Armenia’s DM spokesperson should reveal names of human right advocates who visited murdered conscript’s family – Arthur Sakunts

Head of Helsinki Civil Association Vanadzor office Arthur Sakunts demands Armenia’s Defense Ministry’s spokesperson present facts over the claims that the parents of killed conscript decided to bring the corpse of their son to Yerevan with the advice of an NGO.

In his Facebook post Defense Ministry spokesperson Artsrun Hovanissian wrote that the actions of Luxe Stepanyan’s relatives were organized. “We understand the parents and not many will understand them better than we, but no one should orient and make it a national tragedy and shame,” he wrote.

The post was followed by information that a day ago the parents of the murdered conscript met with a human right advocate organziation.

“The statement of the DM spokesman is at least strange for me. He has to make a clear statement and tell the names,” he said. “The statement made on conclusions speaks of their attitude toward the activity of such human right organizations. Such attitude cannot promote the increase of people’s trust toward armed forces,” he said.

The human rights advocate reminded the spokesperson that he is not a blogger or a common citizen but a spokesperson of state institution.

“If he makes his statement based on blogger’s or Facebook discussion, Hovannisian must at least realize that he is not a common blogger or citizen but a spokesperson of official institution, he represents a state establishment,” he stressed.

Sakunts said he is interested whether the spokesperson expressed his personal opinion or the approach of the state establishment.

He also stressed that Hovannisian should better understand who is the guilty of what happened. “If he is frank, he should pay attention that the deaths in the army are not caused by human right advocates but by awkward leadership. I assess it as an obvious call to divert the attention of the people from the causes of all the issues which is not appropriate for DM spokesperson and state institution in general,” Sakunts stated.

Earlier bloggers and the chairman of Asbarez journalists club wrote in Facebook that a representative of human rights advocate organization visited the family of the killed conscript on the eve of the incident.