Artsakh Prosecutor's Office Addresses Potential Self-Immolation Incident

The Artsakh Republic's Prosecutor's Office has issued a statement regarding a potential self-immolation incident involving a resident of the village of Karmir Shuka.

The announcement states, "On March 21 of this year, the police department of the Martuni region of the Artsakh Republic received a report that a resident of the Karmir Shuka community, identified as V.P., had left home the previous day and had not returned. Following search operations conducted by police officers, the burned body of V.P. was discovered in a designated area within the administrative territory of the same community, which is one of the furthest locations from the frontline of the village."

In connection with the described incident, a criminal case has been initiated in the second investigative department of the territorial investigation department of the Artsakh Republic's Investigative Committee under the characteristics of a crime defined in the first part of Article 109 of the Artsakh Criminal Code, and an investigation is underway.

According to preliminary data, particularly over the past week, V.P. had been in a distressing state, was rarely leaving home, and was struggling to cope with the fact of his nephew's death in the war unleashed against the Artsakh Republic beginning in September 2020. He had become especially agitated after watching a televised report featuring his deceased relative.

In light of the various interpretations presented by mass media regarding this incident, we assure that all possible hypotheses regarding the case will be proposed and investigated during the preliminary investigation, and additional information will be provided based on the results. However, prior to the conclusion of the pre-trial proceedings, we ask and urge not to spread unverified information or personal interpretations about the incident that have not been substantiated by the results of the investigative and procedural actions conducted during the preliminary investigation, as these may cause unjustified panic and concern among the public."