Father of Armenian soldier: Army holds my son hostage

By Azernews

By Rashid Shirinov

Armenian media constantly reports about facts of the lawlessness in the national army, which shows the poor state of Armenian soldiers.

Most recently the media revealed another story proving the chaos reigning in the Armenian army. A soldier of an Armenian military unit, Avetik Isahakyan, should've been demobilized more than three weeks ago, but the command of his military unit refuses to send the soldier home, and demands from him to repair a car.

“The two years of my son’s service expired on January 9, but he is still not allowed to return home. We don't know what to do, and whom to contact,” the soldier's father, Ishkhan Khachatryan, told Haykakan Zhamanak newspaper.

Khachatryan, commenting on the demands to repair the car, said that this car was assigned to Avetik after he started the army service.

“One day, he touched something and broke the car mirror. After that, he was not allowed to drive it. The car was given to the contractors, but it remained registered under Avetik’s responsibility. Now the car is in bad condition, someone ruined it, and they say it’s my son’s fault,” complained the father.

The soldier’s father claims that the deputy commander of the military unit threatened Avetik Isahakyan that he won’t go home until he fixes the car, and hinted that the soldier should give money.

However, the soldier’s family does not have money because Ishkhan Khachatryan is unemployed and has taken many loans from different banks to feed his family. It is worth noting that many families in Armenia live in similar conditions.

“I sent my son to serve the motherland, but not to repair a car. Do they hold him hostage?!,” the father says.

Isahakyan also worries that something can happen to his son in case they further refuse to repair the car.