not a reform because it is a separate unit which
is formed in compliance with international standards. There are some
cosmetic decisions while there were more non-combat victims in 2012
than in 2011. Is reform when the eggs of the Ministry of Defense
are sold in shops? Considering the high rate of violations of the
ceasefire, how come the number of victims caused by them is only 18%
of the rate of death in the army? This rate is evidence to lack of
reforms in the army.
Siranuysh Papyan 11:39 29/04/2013 Story from Lragir.am News:
http://www.lragir.am/index.php/eng/0/interview/view/29750
Interview with Arthur Sakunts, head of Helsinki Citizens' Assembly
Vanadzor Office, member of Real Army Initiative
Mr. Sakunts, there was another non-combat victim a few days ago,
parents do not believe that it was a suicide. How will this issue be
settled? Isn't murder the same as inducing to commit a suicide?
Cover-up of a crime is also impunity. Humiliation of dignity,
corruption, violence, fraud is covered up, not their revelation
is limited. Methods have been elaborated so that the possibility of
revealing is zero, now the instruments eliminating revelation of crimes
are improved. Here comes the main issue: without political will and
the rule of law there are two tendencies, the actions to prevent them
and the actions to implement violations. The hierarchies which regulate
life in prisons and the armed forces exist in parallel to the hierarchy
which is provided by law. Hierarchies, procedures defined by law are
declarative in nature. Issues are settled interpersonally, the methods
of psychological pressure may have a deciding role for a person. There
may be no traces of violence. Sometimes a citizen undergoes violence
at a police station but cannot prove it because no bruises are left,
they have learned how to hit so as not to leave any traces. In the
army interpersonal settlements may have consequences because military
service lasts for two years, and as a result of interpersonal relations
a person appears in the state of a slave, and such treatment may make
one sick and tired of life. The Criminal Code puts it as "inducing
to suicide", which relieves the essence of a crime. This is violence
itself, the tool of the same crime which deprives a person of life,
and it is necessary to change the criminal policy fundamentally.
Should some articles of the criminal code reviewed?
Because one shoots oneself, the act of the person who induced one
to that step should not be attenuated. This is real murder but the
mechanics of murder, the tools of murder have been improved. There are
specialists in the world who can diagnose psychological violence. We
do not have such tools, we need to develop the methods of detecting,
diagnosing, recording psychological and physical violence. I also
proceed from the presumption of innocence that the investigative
bodies want to reveal but they lack abilities. It repeats from case
to case that the commander did not exercise due control, field manuals
are not observed duly due to the quality of officers. In other words,
small accidents are ignored but they accumulate and blast into death or
murder. It is absurd to raise awareness and ensure better discipline,
as the minister instructed a few days ago.
The minister of defense was reappointed. Does it mean Serzh Sargsyan
likes the style of the Ministry of Defense and expected such reforms
there?
No reforms have been carried out in the armed forces, reforms were
only spoken about. The peacekeeping battalion can be considered a
new achievement but not a reform because it is a separate unit which
is formed in compliance with international standards. There are some
cosmetic decisions while there were more non-combat victims in 2012
than in 2011. Is reform when the eggs of the Ministry of Defense
are sold in shops? Considering the high rate of violations of the
ceasefire, how come the number of victims caused by them is only 18%
of the rate of death in the army? This rate is evidence to lack of
reforms in the army.
Siranuysh Papyan 11:39 29/04/2013 Story from Lragir.am News:
http://www.lragir.am/index.php/eng/0/interview/view/29750