Armenian rights group challenges official military death figures

A leading Armenian human rights organization has disputed official figures on deaths in the armed forces, saying reforms remain inadequate as long as fatalities continue to occur outside combat.

 

The Prosecutor General’s Office reported this week that no murders were recorded in the armed forces in 2025, though nine deaths were linked to military service. In contrast, the Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly Vanadzor Office (HCAV) said its annual study documented three killings among 34 total military deaths last year, including two in border guard units.

 

HCAV lawyer Nazeli Movsesyan told Panorama.am that the group classified cases as murders when criminal proceedings were either opened under homicide statutes or when circumstances suggested intentional killing. She cited a June 2025 incident in which a soldier died following a fight with a superior officer. Prosecutors charged the case under articles relating to bodily harm and hooliganism, but HCAV categorized it as murder.

 

Movsesyan said two other cases were initially investigated as homicides before being reclassified, including one involving electrocution. “We count them as murders because the proceedings began under homicide articles,” she explained.

 

According to HCAV’s report, causes of death in the armed forces in 2025 included health problems (10 cases), traffic accidents (8), suicides or suspected suicides (6), accidents (4), murders (3), and three cases with undetermined causes. The group noted a 15% decline in overall deaths compared with 2024, but Movsesyan said the reduction was insufficient.

 

“As long as we have even one non-combat death – whether from interpersonal violence, suicide or murder – reforms are not at a sufficient level,” she said, adding that suicides highlight “criminal practices, unhealthy relations and degrading treatment” within the military.