Armenian rights defenders worried about army non-combat losses

The increase in the count of non-combat losses in military units indicates systemic problems in the Armenian Army, while authorities refuse to involve the civil society in protecting militaries' rights, the participants in the discussion held in Yerevan have stated.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that human rights defenders had claimed that Armenian authorities would not bear responsibility for the deterioration of the situation with non-combat losses that occur in military units, and are trying to hide them.

On December 11, one soldier perished in a military unit in Armenia and two others were wounded during the shooting that occurred when on duty at a combat post.

"Authorities declare reforms, but nothing changes; there's no progress in cases of the soldiers who have perished in peacetime," Nina Karapetyants, the head of the Helsinki Association of Armenia, has stated.

Authorities ignore the civil society in promoting army reforms, the human rights defender has noted.

The attitude towards ordinary soldiers is bad; and their rights are neglected, Zhanna Alexanyan, the head of the NGO "Journalists for Human Rights", is sure. "There is a case about the soldiers' death, who perished from a drone strike – according to witnesses, because of a wrong order commander's order," she has added.