“He is an extremely friendly, extremely modest, smart and reaching boy”, – this is how his first teacher, Astghik Arakelyan, remembers Shavo Samsonian, a student of Jrvezh school, and immediately adds: “For me, he is always present.”
Mrs. Astghik lost two of her students, Shavo and Gor, in the war. She remembers that during all special classes, she prepared and presented uniforms with the Artsakh flag to the children. In her memories, Shavo remained as a little Artsakh. “They had not been in Artsakh, but my students knew everything about Artsakh, starting with the map, ending with all regions and villages.”
More than two years have passed since the 44-Day War, but the pain of the loss of 19-year-old Shavo in the Yazidi Samsonyan family is fresh. Themother, Mrs. Tamar, has gotten various diseases. The father, Yerjanik Samsonyan, does not even think about happiness. Small moments of joy are given to them by their other son’s children. But the parents find complete peace with Shavo, in the specially prepared recreation area around his tombstone. “Tamar and I are there three days a week,” says Shavo’s father.
Shavo lived in Jrvezh village of Kotayk region of Armenia. He was a few months away from returning from the army. “He served in the inteligence company of Ijevan, and he was very satisfied with the service,” says his father.
During the 44-Day War, Shavo regularly called his parents, talked to them, reassured them not to worry. That is until October 18, when he called his father, Yerjanik, for the last time and said: “Don’t tell mom, we are already in Artsakh. That was the last call, of course, there was no call.”
During the 44-Day War, Shavo regularly called his parents, talked to them, reassured them not to worry. On October 18 he called his father for the last time and said: “‘Don’t tell mom, we are already in Artsakh’. That was the last call, of course, there was no call.”
Along with Shavo, about 50 soldiers of the battalion were killed by drone strikes near Ishkhanadzor on October 19. They had an order to return the body of the company commander from the area, whereas that area, as a result of heavy fighting, came under the control of the enemy on October 16. “I was told by the servicemen themselves. in fact, it was an occupied place, my child was sent to the occupied territory… Why do you send the child to the occupied territory, why do you throw him into a meat grinder?”, the father who lost his son raises a question.
Several parents went to search for the remains of their sons. “All the children were burned: they hit them with drones and burned them all. We found the bank card on which was written Shavo and a half of his last name,” the father recalls.
Shave’s body was completely burnt with his clothes. Yerjanik says they were not given a relic of the body. There is a secret hope in his heart: maybe his son is alive. “I don’t know, I’m going crazy. When you are sending off your son solemny and gloriously, a handsom, beautiful person, and they bring you a box, you don’t know who is or what is in it… I saw him in my dream; I asked him ‘Will you come”’, he said I will, I will come, and left. Until now, to be honest, I am watching the road. If a car passes by the house at night, I think my Shavo is coming…”
P.S. Journalists for Human Rights NGO / www.forrights.am represents representatives of Armenia’s national minorities who participated in the war and heroically died for the motherland.
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