Jalal Harutyunyan Interrogated by Investigative Committee

The former commander of the Artsakh Defense Army, Lieutenant General Jalal Harutyunyan, has been interrogated as a witness at the Military Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee in connection with a criminal case related to the war. This was reported to NEWS.am in response to a written inquiry sent to the investigative committee.

The case concerns the 72 servicemen who were sent to Hadrut under the command of Jalal Harutyunyan and were later killed or went missing as a result of being surrounded. On February 13, based on article 375, part 4 of the RA Criminal Code (inaction of authorities during wartime), charges were brought against Major General Karen Arstamyan, the commander of the 18th Infantry Division of the Defense Army.

As a measure of restraint against Major General Arstamyan, a signature was imposed to prevent him from leaving. This incident has been disclosed and received significant public attention after the war. Specifically, during the war on October 11, under Jalal Harutyunyan's command, a 72-member platoon was sent from the Martuni 3 defense position to the Hadrut-Jrakan direction to resist the enemy's advance. As a result, the soldiers were besieged, leading to a tragic loss of lives and several going missing.

According to the charges, Arstamyan was obligated to receive and accept the 72 servicemen of Defense Army Unit N under his command per the order, while the dispatch was made by the Defense Army commander, fully aware that that area had been under the enemy's control.

After many similar incidents during the war, Lieutenant General Jalal Harutyunyan, who suffered burns from an explosion during combat operations, was later appointed as the head of the Military Control Service of the Ministry of Defense of Armenia after prolonged treatment. Major General Arstamyan was relieved of his position as commander of the 18th Infantry Division on November 8, a few months later, charges were brought against him.

It’s noteworthy that before his role as the commander of the Defense Army's Infantry Division, Arstamyan had a significant combat trajectory. Over the past 15 years, he has led several defense areas of the Defense Army and served as the chief of the Army's engineering service. Under Arstamyan's command, the Armenian side managed to deliver serious blows to the enemy in the directions of Martuni and Martakert.

According to a publication by “Hetq,” on the night of March 3-4, 2008, during the state of emergency declared in Yerevan following notable political events, an Azerbaijani special unit infiltrated the defensive positions of the unit led by Arstamyan towards the village of Levanarkh in Martakert and captured one of the positions. Several hours later, our forces pushed back the enemy. While two officers from the Armenian side were injured, the Azerbaijanis suffered over 30 casualties and 11 deaths, including senior officers. The enemy also attempted to assault Arstamyan's unit in the fall of 2010, but in both cases, serious resistance was met.

The history of the defensive battles that took place during that time has been displayed as a prime example in the underground rooms of combat posts. Under Arstamyan's leadership, units have also defeated the enemy during the August 2014 diversion attempts. At that time, Arstamyan was serving as the commander of the 3rd defense area.

During the last Artsakh war of 2020, due to his skillful and uninterrupted leadership of troops, defeating a large number of enemy forces, Arstamyan was awarded the 1st class “Combat Cross.” Notably, Major General Arstamyan was nominated for the medal just two weeks after the incident involving the soldiers dispatched to Hadrut on October 26, 2020. In such situations, a question arises: was the military command unaware of the general's inaction, or knowing of that incident, did they “bribe” the military officer with a medal, considering the urgent need for experienced military personnel in an unequal battle?

Whether the Investigative Committee will succeed in proving the charges against Arstamyan or whether the criminal case will be dismissed due to lack of evidence remains to be seen.