Criminal Proceedings Initiated Following Soldier's Death Due to Enemy Fire: Investigative Committee

On August 21, 2023, at approximately 15:30, a serviceman from the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan, motivated by hatred, intolerance, or animosity based on racial, national, or ethnic origin, unlawfully discharged a firearm towards the combat position of the Armenian Ministry of Defense's military unit N. As a result, junior sergeant Vanik Arami Ghazaryan, a conscript in the same military unit, sustained fatal injuries to the head while on combat duty. This information has been reported by the Investigative Committee of Armenia.

In connection with the incident, a criminal case has been initiated in the fifth division of the military investigative department of the Military Investigative Main Directorate of the Investigative Committee, under Article 155, Part 2, Subsections 1 and 15 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia. A series of expertise has been appointed, and urgent investigative and procedural actions are being undertaken. The preliminary investigation is ongoing.