Contract Soldier with Serious Knee Injury Returned from Captivity Denied Medical Assistance in Detention

Aren Aramyan is a contract soldier who was captured by Azerbaijanis on November 16 during military clashes that began in Syunik and was later returned to Armenia. He sustained a serious injury to his knee and was shot in the head twice during the 44-day war. He participated in both the July and 44-day wars. Currently, he is in detention, and his knee injury has begun to cause complications. This has been reported by the detained soldier’s lawyer and relatives.

Aren Aramyan's lawyer, Ara Karapetyan, stated in an interview with ArmDaily.am that Aramyan is being charged with violating combat service regulations. “He was arrested on December 6, and on the 9th, the court decided to detain him. On the 27th, a petition to extend the detention was submitted, which was approved on December 30. The charge for the alleged crime was made under Article 365, part three. As for his health condition, I cannot comment. The hospital doctors noted in the epicrisis that the leg needs to be kept in a fixator for a month, after which he should undergo rehabilitation treatment. In other words, the person should receive treatment, but today he is in a cell,” Karapetyan said.

He noted that he had contacted the medical service of the penitentiary, and although they investigated in Erevan, they had not yet received a response. However, it is essential for Aramyan to undergo treatment and rehabilitation: “The injury is related to the knee, meaning that the person needs to be able to walk in the future, at least with 20 percent efficiency.”

Aramyan's defense attorney assures that soon everyone will be convinced that his client has not committed a crime. Aren Aramyan's brother, Karen Aramyan, told us that his brother is a contract soldier, and since November 14, 2021, he and his fellow servicemen found themselves surrounded in Syunik. “On November 14, they were encircled at three posts, and on the 16th, the Azerbaijanis attacked those posts. My brother, Aren Aramyan, resisted for as long as he could; we even have a recording of the conversation in which he informs his command that he is left alone, that everyone else has fled, and he continues to hold the position. Even his unit commander who was there asked if he is fighting and he says yes, I am fighting, my troops have fled. He stayed alone, and then he was seriously wounded in the knee and received several gunshot wounds,” Karen Aramyan explained.

According to the same recording, there is a conversation where he expresses that he does not want to be captured and wishes to blow himself up with a grenade, so he will not fall into captivity, but he does not have the chance. There is a mark on the back of his head where he was hit with the butt of a weapon. After that, he lost consciousness and was taken away unconscious. They were significantly outnumbered, and he was alone in the encirclement.

It is assumed he woke up in a morgue, most likely in the area of Artsakh occupied by Azerbaijanis, where he had remained for one day. The Azerbaijanis presented my brother as a brave, patriotic soldier who fought hard,” Karen Aramyan said. Karen mentioned that his brother lost a lot of blood and had undergone surgery twice in Azerbaijan. He emphasizes that they spent very difficult days: “He has a tattoo of a cross on his left hand; they attempted to burn that tattoo, and they stood on his wounded leg at the morgue. This happened in the morgue, where it should be for enemies, especially in the eyes of the Turkish soldier who fought against his fellow soldier. Those who raised their hands in surrender, they did not harm, while those who fought faced torture. Those who fought are either injured or not there, while those who did not fight surrendered and were not touched.”

Karen Aramyan noted that his brother is currently in the Armavir penitentiary. Regarding the foot injury, he explained that after ten days of captivity in Azerbaijan, Aren was discharged from Muratsan Hospital on December 6 and returned home with an immobilized leg. He was supposed to go for an examination a few days later. “He came home, and we were happy that he was back. Suddenly, the investigator calls his phone and takes him to the investigative unit in Vanadzor, and from there to Yerevan, holding him for three days in temporary detention. Then a decision was made that he could hinder the investigation, and they imprisoned him for a month. We also appealed to the appellate court, but our appeal was rejected; neither the court took into account the circumstances,” Karen stated.

The doctors at the Armavir detention facility also reported that the man’s foot must be under constant supervision; otherwise, complications may arise. At the time of his discharge, he could move his foot, but now it feels paralyzed. “It seems my foot is thinning as if it is no longer part of my body. It is a tragic situation. In essence, the soldier who fled is now at home, at the head of his family, and those who fought are either suffering or non-existent,” Karen Aramyan stated.

He emphasized that his brother is a disciplined soldier, a junior sergeant, and highly respected by his colleagues, serving in the Duci military unit in Vanadzor. “Our state does not need brave soldiers; it seems our state prefers them to raise their hands and surrender. I do not understand what this is. Aren participated in the July battles in Tavush and the 44-day war. The Duci battalion fought fiercely in Mataghis for 28 days, and as a good soldier, Duci's unit even proposed him for a commendation,” Karen added. He also remarked that when they received the recording, they were informed that Aren Aramyan had been killed in the unequal fight against Azerbaijanis, “They presented him to us saying, look what a strong brother you have; he fought until his last breath. The recording clearly shows that everyone fled, and he ordered them to come back, that he was alone, struggling, but no one obeyed his orders. It simply cannot be this way; if you are a soldier, you must defend your land, and I assure you that he fought until his last breath. He wanted to blow himself up, but didn’t have the chance—at that moment, he was hit in the head, and they took him away unconscious. But I am confident that he fought; his immediate command confirms all this. There were bullets fired at his positions, and they were in places described by Aren. There are soldiers who witnessed all of this. Thus, no soldier at the front will fight again if you let your weapon down and raise your hands to reunite with your family; everyone will do the same. Who is foolish enough to remain fighting?” Karen noted.

He emphasized that his brother is a neat soldier and after the 44-day war, many tried to convince him to leave the military, yet he refused and states that no one was able to detach his brother from military service. “You cannot disappoint a fighting soldier; you must encourage them. But what use is an army that flees?” Karen Aramyan concluded, expressing concern that if things continue this way, his brother will have serious mobility issues. “I will tell you, when he stands on his feet again and recovers, he won’t step back from the thought of serving in the army. I guarantee you that,” said Karen.