Deputy commander in Azat barracks fire case avoids custody

PanARMENIAN.Net - A deputy commander involved in the deadly fire at a military barracks in Azat village, Gegharkunik Province, will not be taken into custody, according to the legal firm LSA Legal.

The court changed the pretrial detention measure against the accused, G.A., to house arrest, which includes bail and a travel ban, the firm announced.

During the trial over the tragic January 19, 2023 incident at the Armenian Ministry of Defense barracks in Azat village, the court revised its initial decision and granted house arrest for the deputy logistics commander of the relevant military unit, G.A. He is both a client of the law firm and a defendant in the case.

The prosecutor’s appeal against this decision was rejected, and the contested ruling was upheld without changes.

At around 1:30 a.m. on January 19, 2023, a fire broke out at the engineering-sapper company barracks of Military Unit N of the Ministry of Defense, stationed in Azat village, Gegharkunik Province. The fire claimed the lives of 15 servicemen, with seven others sustaining various degrees of injuries.

Following the incident, the commander of the 2nd Army Corps and several senior officers were dismissed. Criminal cases were also initiated against Yeghishe Hakobyan and G.M., the commander of the engineering-sapper company in question.