Urgent: Charges Brought Against Jalal Harutyunyan

The Investigative Committee of the Republic of Armenia has conducted extensive investigative and procedural actions in the framework of a criminal case under the Special Investigative Service focusing on significant cases, which has resulted in clarifying that the military commander, Lieutenant General Jalal Harutyunyan, exhibited negligence towards his official duties during the declared state of martial law amid the aggressive war unleashed by the military-political leadership of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

His actions resulted in severe consequences, including substantial casualties and losses of military equipment for his subordinate units, rendering reserve units incapable of combat, and allowing the enemy to take control of occupied positions.

On October 6, 2020, after the situation was created due to the breach of the frontline defense of unit N and penetration into the depth of the defense area, Jalal Harutyunyan decided to deliver a military counter-strike to the enemy to rectify the situation, restore the breached front line, and encircle the enemy that had infiltrated the rear, by cutting off all supply routes.

As a sole commander responsible for the permanent combat and mobilization readiness of the unit entrusted to him, as well as for the successful execution of combat tasks, on October 7, 2020, he displayed negligence in relation to the service that resulted in a mismatch of forces against the enemy, including not studying the combat readiness and capabilities of his subordinate units seriously, as well as not halting the enemy's advance.

On October 5, he failed to conduct aerial reconnaissance to assess the enemy's positions and structure, and consequently, proceeded with a military counter-strike that overlooked the necessity to outnumber the enemy by 1:3 ratio during offensive operations. He also failed to maintain the timeline he established for the execution of the combat task, and there was no coordination between the assaulting units.

Instead of starting the execution of the combat task simultaneously, the engaged units acted uncoordinated; unit N, under Harutyunyan's orders, engaged in combat at 07:00, while the head of the other unit had not yet reached the city of Hadrut. At around 08:00, while about 50% of unit N had just reached the starting point for the combat task, the unit engaged the enemy without support and suffered significant losses, ultimately facing the risk of being encircled and had to retreat.

The failure to correctly assess the capabilities of engaged units, specifically acting separately and violating the timelines specified in combat orders, led to the operation being obviously unsuccessful. The combat operation was not canceled or started late, instead, despite the ongoing risks to personnel and equipment, the battle continued, resulting in heavy losses of equipment and personnel (20 soldiers killed, 19 out of 44 tanks destroyed, 3 out of 29 armored vehicles lost), rendering reserve units incapable of combat.

Continuing to display negligence, on the same day after the failure of the military counter-strike, Harutyunyan decided to carry out raiding operations, forming an armored group with the forces of two units, while significantly underestimating the forces and resources involved in the counteroffensive operation on October 7, effectively setting the same combat task before the units again.

On the morning of October 8, 2020, the mentioned armored group was brought to a combat-ready state with the intention of executing the assigned task, but due to low morale, technical issues with armored vehicles, and insufficient numbers, the start of the task was delayed. Subsequently, the enemy intensified shelling in the area where personnel and armored vehicles were concentrated, leading to additional losses of equipment and personnel, and failing to fulfill combat assignments.

In addition, as a military commander, Harutyunyan again displayed negligence towards the service, which resulted in severe consequences on October 12, 2020. On October 11, the artillery division of unit N occupied a firing position near the settlement of Juvarlu in the Varanda region. On October 12, at approximately 17:30, from the artillery position about 1 km ahead, over 100 servicemen were observed moving toward the firing position, including individuals wearing the Armenian Armed Forces uniforms.

Upon observing the group and suspecting it to be an enemy diversionary unit, the commander of the division immediately ordered his subordinate personnel to abandon the firing position. The artillery chief then reported the approaching group to the army's artillery division and requested to clarify their affiliation. This information was passed to Colonel G.B. at the command post, who, in turn, relayed it to Harutyunyan. The latter did not thoroughly investigate, analyze, or classify the received information regarding the situation and ordered that the group was friendly without proper verification, which was communicated to the division's personnel.

While awaiting clarification from the deep command post, the personnel prepared to leave the firing position. After receiving information about the group being friendly, under the commander's instructions, the division remained at the firing position and continued its service. The division commander remained suspicious of the received information and requested clarification of the affiliation of the observed group once more. However, he received confirmation that the unit was friendly from Harutyunyan without any further verification.

Shortly thereafter, an enemy diversionary unit bypassed the command post and advanced toward the firing positions. The division commander confirmed the enemy's identity from a distance of about 500 meters and ordered an evacuation from the firing position, yet due to Harutyunyan providing incorrect information, the enemy had already reached the first combat platoon's firing position and fired upon it from about 400 meters using small arms and grenade launchers. The second platoon’s personnel, engaged along the road and sustaining injuries, managed to leave the firing position, leaving behind cannons and other equipment. Meanwhile, the first platoon was directly targeted by the enemy, struggling to exit the firing position and resulting in disproportionate losses, with 20 soldiers killed and 7 wounded, while the whereabouts of the artillery chief, Lieutenant Colonel N.H., remain unknown. Subsequently, the commander's observation post and occupied firing positions were captured by the enemy, including 8 D-20 guns, 4 Ural vehicles, and a significant amount of ammunition and classified documents. The enemy gained territorial and strategic advantages in the area.

On September 2, 2022, Jalal Harutyunyan was charged under part 3 of Article 376 of the RA Criminal Code (corresponding to part 3 of the current RA Criminal Code Article 550). On the same day, preventive measures were chosen against him, prohibiting his absence and suspending him from office. The pre-trial investigation continues.

Note: The suspected or accused person is presumed innocent until proven guilty under the law as established by the Criminal Procedure Code of the Republic of Armenia.