Murder or Drowning
00:00, November 27, 2010 | News | Rights of Soldiers/Recruits | Armed ForcesOn June 16, 2010 the body of a military recruit Yervand Sargsyan was found in a water-pipe.
According to the medical forensic examination results, Yervand Sargsyan, recruited from Armavir military commissionaire on May 12, 2010, and a serviceman from military unit number 37447 of Aygestan (former Baludga) of Nagorno Karabakh Defensive Army, died of suffocation due to a respiratory tract failure because of water in his lungs.
According to the official data, on July 16 around 9 a.m. Yervand Sargsyan, along with other recruits in the company went to an obstacle field near their military unit. At 10:00a.m. after finishing their morning exercises, a group of recruits (6 servicemen) went to the pool near the river for swimming. To raise the level of the water, Yervand Sargsyan closed the edge of the water pipe in the pool with his back, during which the high pressure dragged him into the pipe where he subsequently was drowned.
On June 28, 2010, a criminal case was brought under Article 376 Part 2 of the RA Criminal Code (negligent attitude to service if caused essential damage) in the First Garrison Investigation Department of the Investigatory Service of RA Ministry of Defense.
On August 25, 2010, Karlen Arushanyan, the commander of the military unit company, and a Senior Lieutenant, was brought in for questioning under Article 376 Part 2 of the RA Criminal Code. As a precautionary measure, he was asked to sign a statement that he would not leave the country.
Yervand Sargsyan’s relatives do not believe in the official version.
Manuk Sargsyan, Yervand Sargsyan’s father, visited Nagorno Karabakh where his son drowned. He has personally carried out various investigations and observations and has concluded that the official version is false.
According to the military documents in the case, it is alleged that Yervand Sargsyan closed the edge of the water pipe, which was 500 milometer in diameter,with his back. Yervand’s father has measured the edge of the pipe and it is 700 milometer in diameter.
Manuk Sargsyan has also been in the military unit, has talked to the servicemen who were present at the incident. According to Yervand’s father, the recurits looked scared and wouldn’t say anything, except the following: “Whatever the officers say is the truth”.
The relatives mentioned that there were scratches and bruises on Yervand’s back and the back side of his ear. His elbow was also broken. It seemed like Yervand had been dragged along the ground.
Also, relatives cannot understand why their son went to the swimming pool during the morning as he had been sick two days prior and had been receiving treatment in the medical department of the military unit. Yervand Sargsyan’s father also mentioned that he had been in the same swimming-pool before, and the water is so very cold in the morning that no one can stay in the water for more than several minutes.
Yervand Sargsyan’s father, Manuk Sargsyan, is the assignee of the case.
The investigator has not provided the case documents to Manuk Sargsyan.
Because of not having enough money, the relatives were not able to involve a defender in the case so an investigator from Nagorno Karabakh involved a defender in the case.
According to the facts, the investigation is over and the case has been sent to the RA Court of Common Jurisdiction of Syunik Region.