Contract Soldier Responsible for Position Arrested in Connection with Death of Conscription Soldier

In the framework of the criminal proceedings initiated regarding the death of conscription soldier Hayk Petrosyan from the N military unit of the Ministry of Defense, a contract soldier responsible for the position has been arrested. This was reported by Gor Abrahamyan, the spokesperson for the Investigative Committee of Armenia.

The contract soldier was arrested on suspicion of committing criminal acts under Articles 522, Part 2, Clause 1 (causing a soldier to commit suicide through negligence, committed by a group of individuals), Clause 2 (the same act, committed by a commander against a subordinate), and Clause 3 (the same act, committed during combat duty or military service); as well as under Article 520, Part 3, Clause 1 (using violence or threatening violence against a subordinate, committed by a group of individuals) and under Article 524, Part 2, Clause 2 (inflicting insult against a subordinate by a commander) and Clause 3 (the same act, committed against two or more soldiers).

Procedural and evidence-gathering actions aimed at fully clarifying the circumstances of the soldier's death are ongoing.

The Ministry of Defense had reported on the 19-year-old soldier's death on February 19, indicating that the soldier had received a fatal gunshot wound under yet unspecified circumstances.

Later, the Investigative Committee informed that he died from a gunshot wound to the head, incompatible with life. The soldier was discovered in the combat position area within the military unit’s protection zone. He was pronounced dead upon arrival at the Ijevan Medical Center. According to preliminary data, the soldier died from injuries sustained from a shot fired from his assigned assault rifle to the head.