Charges Filed Against 5 Soldiers and Commander of Meghri Military Unit

On March 17, 2019, at approximately 19:30, a group of conscripted soldiers stationed at the Armenian Ministry of Defense No. N military unit refused to perform their military duties as outlined for that day, effectively ceasing their service. They voluntarily left the military unit's premises and only returned to service about two hours later, following appeals from the unit commander and law enforcement officials.

In response to this incident, on April 25, 2019, a criminal case was initiated at the Goris garrison military prosecutor's office under the second part of Article 364 of the Armenian Criminal Code, and the case was referred for preliminary investigation to the 9th investigative division of the Investigation Committee of the RA.

It was also revealed that on March 16, 2019, around 09:00, the unit commander, Colonel R. S., in an effort to create the image of a strict commander, overstepped his official authority and instructed his subordinates to tear the uniforms of conscripted soldiers that had not been provided by the military unit and were not compliant with regulations. As a result of following this order, approximately 30 uniforms were ripped during inspections of soldiers' appearances in the unit's assembly area, thereby disrupting the legal and normal activities of military leadership, and violating the rights and legitimate interests of the servicemen.

On March 25, 2019, a criminal case was initiated at the Goris garrison military prosecutor's office under the first part of Article 375 of the Armenian Criminal Code, and the case was also referred for preliminary investigation to the 9th investigative division of the Investigation Committee of the RA.

Furthermore, it was determined that between January and February 2019, relevant officials of the same military unit created favorable conditions for conscripted soldier, Private K. M., who was regarded as an “authority” among his peers, despite having been subjected to multiple observations and disciplinary actions by senior leadership. Ignoring the numerous requests and instructions from senior leadership to pay closer attention to this soldier, these officials abused their official positions and allowed K. M. unrestricted access to the officers' workroom. They even provided him with keys to the workroom and the metal cabinet therein, which he used for visits and other purposes. This resulted in significant harm to the normal functioning of military leadership and a differentiated approach to the rights and legitimate interests of conscripted soldiers.

On March 29, a criminal case was initiated in the Goris garrison military prosecutor's office under the first part of Article 375 of the Armenian Criminal Code for this incident as well, which was also sent to the 9th investigative division of the Investigation Committee for preliminary investigation.

Upon establishing the factual circumstances, a decision was made to combine the aforementioned three criminal cases into a single proceeding for comprehensive, complete, and objective investigation.

Based on the evidence collected during the preliminary investigation, charges were filed against a group of military unit's five conscripted soldiers for refusing to fulfill their specific military duties on April 15 and 16, 2019, under the second part of Article 364 of the Armenian Criminal Code. They were placed under the supervision of the military command as a preventive measure.

Additionally, on April 16, the commander of the military unit, Colonel R. S., was charged for inaction in power under the first part of Article 375 of the Armenian Criminal Code, and a decision was made to impose a signature of non-leaving as a preventive measure against him.

Moreover, on the same day, a decision was made by the prosecutor to temporarily suspend the duties of the accused R. S.

The preliminary investigation of the criminal case is ongoing.

Note: A person suspected or accused of a crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty in accordance with the procedures established by the Criminal Procedure Code of the RA, by a final and legally binding court decision.