Commander Provides Negative Characterization of Captain Despite Medal Received from Defense Minister: Lawyer

The attorney for Captain Yeghishe Hakobyan, who is a key defendant in the tragic fire incident that occurred on January 19 at the engineering-sapper barracks in Azat village, Gegharkunik Province, will file a petition to challenge his detention in court.

Captain Hakobyan is accused of carelessly pouring gasoline into a heater, which led to the death of 15 servicemen. In an interview with News.am, the attorney deemed the detention decision unfounded, arguing that the purpose, according to the investigative body, was to prevent Hakobyan from obstructing the investigation. The lawyer questioned what kind of obstruction was implied, given that Hakobyan is willing to cooperate with the authorities.

“Hakobyan has been free for two months, has had interactions, and there has been no evidence of obstruction. Additionally, he has agreed to assist the investigative body and has provided testimony. However, the testimony remains incomplete, and it has not yet been finalized. It seems that the entire goal of the investigative body is to detain him. I fear that the investigation is not proceeding normally. They are satisfied with the detention; the examination results will come, they will send the case to court, and they will say that Yeghishe was guilty and consider the case closed. However, there are many circumstances in this case that need clarification, such as how it happened that the soldiers died from carbon monoxide while Yeghishe survived,” Sarghisyan stated.

Sarghisyan emphasized that the investigation is deeply flawed and that the circumstances surrounding the incident remain unexplained. It is unclear how 15 servicemen could not escape during the fire. Additionally, the attorney noted that aside from Hakobyan's testimony, there is no other evidence that he ignited the heater. The surviving servicemen indicated that they saw events unfold based on Hakobyan’s account.

“How is it possible that the commanding officer of Hakobyan's unit, who is now relieved of duty, provided a negative characterization to the investigative body, when over the past six months, Hakobyan has received medals for service from both the Armenian and Russian Defense Ministers? The commanding officer wrote that he is undisciplined, lacks knowledge, and is a poor serviceman, and his combat path is not even mentioned. The public has been placed in a conscientious misconception. Did Yeghishe burn the barracks, but the boys died from it, or were they already in such a state before the fire that they could not get out? They should have escaped the barracks, yet no one has been able to answer why they could not,” the lawyer emphasized.

Recall that on January 19, around 01:30, a fire broke out in the barracks of the National Defense Ministry's military unit located in the Azat village area of Gegharkunik Province, resulting in the deaths of 15 conscript servicemen, while seven servicemen were transferred to the Vardenis hospital, of whom four were discharged after receiving treatment, while three were transferred to Yerevan with serious injuries to the National Burn Center.

Immediately following the incident, the commander of the 2nd Army Corps and seven other senior military officials were relieved of their duties. Hours after the tragedy, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan presented the official version during a cabinet meeting, stating that a serviceman had poured gasoline onto the heater, and then, as the fire engulfed him, he threw a five-liter canister of gasoline into the barracks out of “self-defense instinct,” which caused the fire. Later, the platoon commander informed journalists that there was no gasoline in the barracks, effectively contradicting the Prime Minister. The military prosecutor has also stated that it is still unclear whether gasoline or diesel fuel was involved.

A criminal case has been initiated under Article 532, Part 4 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia (violation of rules regarding handling weapons, military equipment, or other materials that pose greater danger to the environment, resulting in the death of two or more persons due to negligence) and case proceedings have been opened under Article 550, Part 3 of the Criminal Code (military negligence, leading to death due to negligence), which has been included in the main proceedings. Five officers are charged in the case. The Chief of Logistics and Command and the Deputy Chief of Communal Services, Gor Aghakyan, as well as the Chief of the barracks' communal services and the head of the fire protection and rescue services, Major Marlen Sarghisyan, are currently in detention. They are charged with military negligence resulting in death. A public criminal prosecution has also been initiated against the platoon commander G.M. As a preventive measure, a prohibition on leaving the country has been imposed. A public criminal prosecution has also been initiated against T.Q., the chief of the engineering service of the military unit. The key defendant, Captain Yeghishe Hakobyan, is also in detention and is charged with igniting the heater with gasoline, resulting in the deaths of 15 servicemen. Although he did not express his attitude towards the charges during his interrogation, he confirmed that he poured gasoline into the heater, but not with a five-liter canister, as stated by the investigative body, but with a coffee cup. The captain stated that he visited the barracks very infrequently and that on that day, he was there at a friend’s request. He also mentioned that he tried to wake up the servicemen, yelled out, but during the 20 minutes it took for the fire to spread from the hallway to the bedroom, the 15 servicemen did not respond.

Additionally, parents do not believe the official version and suspect that the incident was intentional, asserting that their sons may have died before the fire. Many recount tensions between the servicemen and one of the officers just days before the tragedy.