According to Artur Sakunts, via his note the Minister of Defense confesses that sick soldiers are being conscripted to the RA Armed Forces
08:33, November 4, 2013 | News | Rights of Soldiers/Recruits | Armed ForcesChairman of Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly Vanadzor Artur Sakunts has a document at his disposal where Minister of Defense Seyran Ohanyan writes that the officers of the RA Armed Forces are not properly trained to work with feeble and imbecile soldiers.
Today Chairman of HCA Vanadzor informed about this in a meeting with journalists.
“Yes, he also noted “imbecile” and I will publicize that document”, declared Artur Sakunts pointing out that it was also another evidence that sick recruits were being conscripted to the army.
By addressing to the experience of various countries, the human rights activist stated if the country wanted to replenish the call-up, but not at the expense of sick soldiers, then it should be kind enough to resolve the health issues of potential recruits above 14.
“Moreover, it should be done free of charge. It is so, of course no”, stated the human rights activist.
According to the author of the report on the “Results of 2013 spring call-up and conscripts’ rights”, there are at least 17 cases, when recruits, in their opinion, should not have been conscripted to the army.
By Artur Sakunts’ words the conscription of sick guys to the army entails non-statutory relations and vicious morals in the army, because, if a soldier with limited physical or health capacities cannot do something, for instance, split the wood, whereas the other can, this finally leads to forcing his to do it by the fellow-servicemen. Or else, they degrade him or offer washing the dishes if the latter is unable to split the wood.
As a result, we record suicide cases on the grounds of degradation of a person’s dignity, murders and tortures due to interpersonal non-statutory relations. In response to the question whether the RA army needs replenishment, Artur Sakunts replied, “It is Stalingrad to fill the trenches with the injured in order to defend?”
Artur Sakunts also declared that despite the introduction of alternative labor service, 444 “Jehovah’s witnesses” were exempted from mandatory military service, among whom there were 3-4 Molokans, whereas, 1265 followers of the Armenian Apostolic Church were granted with a deferment.
In a talk with Tert. am Press secretary of Armenian Defense Ministry Artsrun Hovhannisyan noted in this respect, “There are mechanisms for mutual cooperation, which Artur Sakunts knows well and instead of appealing, he had better turn to us for elimination of faults, which he does”.
MoD Press secretary also mentioned that the human rights activist had previously cooperated with them “according to addresses, parents, names”, as a result of which, many cases were reviewed, but there were also cases when the alerts turned out to be false.
As to the document, Artsrun Hovhannisyan noted, “If he owns, let him publish it”.