Protecting rights of military personnel and their families remains  priority for RA Human Rights Defender - Anahit Manasyan

ArmInfo.  Protecting the rights of military personnel and their families remains a priority for the  Ombudsman. Human Rights Defender Anahit Manasyan stated this during a  working visit to the Syunik region, where she visited a military unit  under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Defense's Special Army  Corps.

Accompanied by Major General Garegin Poghosyan, Commander of the  Special Army Corps, the Ombudsman inspected the military unit's  premises and familiarized herself with the social and living  conditions. Specifically, she examined the state of the medical  service, the availability of medicines, the quality of food, as well  as issues of military discipline and the morale of personnel.

The Ombudsman placed particular emphasis on the need for  comprehensive and ongoing work to prevent suicide and self-harm among  military personnel, ensure the right to life, strengthen military  discipline, and maintain and improve the morale of personnel. She  also emphasized the need to further improve the service and living  conditions of military personnel, noting the importance of consistent  work in this area.

At the same time, Manasyan praised the Ministry of Defense's  readiness and consistency in addressing industry-specific issues.  According to her, during regular visits to military units, positive  changes are being recorded on issues previously raised by the Human  Rights Commissioner, as well as the effective resolution of many of  them.

According to the Ombudsman's Office, the Human Rights Defender's  visits to military units and other military institutions are regular.  As a reminder, at the beginning of the year, Armenian Defense  Minister Suren Papikyan announced at a press conference that 30  deaths were recorded in the country's Armed Forces in 2025, but there  were no cases of homicides committed as a result of hazing between  military personnel.

"Of the 30 fatalities, six were related to lightning strikes and  electric shocks, two were suicides or incitement to suicide, and two  were due to health reasons. This does not include conscripts. The  remaining 24 were due to reasons unrelated to service-traffic  accidents, domestic issues, and illnesses," Papikyan explained. The  minister added that the number of deaths has decreased by 40%  compared to 2024.