The family does not have any news about their son Gevorg Arabachyan, a conscript soldier who participated in the 44-day war, for almost three years. They live in the village of Vazashen, Tavush region.
The father, Aghasi Arabachyan, told Forrights.am that his son’s name was not included in the list of those killed, captured, or missing. Gevorg was serving in the army for nine months when the 44-day war began. According to Agassi Arabachyan, his son served in Kubatlu. Some people from the command staff told him that Gevorg died in “Ural” [a type of truck], which was blown up by the enemy. According to Agassi Arabachyan, the commander disclosed this information on October 2; however, he claims that his son called him two days later.
“On that day, the commander and four soldiers went down to bring the “Ural”, which was hidden under the trees: Jebryail was already captured by the enemy and they were ordered to retreat. They went to bring the Ural, but a sabotage group was waiting there. The three soldiers and the commander ran away, my son approached the Ural; the enemy caught him. Now, in order to get out easily, they say that the Ural has exploded, but my boy has boarded that Ural and was taken to Azerbaijan. The head of the rear tells me that a drone blew up the truck. I ask, in that case, where the body is, he says: “The Ural melted, what body are we talking about,” the father told Forrights.am.
Agassi Arabachyan does not believe this version. According to him, his son’s fellow soldiers relayed other information.
“The soldiers serving with him called me and told me that they gave Gevorg to the Turks [means Azeris]. If they say that there was an explosion, don’t believe. And, please, don’t mention our names; we are in the service,” said the father.
Aghasi Ababachyan, hoping to find his son, turned to various state agencies, even to the Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. He says that after his complaints, he got a call and was told that his son’s body had been found and that he could come and take it. “I asked what was found, they said only the jaw. I asked how to they know it is my son’s jaw, he says, “To tell you the truth, we went to the Ural three times, it’s door was open, and the fourth time we found it,” the father relays his conversation with the commander and notes that upon arriving at the morgue, they showed him a complete body, and, a little later, they informed him that it was the body of another soldier, and they have taken and buried it.
Agassi Arabachyan met Nikol Pashinyan’s assistant Gagik Isakhanyan. The latter too a native of Tavush region, in 2021 he participated in protest rallies, because his brother, according to press reports, was also considered missing.
“They tell me that there is a DNA match, it’s Metsamor’s morgue, I say let’s go, he says I can’t come,” said Aghasi Arabachyan and mentioned that during this time they have showed him up to 20 corpses in different morgues.
“In the mortuary of Martun, they show me corpses without teeth, but they say that they only found my son’s teeth”, the father describes the incomprehensible situation and a terrible story presents. “They told me in Ulnetsi [a morgues name]: we will give you a corpse, take it and bury: it was a general. I was almost killing him, they came and took him from my hands, They tell that it is kind of established practice, that. I have to do it not to lose support. I spat on that support! Up to this day, my son has no status. I go to the Ministry of Defense, they say that my son is buried and they tell me the address of my wife’s brother’s house, as if he himself organized the funeral.
On October 12, 2020, the Artsakh Defense Army published the names of 45 killed servicemen, among wich Gevorg Arabachyan’s name was included. The father does not consider this version to be true; he claims that his son called him in 2021, up to the month of February, but now he does not want to provide details about that episode. He continues to insist that his son is alive.
“My child is alive, I feel it, I live with it, if he is no more, I won’t live. Every night my child comes to my dreams. He comes from the prison in which he closed and says: ‘Pa, take me out of here’. He comes to my dreams every day,” says the father.
Gevorg’s mother died from the unspeakable pain of not having information about her son for an entire year. The husband says that he was paralyzed by the pain of not having any news about Gevorg. “She entered so many morgues, we were sent so many pictures of so many corpses that my wife died of a heart attack. I do not feel my wife, but I feel my son 100 percent,” he says.
Narek Kirakosyan
Narek Kirakosyan
Narek Kirakosyan is a journalist, works on the principle of "a person is an absolute value".