New Details on the Fire at the Military Barracks in Azat

Two years after the fire at the military barracks in the village of Azat, Gegharkunik Province, there has been no positive progress, and more questions have arisen than answers provided by the competent authorities. This was stated by the representative of the victims, lawyer Norik Norikyan, at a press conference.

According to him, the competent authorities have shown a sloppy and incompetent attitude towards the case. Two years should have been entirely sufficient to shed light on the matter.

During the court sessions, 14 out of 19 victims have testified. Norikyan recalled that two parents have died during the proceedings, while the others are still awaiting their turn. Even the owner of the barracks has not been questioned.

“Only 4 out of 38 witnesses have been interrogated. Upcoming court sessions will include testimonies from both the command staff of the military unit and higher-ranking representatives from the General Staff of the Armed Forces,” Norikyan stated.

He announced that the state bodies have not refuted the version of a diversion. Furthermore, Norikyan has sent a special letter to the head of the National Security Service, requesting clarification on why the possible connection of the accused officer, Yeghish Hakobyan, with foreign, particularly Azerbaijani, services has not been investigated, and the opportunity for them to fulfill assignments, including completely burning down the barracks.

“We received a response that our application has been acknowledged and the raised issues will be taken into account. We expected nothing more,” he noted.

According to him, the testimonies of all witnesses in the case contradict each other. They are attempting to create a different reality, which has contributed to an unprecedented lack of trust in the investigation and towards the witnesses.

It is worth recalling that on January 19, around 01:30, a fire broke out at the barracks of the engineering battalion located in the area of the village of Azat, Gegharkunik Province. As a result of the fire, 15 individuals died, and 7 servicemen sustained injuries.