Armenia tries officer-deserter For shooting himself to avoid battle with Azerbaijanis

Armenia’s Prosecutor General's Office has submitted a criminal case against an Armenian Armed Forces officer to the court, who ordered the personnel of his company to retreat from a combat post on November 2, 2020.

"The commander of the rifle company V.H., who served in an Armenian Defence Ministry military unit stationed in Azerbaijan’s previously occupied territories, during the period of martial law, in the conditions of hostilities, on November 2, 2020, without having an order from the senior commander or permission to withdraw from the occupied combat positions, instead of stopping the enemy and preventing the advance, ordered the personnel of the combat post to retreat without grounds, as a result of which the soldiers left the combat positions,” the prosecutor office said, Caliber.Az reports, citing Armenian media.

Then, V.H., under the pretext of receiving bodily injuries, sought medical assistance and was released from duty for several days.

After recovering and returning to service, on the night of November 5-6, 2020, V.H., having learned that he was going on a combat mission with the company's personnel, tried to convince Sergeant A.M. to deliberately harm his health. Having been refused by Sergeant A.M., V.H. decided to injure himself. On November 6, 2020, on the way to combat positions, V.H. shot himself in the right thigh from an assault rifle attached to him, causing moderate damage with irreversible violations.

On February 16, 2021, V.H. was dismissed from his position by a corresponding order.

On 22.07.2023, the Prosecutor's Office initiated a criminal case against V.H. under Part 3 of Article 364 of the Criminal Code of 18.04.2003 (refusal of military service or its separate duties by a serviceman) and Part 5 of Article 363 of the Criminal Code (evasion from military service or termination of its separate duties by causing harm to health [injury], simulation of illness or by other illegal means).

On August 1, 2023, the prosecutor sent the materials of the criminal case with the indictment to the court," the prosecutor's office message said.