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Ashkharhik Stepanyan, the father of term soldier Lyuks Stepanyan, who was murdered in Noyemberyan on May 15 of 2013 is indignant at the explanation provided by the MoD, pursuant to which, MoD Military Police divisions didn’t impede when the soldier’s relatives attempted to transport his dead body to the RA Government on May 18 as a sign of protest.

“You know what, you don’t understand my son’s pain is killing me. How come they didn’t impede? They of course did so, there is someone, a pensioner from our village who called Military Police and informed them we had taken the corpse out, they struggled against us all the way to Sevan, how come they didn’t impede?”, stated the father of murdered soldier with indignation in an interview with Tert.am.

It should be noted that today Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly Vanadzor office disseminated a statement, whereby, they informed of the response to the inquiry sent out to the MoD over the incident that occurred when the relative of the soldier, murdered on  May 18,  were making their way to Yerevan.

Since impeding the peaceful protest action of civilians and moreover, the inclusion of armed forces in it is unconstitutional, on May 29, 2013 Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly Vanadzor sent a inquiry to the RA Defense   Minister with a request to clarify by whose order  the divisions of armed forces moved  from their permanent location to Sevan-Yerevan highway.

In response, the RA Ministry of Defense replied that no order either to impede or prevent the protest action was given to the Military Police subdivisions of the RA Defense Ministry. It was later noted in the reply that once Sevan Garrison Military Police Department of the RA Ministry of Defense received information that there was overcrowding  of people on Yerevan- Sevan highway which could pose substantial obstacles not only to the strategic moving of the line of military vehicles but also to the undertaking of urgent operative measures on the part of MoD Military Police staff, the relevant staff of MoD Military Police Department arrived at site and merely attempted to clarify things.

The son losing father claimed that it was pointless to talk about clarifications since every attempt was made to impede them.  “They couldn’t have been justified.  Later I hear them writing in webs that d Mesrop and others were sacked (after the sensational incident of May 15, Chief of the military unit, the Deputy Chief of general staff of armed forces, division commander and deputy commanders and battery commanders were sacked) I know it well that they get sacked from one unit and take on a job in another one. You must shoot them all so that the county becomes legitimate. I don’t want them to think that I’ll remain inactive; I’ll struggle until the truth is revealed”, he stated.

Ashkharhik Stepanyan noted that June 23 is the 40th day after his son’s death right after which he’ll engage in the revelation of the case. “The 40th day after my son’s death is on June 23, we’ll mourn it and then I know what to do. My son’s documents will be completely ready by then so that you’ll come and get familiarized with what actually happened”, he said and clarified that he had been busy with the health state of his wife before, who was just discharged from hospital.

“I have taken her to have X-ray and brought her back home, I am by the side of my wife now, we are now alone together, we have no other child, it’s only my daughter, who has another family, what should I do? At this point nobody comes to see us and I am home sitting by the side of my wife, I have no one else, I don’t have a shelter, either, I am currently living in my brother’s place, what can I do?” he noted.

Lyuks Stepanyan’s father mentioned that after the protest action when the Defense Minister and the Police Chief came to his son’s funeral, they promised to reveal the case. “The Defense Minister and the Police Chief came and said they would do their best to reveal everything, but nobody has yet told me anything, I am waiting for the 40^th day of my son’s death. Afterwards, I don’t know, I’ll decide who I’ll be turning to, I’ll go there for 10-15 days and see what comes up, and then I’ll take my family and flee, I have no shelter, why should I stay, we were living for the sake of that one child, now what should I stay for?” added Lyuks’ father in despair.

To the question what such an act of protest gave, Ashkharhik Stepanyan replied, “It has given nothing so far. If after such struggle, after applying to such a measure, they still want to conceal the case, it means there is no human in Armenia, if I went for such a measure  throughout Armenia, I did it for all,  I have lost my son, I’ll no more find him, that is it. I did it for the sake of other soldiers, but there are no humans. And besides, those who go out to struggle, what do they get? Nothing is being changed for the better and nothing will be changed only by me”, he stated.

He recalled coordinator, board chairperson of “Soldier” NGO Margarit Khachatryan, who had come up then and persuaded to refrain from meeting with journalists. “I told her, what a mother are you if you don’t join us in the struggle, instead you come and merely console. I forced her out and she left. Where is now the so-called mother, doesn’t she appear to ask “What happened to you, dear Ashkharik, how are you?” I am in despair, in great despair, I’ll wait to see what happens”, concluded he.

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