YEREVAN. – Armenian MOD possesses the statistics on the soldiers’ deaths and their causes in the army, but it still deems early to publicize them, Deputy Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan stated on Saturday, the Human Rights Day. “Since trials and investigations are underway, it would be wrong for us to give numbers at present,” he added.      

In response to a news reporter’s query as to how will they publicize these statistics, if MOD did not disclose them to The Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly Vanadzor Office, on the grounds that they are a state secret, Davit Tonoyan said: “Legislative changes are made to that end, and all statistical data will be made public, in time.”   

And in reply to the question as to why the majority of the criminal cases, on the incidents that occur in the army, are being launched on the clause of causing suicide, Deputy Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan said: “This is a matter of formulation. We will be more careful from now on. But if the clauses do not change later, the preliminary formulations are correct.”