Families of the servicemen from the D-20 artillery regiment killed during the 44-day war in Artsakh demand that the Prosecutor General's Office of Armenia open a criminal case against Nikol Pashinyan and probe his latest statements.
"Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s statements made in the parliament on 13 April make it clear that the large-scale hostilities unleashed against the Artsakh Republic by Azerbaijan on September 27, 2020 began at his instigation as well as due to abuse of power by him,” Anahit Manasyan, the mother of a fallen soldier, said, reading out the text of the crime report outside the Prosecutor General's Office.
She cited Pashinyan's statement on April 13: "They ask me, 'Could you have prevented the war?' Yes, we could have prevented it, as a result of which we would have had the same situation, of course without the casualties.”
The relatives claim that Pashinyan, knowing about the possible war and its consequences, deliberately did not prevent it. “Moreover, by his inaction and failing to fulfil his obligations, he induced Azerbaijan to unleash a large-scale war," the report said.
Manasyan added that they would put pressure on the law enforcement authorities to initiate criminal proceedings and hold Pashinyan to account.
Around 60 parents have joined the initiative.