Samvel Babayan's Office Calls on Armenian Authorities to Refrain from Disgraceful Actions

The office of Samvel Babayan, former commander of the Artsakh Defense Army, has released a statement addressing the government of Armenia.

“From the very first days of the revolution, we were filled with the hope that new, just leadership would emerge, one that would reject not only the old figures but also the old customs and the system. This new governance would come with noble intentions and give a new impetus to state-building on higher principles.

This was so convincing and clear that the nation rose up and collectively rejected the old order, which had suffocated the state in lawlessness. However, what we have encountered in recent days has almost shattered those perceptions.

The Defense Army has listed all officers and required them to sign a command that, by the way, conceals the requirements of Article 14, Part 2 of the Artsakh Constitution, which mandates neutrality in political matters.

According to this command, they are not allowed to participate in any political processes in Artsakh, and alongside this, they are stripped of the right to participate in meetings and signature collections, including those that are not of a political nature and those expected to bring about constitutional changes.

A military officer, apart from combating external enemies, is also a guarantor of the security of this country. If you deprive this officer, who is a citizen of our country and a rightful bearer of its laws, of the rights established by the constitution to participate in its internal affairs, you are devaluing the insignia he wears to ensure the secure life of that very country. You are stripping him of the ability to have a civic stance in the country he defends and protects; this is a gross violation of the law, an infringement of citizen rights.

We call on the new authorities of Armenia, who have the mandate and trust of the vast majority of Armenian citizens, to refrain from such disgraceful actions. It would be far more commendable for the Armenian authorities to openly declare who they support in Artsakh and in whose favor these illegal sacrifices are being made.

Our entire team is inclined to operate within the legal framework, and all our actions will be rectified by law. This means that the processes we witnessed will not hinder our future actions.

This call is directed to the Armenian authorities because the Defense Army of Artsakh has no authority to implement commands without the knowledge of the Armenian Ministry of Defense.

And if anyone claims that this does not correspond to reality, we will produce quite substantial evidence.