No Instances of Desertion by 'Homeland' Unit Members; General Staff Refutes Claims

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Armenia has officially refuted Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's statement regarding the alleged desertion by members of the 'Homeland' unit.

In response to a written inquiry from 'Factinfo', the Armed Forces General Staff stated that they have no information regarding the avoidance of service by the unit.

It should be recalled that following the signing of the capitulation act on November 10, Pashinyan attempted to place blame during a Facebook live session in response to citizens demanding his resignation. He claimed that the 'Homeland' unit had abandoned their position and should be prosecuted for desertion.

'Factinfo' had sent a written request to the General Staff of the Armed Forces, asking for information on the 'Homeland' unit's participation in military operations and whether there were any recorded instances of avoiding combat deployment. Specifically, the General Staff noted that on October 28, 2020, Arthur Vanetsyan, the head of the 'Homeland' party, presented himself at the General Staff of the Armed Forces and, with the Chief of the General Staff's permission, voluntarily joined a newly formed unit.

On October 30 and 31, 2020, the unit’s personnel (108 people) participated in training sessions at the Nubarashen shooting range. Following the conclusion of these exercises, on November 1, 2020, in accordance with the Chief of the General Staff's relevant order, the unit was deployed to the Republic of Artsakh and came under the command of the defense army. From November 1 to 10, 2020, under the command of the defense army, the unit participated in combat operations for the defense of Shushi.

The General Staff emphasized that they have no information regarding any avoidance of service by the unit. This means that the authority responsible for the armed forces has stated that there have been no instances of desertion recorded by this specific unit.

Previously, the Prosecutor's Office also refuted Pashinyan's statement, noting that no evidence had been obtained regarding the alleged desertion by members of the 'Homeland' unit and therefore no charges have been filed against anyone. Thus, both the General Staff of the Armed Forces and the Prosecutor's Office officially announce that Pashinyan has no factual basis for accusing the 'Homeland' unit of desertion, publicly libelling them using his official position, which evidently bears the characteristics of a false denunciation for self-serving motives, unfairly accusing an entire unit of a serious crime.

We await further actions from the Prosecutor's Office, as there are ample grounds to initiate another criminal case against Nikol Pashinyan, unless he hastily issues a public apology.