Madam Minister, You Are Lying, the Issue Has Been Raised Multiple Times by Me and the Parents of Soldiers: Sophia Hovsepyan

MP Sophia Hovsepyan writes: "No, do you know why this is so neglected? Because there is at least 50% of the work not done in any organization. Everything has been left on the forensic center. From DNA testing to counting and transferring the bodies, everything was left there.

When a vehicle was needed for transporting corpses, everyone was passing the responsibility onto each other, and in the end, it either broke down or fell on the Territorial Minister’s head, who then turned to the Syunik Governor or told them to contact the forensic center. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health wouldn’t even address this issue; they immediately responded, 'Why are you calling us? Contact the territorial government and the Ministry of Defense.' Well, let's not even talk about the Ministry of Defense...

The question is not who should do it; the question is that there was no clear operational system, and they did not finalize who should take charge, continuously pushing the matter onto each other. In December, I organized the transfer of bodies from the Kapan morgue in one day, causing residents to complain because there were no refrigerators, and the smell was flooding the city. That same day, the same situation occurred in Stepanakert, Goris, etc. When I realized that everyone was pushing the responsibility onto others, I suggested that I be authorized to handle the heaviest task myself, and received a response: 'You just stay calm, everything is being organized.'

Two days later, we faced the same problem again; parents wanted to transfer identifiable bodies and there were no vehicles (for the six boys killed in Hadrut). I began reaching out left and right, demanding, persuading, and asking again. I offered to take responsibility, to provide four vehicles and drivers, but...

The most terrifying thing was said: 'Should we be accountable to you?' No, it's not to me, boys, you must be accountable to the nation, to the nation and not much later... You are exhausting the nation while passing the responsibility onto one another. Can't you face this with dignity?

Madam Minister, you are lying because I have raised this issue multiple times, by both myself and the parents of soldiers, all responsible parties are aware of it, everyone! All these facts I have stated will be confirmed by the same parents who went to retrieve their children’s bodies while suffering, who were able to convince the Azerbaijanis but could not get our authorities to fulfill their duties. It is crucial that, while exploiting the names of the fallen, you purchased an unnecessary, expensively priced DNA sequencer and wasted money... The coming generation will slap you in the face if the current generation does not realize this..."