The First Instance Court of General Jurisdiction of Gegharkunik Region handed down a bill of indictment on August 21, 2025; the accused junior sergeant R. M. was sentenced to 3 years imprisonment.

Military servant, junior sergeant R. M., who was enrolled in the period from 18 to 19 January 2023 for reconfiguration and carried his duty at the location point of the military engineering unit N of the Ministry of Defence of the RA, in Azat village, Gegharkunik Region, was found guilty of committing an offence under Article 543, Part 3 of the Criminal Code (violating manual rules for internal service in the death of a person (people) by negligence.

Let remind that on 19 January 2023 from 00:30 to 01:00, R. M., being responsible for security and protection of internal order, personnel, weapons, military equipment and ammunition, buildings and property, as well as in accordance with the requirements of the internal code of service, having the duty to watch as the furnace is drowned, unnecessarily was absent from the room for the purpose of talking on a mobile phone. Due to his absence, R. M. did not notice and did not try to prevent the possibly dangerous actions of the engineer officer, captain E. A., after which he did not take timely measures to rescue personnel, weapons and other materiel at risk during the initial stage of fire, that by negligence caused the death of a person (people). 15 soldiers of the same company were not evacuated on time due to the lack of adequate fire protection measures and could not extinguish the fires themselves; they died without being able to leave the premises and three were burned to different degrees.

Let’s note that public criminal prosecution was initiated against E. A. under Article 532, Part 4 (Violating the rules for the maintenance of weapons, ammunition, military equipment or other military property, substances, devices or objects that by negligence caused the death of two or more people).

The proceedings are in the trial stage.

Notice:  A person charged with any crime shall be presumed innocent until proved guilty in the manner prescribed by the RA Criminal Procedure Code—by the judgment came into legal force.