Commander of Military Unit Commits Violence Against Soldiers

According to information received by ArmLur.am, the commander of the Kapan military unit, Arayik Madatyan, recently argued with several soldiers, physically assaulted them, and threatened them. “If I don’t get what I want, I am the commander of this military unit... I will destroy both of you,” he reportedly said.

As per the information reaching the site, after the 44-day war, a group of conscripted soldiers returned from Artsakh on leave, and some of them refused to return to Artsakh for service after the end of their leave. As a result, the Ministry of Defense decided to send the conscripted soldiers who refused to go to Artsakh to different military units in Armenia.

It is highly likely that Commander Arayik Madatyan focused on these soldiers, leading to the incident where he slapped, pulled, and threatened them with “destruction.” Almost the entire military unit witnessed the incident, where attempts were made to calm down Commander Madatyan, but he continued to yell.

The media has obtained a video recording of the incident; however, considering the issues in the Armenian army after the 44-day war and the security environment of our country, the media has not released it in full.

Commander Madatyan is a close associate of the Chief of the General Staff of the RA Armed Forces, Artak Davtyan, and is one of the trusted individuals of Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who was recently appointed as the commander of the Kapan military unit. What it suggests is: in post-revolutionary Armenia, being a trusted person of the Prime Minister and a close associate of the Chief of the General Staff, the commander feels entitled to threaten and strike a soldier who has witnessed a brutal war.

Since yesterday, the site has tried to reach Commander Arayik Madatyan, but he has continued to disconnect his phone.

In conclusion, we are ready to provide the full video recording of the incident to law enforcement when a criminal case is initiated regarding the incident, and there is a possibility that those responsible will be punished. Auroranews also received information regarding the incident from the RA Ministry of Defense, which stated that they are already dealing with the issue.