Armenia’s Ministry of Defence has denied reports circulating online that a 19-year-old serviceman was beaten at the Jermuk military unit, describing the claims as false.

“The information circulated by a user on the Facebook social media platform does not correspond to reality.

We urge the public to refrain from spreading false and misleading information, as well as from making unfounded attempts to discredit the reputation of the Armenian Army.

Such publications mislead the public and contribute to the spread of disinformation.

Reports claiming that serviceman A.H. was severely beaten, or beaten at all, are false. He was admitted to a military hospital due to a different health issue.

The Ministry of Defence is ready to accompany representatives of the Office of the Human Rights Defender to the hospital so they can verify the facts on site,” the ministry said.

The ministry added that the serviceman, who was admitted to the military hospital with a health issue unrelated to the claims, is currently undergoing observation and medical examinations.

According to the ministry, the serviceman is in good health and there are no causes for concern.

The allegations that the serviceman had been beaten were raised by human rights journalist Zhanna Aleksanyan, who called on Human Rights Defender Anahit Manasyan to respond to the reported incident.