New Recruit Subjected to Abuse in One of Kapan's Military Units: Taguhi Tovmasyan

I have received alarming information that a recruit in one of Kapan’s military units has been belittled and subjected to abuse by the command staff, who forced him to clean the toilet, which led the recruit to flee. This was reported by Taguhi Tovmasyan, a member of the National Assembly from the "I Have Honor" faction and the chair of the Assembly's Permanent Commission on Human Rights Protection and Public Affairs, on her Facebook page.

Specifically, she mentioned: “I have immediately instructed the experts of the Permanent Commission on Human Rights Protection and Public Affairs to get in touch with both the Ministry of Defense and the soldier's relatives.” The recruit’s family stated that he was drafted into the army on January 31, and on the morning of February 1, he and two other soldiers were forced to clean, and when they refused, they were beaten and not allowed to use the mess hall, sleep, drink water, etc. The soldier managed to contact his relatives, explaining the circumstances, after which communication with him was lost. He had fled, and the information about the beating was reported by the second soldier.

The family also shared that the Ministry of Defense and the command staff of the military unit had apologized, admitting that there had been pressure to clean the area. According to them, the soldier was struck once, but there was no mention of cleaning the toilet.

We also contacted the head of the Human Rights Administration at the Ministry of Defense, who stated that he was aware of the issue and had spoken with the military police staff in Kapan. He mentioned that the soldier was only advised to clean the designated area, and there were no further demands or beatings. An internal investigation is underway regarding the incident. The soldier's whereabouts remain unknown.

Our experts have also spoken with the commander of the Kapan military unit, who said that the soldier announced in front of everyone that he was not going to clean. After this, the commander called the soldiers to his office for explanatory talks. The commander personally cleaned his office in front of the soldiers to demonstrate that this is everyone's duty and that there is nothing shameful about it. As a result, the recruits assured that there would be no further issues. However, after leaving the office, when the platoon commander urged them to clean their designated area, they refused, and the aforementioned soldier left the military unit.

After hearing all sides' explanations, it should be noted that such incidents in the military are unacceptable and must be entirely eliminated. According to the provisions of Articles 1-3 of the law on approving the internal service regulations of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia, the everyday life and activities of servicemen in the military unit are conducted according to internal service requirements. At the start of military service, soldiers require special attention. Strict supervision from commanders and their personal example help soldiers quickly absorb the rules of internal service. According to Article 13 of the law, a serviceman of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia is governed by laws, military regulations, and the commands of commanders while on duty. Among other things, a soldier is obliged to uphold military brotherhood, assist one another in word and deed, respect the honor and dignity of each individual, and not allow rudeness or mockery towards oneself or others, keeping them away from undignified acts.

Regarding maintaining cleanliness in the military unit by soldiers, I believe that the organization of such work should strictly adhere to the provisions of the law, respecting the dignity of every individual (Article 3 of the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia), as well as the principles prohibiting torture or inhuman or degrading treatment set forth in Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights.