Protest in support of missing soldier's uncle held in Yerevan

Families of soldiers killed and missing in the 2020 Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) war gathered outside the Armenian Prosecutor General’s Office on Friday to express support for Arsen Ghukasyan, who has been detained for one month on charges of hooliganism.

Ghukasyan, who lost his brother in the war and whose nephew remains missing, was arrested following a clash with military police during a protest outside the Defense Ministry in late September.

“Arsen’s health condition and heart surgery make his detention unlawful,” said Sergo Galstyan, the uncle of another missing soldier. “What kind of hooliganism did Arsen commit? He just wanted to attend a meeting at the Defense Ministry. But when you are treated with contempt for five years, how long can you stay silent?”

Galstyan accused the Armenian authorities of ignoring the plight of missing soldiers' families and mishandling the DNA samples collected from fallen servicemen.

According to Galstyan, Ghukasyan was only demanding information about his brother’s son, who remains unaccounted for, neither listed among Armenian captives nor identified through DNA testing.

The families accused the authorities of targeting those who were actively involved in postwar search and recovery efforts in Artsakh.