Two Armenian soldiers were detained after a comrade's suicide.
The Investigative Committee of Armenia accused the detainees of driving a soldier to suicide.
"Caucasian Knot" reported that at the end of June, the Investigative Committee of Armenia reported on the initiation of a criminal case in connection with the death of a contract serviceman.
Earlier, human rights defenders called on the Armenian authorities to pay more attention to the prevention of crimes and suicides in the army. They pointed out that the share of non-combat losses among Armenian servicemen reached 90%.
In the case of the death of serviceman Narek Torosyan, two of his comrades have been detained. The Investigative Committee of Armenia is petitioning for their arrest. One of the detainees, a junior sergeant, is accused under three counts of Article 522 (driving to suicide through negligence) of the Criminal Code of Armenia, while the second is accused under two counts of the same article.
According to preliminary investigation data, shortly before the tragedy, he was beaten, after which he committed suicide. The deceased serviceman had just taken up combat positions for the first time, reported News.am.
Torosyan was a resident of the city of Charentsavan, studying at the Faculty of Journalism of the Russian-Armenian University. He served for 6 months, was stationed in a training military unit in Armavir, and had recently returned from leave, after which he was transferred to the military unit in Chambarak, notes Armenpress.
The death of the serviceman was commented on by former member of the National Assembly of Armenia Tigran Abrahamyan, who reported that Narek was his student. "Narek was a good person — calm, kind, with high human qualities. He was loved and respected by both students and teachers," Abrahamyan wrote on his Facebook account. In his opinion, the state does not pay adequate attention to issues of military discipline, the moral and psychological state of the army, and ensuring proper oversight.
The website of the Ministry of Defense of Armenia does not contain any information about Torosyan's death.
The increase in non-combat losses among military personnel has previously raised questions for the Armenian authorities. Back in November 2023, the parents of fallen soldiers noted that the authorities and the ombudsman should address the issue of military deaths in peacetime.
The rise in non-combat losses in military units indicates systemic problems in the Armenian army, participants in a discussion in Yerevan noted back in February 2022.