Systematic approach is necessary to solve the problems in Armenian army

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.