The deputy commander-chief of staff of battalion has been charged with causing of Private Granik Khnkoyan, a mandatory conscript soldier of Armenia, to commit suicide.

Facts have been obtained that Major A.T., the deputy commander-chief of staff of the rifle battalion of a military unit, had committed actions aimed at degrading the honor and dignity of serviceman Khnkoyan by using violence against him in the presence of fellow soldiers, reported the Investigative Committee of Armenia.

On August 11, Khnkoyan's dead body was found in the aforesaid military unit—and with a gunshot wound to the head.

During the investigation of this criminal case, it was found that Khnkoyan, being in a depressed state of mind, had opened fire with a rifle at around 8:40am on the same day and inflicted fatal gunshot wounds on himself.

On Tuesday, a petition was filed with the supervising prosecutor to launch a public prosecution against Major A.T., which was granted, he was charged and detained to appear in court.

The court placed A. T. under house arrest as a preventive measure.

Earlier, we reported that on August 11, Granik Khnkoyan, a soldier of an Armenian military unit, sustained a fatal gunshot wound under circumstances yet to be determined.