“They should have filmed the children before taking them out so we could understand their position”: Parent of soldier killed in fire

Gabriel Kirakosyan, the father of Private Hayk Kirakosyan who died in a fire at the barracks of an engineering battalion in the village of Azat, Gegharkunik Province, does not believe the official explanation that the fire was a result of negligence.

In an interview with Nеws.am regarding the Prosecutor’s Office announcement about finding the soldiers in different areas of the sleeping quarters, he stated: “Their words have no value for me. I somewhat believe they were lying down because if they were on their feet, they would have found a way to escape the barracks.”

Gabriel Kirakosyan emphasized that he only trusts the facts: “If they were indeed taking the children out of there, who gave the order to take the children out? They should have filmed the children before taking them out so that there wouldn’t be any contradictory statements, and we would understand what position the children were in.”

It was previously reported that, on January 19, around 01:30, a fire broke out in the barracks of the MoD’s engineering battalion located in the village of Azat, resulting in the deaths of 15 conscript soldiers. Seven soldiers were transported to the Vardenis hospital, four of whom were released after receiving medical assistance, while three others were transferred to Yerevan’s National Burn Center with severe injuries.

Immediately following the incident, the commander of the 2nd army corps and seven other senior military officials were relieved of their duties.

It should be noted that a criminal case has been initiated in connection with the fire, under Article 532, Part 4 of the Armenian Criminal Code (violating rules for handling weapons, military ammunition, military equipment, or other military property and materials that pose a higher risk to the surroundings, which negligently resulted in the death of two or more persons). Four military officials are currently under suspicion in this case, two of whom are in custody, one is receiving treatment in the hospital due to injuries sustained during the incident, and the other has been released under the condition of signing not to leave.

It’s worth noting that 19-year-old Hayk was from the town of Metsamor in the Armavir Province. He was the eldest child in the family, with a sister and a brother. He was set to complete his one-year service on January 24.