Parents do not know circumstances surrounding the death of their sons (video)
We would have lost fewer soldiers in the four-day April war but for corruption and abuse in the army, and mistakes of the military command. Members of the Helsinki Citizens' Assembly Vanadzor office have met with the families of 61 perished soldiers to know the circumstances surrounding their death. “Bullets were not enough… The soldiers kept constant contact with the command centre, asking them to send more forces. But they received neither help nor orders to be able to understand their further actions. One had problems with a machine gun; the other was ordered to retreat when taking a military post. Parents went and saw tanks standing idle with water filled instead of fuel,” human rights activist Artur Sakunts said. Many parents do not know whether their sons were killed by the enemy or there were other causes of their death. “We demand that the Central Military Prosecutor's Office and the Investigative Committee start criminal cases to know the reasons for their death,” human rights activists said. According to the Helsinki Citizens' Assembly Vanadzor office, the victims were mostly from needy families. Only 17 out of the 61 families have family members who are employed. Fifteen of the soldiers killed in the hostilities had serious health problems and should not have been taken to border outposts. Artur Sakunts was surprised to know that they had been allowed to do their military service, even if their agreed to go to the border settlements voluntarily. The human rights organization has requested the National Assembly to hold discussions on the bloody skirmishes but was given a negative reply. The Ministry of Defense also keeps silent. The exact number of Armenian soldiers killed in the April war is still unknown. The Ministry of Defense says it totals 89 while the Military Prosecutor's Office sets the number at 82.
