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  • Safe Soldiers For A Safe Armenia

    SAFE SOLDIERS FOR A SAFE ARMENIA

    TransConflict
    Sept 10 2014

    By Edgar Khachatryan

    Peace Dialogue, a member of the Global Coalition for Conflict
    Transformation, is implementing a two-year project, 'Safe Soldiers
    for a Safe Armenia', which aims to prevent human rights violations
    in the armed forces and to increase not only the security of Armenia
    but the security of the soldiers protecting it.

    For many years, the issue of human rights in armed forces remains
    one of the most urgent priorities for human rights groups. Today
    the situation in the relatively young Armenian army concerns civil
    society representatives and some international organizations. In their
    reports, various independent public organizations indicate a high
    degree of mortality among soldiers, expressing their concern about
    regular violations and inaction by military investigative bodies and
    a number of responsible military structures.

    Armenia's human rights activists estimate that since the cessation
    of hostilities in Nagorno-Karabakh in 1994, as many as 1,500 young
    men have died while serving in Armenian armed forces. The Armenian
    Army was established in the early nineties as a result of the war
    with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh. The war is not technically
    finished, despite the ceasefire. Regular ceasefire violations and
    constant information warfare indicate that the previously open war
    has become a hidden war. In 2013, approximately 30 to 31 people died
    during so-called non-combat situations, but only five of these were
    the result of ceasefire violations. The rest of the fatalities were
    the result of murder, a lack of access to medical service for soldiers
    with health issues, accidents and suicides. The fatalities continue
    to happen until now and other negative occurrences are increasing in
    frequency too.

    In response to inquiries from watchdog groups in the country, the
    Armenian Ministry of Defence states that these fatalities are just
    solitary instances. A major part of society remains loyal to the
    Armenian military, as the Army remains the main guarantor of security
    for the conflict-affected country.

    At the beginning of 2013, Peace Dialogue NGO has launched a new
    website entitled 'Safe Soldiers for a Safe Armenia'. It contains a
    database on non-combat fatalities, deceased soldiers and human rights
    violations recorded in the Armenian Armed Forces since the signing
    of the cease-fire after the Nagorno-Karabakh war. As of today, the
    on-line database includes more than 550 fatal cases.

    The compilation of the database became possible due to information
    received from media and watchdog groups working on human rights
    protection in the armed forces, from victims' relatives and successors,
    as well as from information received from state bodies (the Ministry
    of Defence, military investigative service, etc) in response to
    numerous inquiries.

    The aim of the database is to collect and spread information about
    each fatal case and human rights violation in the Armenian Armed
    Forces. In other words, according to the implementing staff, after
    a while the website will become a full database that will help to:

    Increase the sensitivity of the government towards the issue; Breakdown
    public indifference towards human rights violations and abuses in the
    Army amongst local and international society; Involve international
    experts, local civil society representatives, and independent
    researchers in studying the issue from different perspectives and in
    designing alternative models that will best fit the Armenian context.

    Visitors can also make their contribution to the completion of the
    database by posting information or uploading photos or media materials
    about fatalities or human rights violations in the army that have not
    been recorded yet in the website or elsewhere. The staff working on
    the website tried to list descriptions of the cases (places, dates
    and causes etc.), the investigative processes initiated in regards
    to those cases, as well as the following investigative and trial
    processes and the violations revealed during those processes.

    According to the implementing team, the ultimate effect of the website
    will, for example, be the fact that quick updates about illegalities
    and human rights violations recorded in any of the units and posted
    by the witnesses can serve as an alarm for the authorities to take
    necessary actions after they are clarified and approved.

    In addition, the staff will continue to update various human
    rights-related announcements and news releases. Certain sections of
    the website include Armenian legislation regulating the relationship
    between the armed forces and citizens; international agreements,
    local regulations, documents, reports and publications, as well as
    various research and expert opinions related to the topic.

    As a result of this project, Peace Dialogue aims to raise awareness
    in Armenian society about the troubling human rights situation in the
    armed forces in order to create public demand for the solutions of the
    problems and to mobilize and include local, national and international
    actors who can have positive influence on current situation.

    Edgar Khachatryan is the director of Peace Dialogue, a member of
    the Global Coalition for Conflict Transformation. He specializes in
    international peacebuilding trainings, consultancy and expertise
    in gender and peace processes, violence prevention, and post-war
    stabilization and recovery.

    The website is prepared within the project Safe Soldiers for a Safe
    Armenia of Peace Dialogue NGO, supported by Dutch organization Pax.

    http://www.transconflict.com/2014/09/safe-soldiers-safe-armenia-109/


    From: Baghdasarian
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