Parents of Fallen Artillerymen from the 'Tsor' Military Unit Address Charges Against Jalal Harutyunyan

The parents of fallen artillerymen from the Tsor military unit's D-20 artillery battalion have raised concerns regarding the legal proceedings related to their demands.

Representative Liparit Simonian stated, "The struggle of the parents of the fallen artillerymen from the 'Tsor' military unit seems to be yielding results:

1. On August 25, 2021, charges were filed against the commander of the D-20 artillery battalion, Gevorg Gevorgyan, under part 4 of Article 375 of the RA Criminal Code. The charge is substantiated; however, a sufficient and complete legal assessment of his actions has not been provided. In short, at the moment of the enemy attack, he left the soldiers alone and fled the battlefield to save himself. Detention as a preventive measure has been appropriately applied against him, and the criminal case is currently in court.
2. On September 2, 2022, Jalal Harutyunyan was charged under part 3 of Article 376 of the RA Criminal Code (two episodes, corresponding to part 3 of Article 550 of the current RA Criminal Code) concerning military negligence. The charges are substantiated; however, a sufficient and complete legal assessment of his actions has not been provided. For unclear reasons, the investigating body has not submitted a petition to the court to apply detention as a preventive measure against Jalal Harutyunyan. It is important to note that Jalal Harutyunyan is not in any way superior to either Gevorg Gevorgyan or the high-ranking officers in leadership positions against whom charges have been filed and detention has been chosen as a preventive measure.
3. Not all individuals have been charged regarding the deaths of artillerymen from the Tsor military unit. We hope that the investigative body will provide a corresponding legal assessment of the actions of others involved (although the actions of others have not been appropriately assessed).

The parents of the fallen artillerymen of the D-20 artillery battalion of the Tsor military unit will continue to fight to ensure that all guilty parties receive the appropriate legal assessments of their actions and face suitable punishments.

It is reminded that on September 2, 2022, Jalal Harutyunyan was charged under part 3 of Article 376 of the RA Criminal Code, adopted on April 18, 2003 (corresponding to part 3 of Article 550 of the current RA Criminal Code), and on the same day, a ban on leaving the country and suspension from office were applied as preventive measures. The investigation is ongoing.