The parents of the soldiers who died as a result of the fire that broke out in an Armenian military accommodation have been recognized as the injured party in the case. The legal representative of these parents, lawyer Norayr Norikyan, told Armenian News-NEWS.am about this on Friday.
"Four of the parents will be interviewed tomorrow. Basically, in a week, certainty will come about on several issues," added Norikyan.
Earlier, Armenian News-NEWS.am reported that at around 1:30am on January 19, a fire broke out in the accommodation of the engineering-sapper platoon of the military unit located in the territory of Azat village of Armenia’s Gegharkunik Province. Fifteen servicemen have died as a result of this fire, and seven others were injured. Four of them were discharged from the Vardenis town hospital after receiving medical treatment, whereas three others with severe burns were transported to National Center of Burns and Dermatology in the capital Yerevan.
Immediately after the incident, the commander of the 2nd Army Corps and seven other high-ranking military personnel were relieved of their positions.
A few hours after the incident, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at the Cabinet meeting of the government that an officer had poured gasoline in the stove of the aforesaid accommodation. After which, when the fire had gotten to him, he had thrown—with a self-protective instinct—the 5-liter can of gasoline in his hand towards the accommodation, and this had caused the fire.
But later, the platoon commander told reporters that there was no gasoline in the accommodation, essentially refuting the PM. The Military Prosecutor also stated that it is not yet clear whether it was gasoline or diesel fuel.
Criminal proceedings have been launched into this incident along the lines of which four servicemen are indicted. Two of them are in custody, one was injured in the incident and is being treated in the hospital, and a signature bond not to leave Armenia has been imposed as a preventive measure for the other soldier.
But the families of the soldiers who died in the fire do not believe the official version, according to which the fire was a result of negligence. They have suspicions that their sons were killed.
