YEREVAN (RFE/RL)—Eight officers have been dismissed and more than a dozen others demoted because of the latest non-combat shootings in the Armenian army that left seven servicemen dead, the Defense Ministry announced over the weekend.
Defense Minister Seyran Ohanian berated them at an emergency meeting held by senior ministry officials and the top army brass that discussed ways of preventing such incidents in the future.
“For you, your officer’s dignity means nothing,” Ohanian raged at military commanders ousted from the Armed Forces. “I think that you have no place in our ranks anymore. Enough is enough,” he said in remarks broadcast by Armenian Public Television late on Friday.
The Defense Ministry did not identify any of those officers. In a written statement issued on Monday, it clarified that they include the commanders, deputy commanders and other senior officers of the army units rocked by the shootings. Television images showed that there was one colonel and at least two lieutenant-colonels among them.
According to the ministry statement, 13 other “commanders and service chiefs” were relieved of their duties and will be appointed to lower ranks. Twenty other officers got off with formal reprimands, it said.
The measures were triggered by the July 27-28 deadly incidents that occurred at two frontline army detachments. In the unit that was stationed in the northern Tavush region, a 30-year-old lieutenant, Artak Nazarian.was found dead in still unclear circumstances. His relatives believe that he was killed by fellow servicemen.
Military investigators say, however, that Nazarian committed suicide after being badly ill-treated by a deputy commander of his battalion and three other soldiers. All four men are now under arrest pending investigation.
Nazarian’s death was followed by the fatal shooting of one officer and five soldiers at another unit deployed in Nagorno-Karabakh. On Friday Ohanian confirmed that military investigators believe one of those soldiers, Karo Ayvazian, went on a shooting spree and killed himself after a bitter dispute with the officer.
According to the Defense Ministry, Ohanian told participants of Friday’s meeting to “meticulously analyze what happened” and “take steps to strengthen discipline in the troops.” The ministry said on Saturday that the deputy chief of the army’s General Staff, Major-General Valeri Grigorian, and other staff officers then presented the results of an “internal inquiry” that they had conducted.
Also during the meeting, two men apparently arrested in connection with other deadly incidents were brought in and paraded before participants. The Public Television report described one of them as a conscript who shot one of his officers and the other as an officer who had killed a sergeant by beating him to death. “What are you going to tell his parents?” a furious Ohanian asked the officer.
Ohanian blamed the problem on “unscrupulous, impudent, mean and criminal” officers and a lack of oversig
Wow!!! I admit I may have missed something, but shouldn’t a murderer be tried and sent to jail? Instead of dismissed or demoted??? Most laws in Armenia are good, they must be enforced, though!
great site
I FEEL ASHAMED AS ARMENIAN FOR THIS CRAP
Seyran Ohanian should be commanded for his effort. However, in the 21st century of free Armenia , shouldn’t we expect a more orderly trial and judgement of the alleged “guilty” by a tribunal and not by one person irrespective of his/her civilian or military position? After all, shouldn’t we seperate real life from theater?
“Enough is Enough’ the officers have long been mean and cruel to the younger officers and they have breaking point. Regardless of the occasional violence in the Armenian Military, this happens on a daily basis in the American military. Lets hope they will start offering the counseling that is necessary to cope with the hard military requirements.
Hye, in the Armenian government of today, too in the military,too repressions from Turks, too the USSR c communists’ repressions of our Armenian nation appear in the leaderships of Haiastan. Such leaders are still of another generation and shall have to be replaced with enlightened, advanced and forward patriots whose are in their approaches for Haiastan seeking to pursue the civilized nations of today. Serge and Edward are not experienced nor intellectually prepared for leadership of Haiastan. Too easily impressed by
a Hillary. Too, the guilty of the military were dismissed and reprimanded… ONLY… Haiastan is worthy of highly prepared intellectuals exposured to what such actions would have issued in the civilized nations of the world. Haiastan’s leaders are advancing, too slowly, into the future as its leaderships are still behind in all the experiences of being a freed fledgling nation – being held back by the current ‘powers that be’ and the military mentality of the past. When Serge and Edward leave office – then and only then shall the
Haiastansis know better how to vote for honesty in government – I hope. Enough with leaders who are only interested in filling their own pockets – from Der Bedrossian’s fiasco, on down. Perhaps the presidential terms shall be shorter – to eliminate the ‘lemons’ quickly… Manooshag
Armenians in Haiastan, and our brethern across the world, are all worthy of great, honest and patriotic men and women to lead Haiastan forward – in all realms of its governing. Now. Manooshag
Such stories make me sick.
Is this the army structure that make us different from Azerbaijani so called Armed forces And leadership that we have to rely to their judgments….. GOD SAVE ARMENIA