By Azernews

By Abdul Kerimkhanov

On September 19, mothers of fallen soldiers staged a protest rally outside of the Armenian government building demanding compensation.

The demonstrations come after the authorities failed to meet their demands for compensation since January 2019, Margarita Khachatryan, Chair of the “Zinvor” (Soldier) Coordinating Council NGO has said.

The government is urged to apply the criteria for support to the families of the March 2008 post-election unrest victims also to the families of servicemen who have been killed or become disabled.

Khachatryan sat at the door of the main entrance to the Cabinet building, thereby blocking the road there. At the calls of the police to open the way, she constantly repeated her demands. As she stressed if such a decision is not made, then the Council members would begin a sit-in and hunger strike.

Meanwhile, Lusine Avetisyan, the mother of a fallen soldier, tried to break into the government building but was pushed back by police officers blocking the entrance.

She next blocked the way of Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan, saying they wanted to present their issue to the prime minister. Tatoyan advised her to meet him after the cabinet meeting or to pay a visit to the Ombudsman’s Office. He also promised to discuss the matter with the government’s chief of staff.

After the ombudsman left, Avetisyan staged a sit-in in front of the building, blocking its entrance. Khachatryan also joined her.

She threatened to continue the sit-in so long as the government makes a decision to provide support to them, as well as the families of the police officers killed during the seizure of a Yerevan police station in 2016.

Armenian mothers’ indignation can be understood, since situation in Armenian army is in a deep rut. Most of the conscripts are forcibly redirected to the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, which is recognized by world community as Azerbaijani lands. Among the occupiers themselves, this area is considered the most dangerous for military service. Most often, Armenian soldiers commit suicide or are tired of enduring the outrage of commanders and shoot at each other.

About a year and a half after the velvet revolution and despite the fact that the Armenian Defense Minister has changed, the situation in the army of this country has not changed. The top leadership, as in previous years, continues to treat Armenian soldiers as cannon fodder. And all war rhetoric is a fiction to deceive Armenian people into believing that they have a strong army.