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  • Systematic approach is necessary to solve the problems in Armenian a

    Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
    Nov 23 2014

    Systematic approach is necessary to solve the problems in Armenian army

    23 November 2014 - 6:10pm


    On November 19 a protest was held in front of the residence of the
    President of Armenia. The protesters were expressing their indignation
    at the cases of non-combat losses in the Armenian army and demanded a
    fair investigation into the deaths of the soldiers. Protests of the
    relatives of such victims are held regularly near the government
    building and the presidential residence. The parents of the dead
    soldiers do not believe in the investigations and hope the cases of
    the deaths of their sons will be reviewed some day. They believe that
    the continuing rallies will eventually force the authorities to
    reconsider the criminal cases.

    Human rights activists have expressed concern that the number of
    non-combat losses in the Armenian army is many times greater than the
    number of those killed by the bullets of the enemy. According to
    official data, in 2013 30 deaths were recorded in the Armenian army.
    Compared with 2012, the number of casualties in the Armenian Armed
    Forces, including the Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Army, fell by 40
    percent. 7 out of 30 of the deaths were caused by fighting: 6 soldiers
    were killed by enemy fire as a result of violations of the ceasefire,
    one soldier was killed as a result of a mine explosion during the
    execution of combat missions. With regard to non-combat losses,
    according to the official data 5 murders and 6 suicides were recorded.
    5 more soldiers were killed as a result of traffic accidents, and 3
    servicemen died because of health problems. In addition, one soldier
    was killed by electric shock. Due to violation of rules for handling
    weapons and ammunition 3 soldiers were killed.

    Human rights activists publish their own data on the dead soldiers,
    which are usually higher than the official information. The fact
    remains that every year the number of casualties has been steadily
    declining, the Defense Department is closely monitoring the situation.
    In recent years a lot has been done to improve living conditions in
    the army and increase medical supervision, which according to the
    plans of the military department shall exclude or minimize the number
    of recruits with unstable health.

    But the reality is that, despite the ongoing work and its positive
    results, the number of non-combat losses remains high. However,
    neither the authorities nor public organizations conduct a comparative
    analysis with the armies of other countries. On the other hand, the
    Armenian army continues to be a closed institution, as opposed to, for
    example, the armies of Western non-belligerent states.

    In Armenia, however, as well as in the rest of the former Soviet
    Union, there has been no serious expert analysis of the prevailing
    situation in the army. The place of expert organizations is taken by a
    variety of NGOs that are being financed by Western grants. However,
    their emotional and biased statements, often aimed at denigrating the
    Armenian Armed Forces, are often far from a peer review. The lack of
    any serious analysis concerning corruption in the army is another
    serious problem.

    Meanwhile, it is well known that most of the problems in the army are
    a direct reflection of the society's problems. It is hard to imagine
    unproblematic conditions of service, including human relations, in the
    army of a country in which the economy is run by monopolies with all
    its consequences, such as unemployment and growing poverty. And, most
    importantly, all spheres of social life are mired in corruption.
    According to some experts, minimization of corruption in the army
    would be a major step in reducing crime in the Armed Forces. It is not
    possible for a country in which the level of corruption is extremely
    high to have an uncorrupted army.

    Returning to the problem of crime in the army, one has to note with
    regret that the sphere of human relations in the army continues to be
    opaque and provides more evidence of the hidden nature of this
    structure. While the rights of citizens in modern Armenia are being
    violated constantly, what else can one expect from the Institute of
    the Armed Forces, which is primarily based on the principle of limited
    human rights?

    An important role in issues related to the situation in the army is
    played by crime-solving. Parents who have lost their sons in the army
    during peacetime have not been able to get clear answers about the
    causes of the deaths of their loved ones from the law-enforcement
    agencies for many years. The most common official version is suicide.

    "Most of the official explanation of the murders in the army are based
    on the version of suicide or incitement to suicide. Meanwhile, it's
    even worse, because the army is formed by healthy young men, but it
    turns out that they were driven to suicide there. Only a few people
    believe in this version, as all these cases in the army, as well as
    the investigation of these incidents, indicate that everything is done
    to conceal the crimes," a representative of the public initiative "We
    Will Not Be Silent" Siranush Yesayan affirms.

    The suicide theory, which enrages the parents of the dead soldiers, is
    an important indicator of the situation in the judicial system, which
    is a part of the current management system. Until some fundamental
    changes are made in the system of the government and in the country
    generally, all the promises of the president, the military, the
    Attorney General and other officials to solve the crimes in the army
    will remain empty words. The treatment of a disease requires a
    systematic, rather than local approach.

    http://vestnikkavkaza.net/analysis/politics/62475.html

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