First Verdict Issued in Fire Incident at N Military Unit in Azat Village

The Court of General Jurisdiction of Gegharkunik Region delivered a guilty verdict on August 21, 2025. The defendant, junior sergeant R.M., has been sentenced to 3 years in prison.

Junior sergeant R.M., who served in the platoon on duty from January 18 to 19, 2023, was found guilty of committing a crime under Paragraph 3 of Article 543 of the Criminal Code (violating internal service regulations leading to the death of one or more persons due to negligence). R.M. was responsible for maintaining order, security, and protection of personnel, weapons, military equipment, and property at the site of the engineering platoon's deployment at N military unit located in Azat village of Gegharkunik region.

On January 19, 2023, during the time period from 00:30 to 01:00, R.M., while on duty and responsible for monitoring the boiler, unnecessarily left the premises to speak on the phone. Due to his absence, R.M. failed to notice or prevent the apparently dangerous actions of engineering officer, Captain E.H., and subsequently did not take timely measures during the initial stages of the fire to save the endangered personnel, weapons, and other material resources, which negligently caused the death of individuals.

Fifteen conscript soldiers from the same platoon who were inside the quarters were not evacuated in time and, due to the lack of appropriate fire protection measures, were unable to extinguish the fire and subsequently died without being able to exit the facility, while three others sustained varying degrees of burns.

It is noteworthy that public criminal proceedings have been initiated against E.H. under Paragraph 4 of Article 532 of the Criminal Code (violating the rules for handling weapons, ammunition, military equipment, or items posing greater danger to the environment, which negligently caused the death of two or more persons), and the case is currently in the trial phase.