For How Many People Can You Block The Way?

For How Many People Can You Block The Way?

The Ministry of Defense and the police have blocked Yerevan-Sevan
highway for the relatives of the non-combat victim Lux Stepanyan. The
father of the conscript wants to bring his body to the house of
government as a sign of protest.

His son was killed on May 15 in the military unit of Noyemberyan. The
parents do not believe that it was an accident. In addition, today
charges were brought, and the military prosecutor’s office stated that
there was a quarrel which was followed by shooting.

The minister of defense and other high-ranking officials of the army
went to meet the relatives of the victim, negotiate and assure them.
But will they heal the pain and fury of these people who do not
believe a single word of those officials?

In what despair should a person be to take such a step? Have the army
leaders and the head of state thought about it? Is there a way of
fighting such despair? By the way, despair is not about the army but
also all the other spheres of life.

This situation is not something new, it occurred over years, when
investigations of dozens of similar cases did not answer a single
question. People believe that all the cases are covered up. The
Military Police is a place of extorting testimonies, the military
prosecutor’s office is a place of cover-up of cases, the courts ratify
everything in the end.

It is very difficult to restore faith in people, especially now and
especially in the sight of the lifestyle of army’s high-ranking
officials. Everyone knows how this quality of life is obtained:
calories stolen from soldiers and the army in the result of exploiting
them like slaves, protectionism, selectivity.

A criminal system of `responsibility’ has occurred in the army. The
agents of the high-ranking officials control the soldiers and get
privileges. One of the levels of the army has been left out of
military business, discipline, law enforcement. This level is
responsible for everything. The result is the atmosphere in the army,
permissiveness, neglect for field manuals, which takes away lives of
soldiers.

In this context, Seyran Ohanyan’s statement following his
reappointment is notable. He said he reports to his supervisor, in
other words, the supreme commander-in-chief Serzh Sargsyan. What he
said is true according to the Constitution and legislation. However,
considering the state of law enforcement in Armenia, as well as the
peculiarities of the internal structure of the government, what Seyran
Ohanyan said complies with what was described above. Hence, in the
hierarchy he reports to Serzh Sargsyan and only his supervisor can
assess his performance. This assessment has nothing to do with the
state of the army, it depends on how faithful and reliable Seyran
Ohanyan is.

In fact, Seyran Ohanyan disclaims responsibility, noting that he
reports to his supervisor only. Meanwhile, the head of the army must
report to people who send their sons to the army for two years for who
he is responsible.

A general should fear for every single soldier, be accountable to
them, otherwise it is not a general. Unless there is no care, one
bright day the general will be left without an army, and all he will
have to do will be posturing in front of cameras. Meanwhile, the
number of desperate parents will grow who will not even announce next
time that they bring the body to Yerevan.

Haik Aramyan
15:36 18/05/2013
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From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress