The mediation was submitted regarding to the suspension of authorities of lieutenant G.L regarding to the case of torturing a soldier. Informed by the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia
On March 19, 2021 New Generation Humanitarian NGO (NGNGO) sent a letter to the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia (RA), the Human Rights Defender (Ombudsman), Ministry of Defense (MoD) to ensure the safety of the convicted and abused serviceman, as well as to take the necessary measures for the fair investigation of the case.
In a letter to the Ministry of Defense, the organization also requested the transfer of a serviceman to another military unit in the territory of the Republic of Armenia and provide the latter with proper medical care. As a result, the soldier was transferred to another military unit.
According to the letter received from the RA Ministry of Defense, the RA Ministry of Defense Military Police submitted a motion to the RA Minister of Defense on suspending powers for a period of a month of a lieutenant G. Lalayan. At the same time the organization received the response of Artyom Sedrakyan, the head of the Human Rights Protection in the Armed Forces Department of the Human Rights Defender office in the field of Criminal Justice, according to which letters were addressed to the General Prosecutor Office and RA Ministry of Defense, as well as a liaison was established with the relevant unit to ensure the safety of the serviceman.
Background of the case:
On March 13, 2021 conscript H.A. applied to New Generation Humanitarian NGO. The soldier informed that he had problems with his fellow soldiers during his military service as they had learnt about his sexual orientation. So, he was moved to another military unit.
During the military situation declared in the Republic of Armenia and Artsakh, he was again subjected to discrimination on the same basis, and after a quarrel arisen between him and battalion chief major T.T., Acting Chief of Hadrut Military Police of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia, Lieutenant Colonel G.L. attacked the soldiers with sexual insults, then loaded his pistol and shot twice at the left and right sides of H. A.’s feet at the adjacent road to Tchartar city. Then he aimed the loaded pistol at H.A.’s forehead and threatened to kill him. Then G.L. hit H.A. on the nose with the handle of the pistol after which H.A. fell down and received a blow on his face. G.L.’s blows caused fracture of H.A.’s nose and denture. On the same day, having moved H.A. to Stepanakert military police department, G.L., the chief of reception-distributive department, operations deputy of the same department chief and several guards beat H.A. with wooden clubs and caused the latter bodily injuries in the reception-distributive cell of the department. H.A. was left in the cell for several days. Only after having been moved to another military unit, he reported about the crime as he had been periodically threatened
Criminal case was launched on the case on the basis of point 4 of 2nd part of 309․1 Article, 1st part of 309.1 Article, 2nd point of 2nd part of 359 Article of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia.