Ombudsman may be the only one concerned over hazing in Azeri army

March 4, 2011 - 18:39 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Azerbaijan must adopt the law on hazing in the army, Ombudsman Elmira Suleymanova told media. "We are working in this direction for over a year. The purpose of social control is not the familiarization with the plan of any operation, weapons and equipment. The purpose is to suppress hazing among soldiers," she said, adding that Azerbaijan should carry out public control over the army, Trend reported.

She said that special attention is paid to the incident in the army in late February. Seven people died as a result of the incident. The investigation is underway. Suleymanova hoped that the results will be announced.

The Ombudsman may be the only person in Azerbaijan, who shows some concern over the situation in the country’s army where acts of harassment hardly surprise anyone.

The recent incident where an Azerbaijani serviceman shot his 7 fellow soldiers dead is serious enough. Some Azeri media cited repeated sexual abuse to which the serviceman was submitted as the motive. Meanwhile, reports on cases of abuse in the Azeri army began to gain frequency and might well be a reason behind deaths in the army. According to Azerbaijani politicians, over 300 servicemen died as a result of tragic incidents in 6 years.

However, for justice’s sake, it should be mentioned that the Azeri government shows some concern over the mental state of its citizens. Recently, the adoption of a National Strategy on Mental State of Population was suggested. The document is waiting to be adopted. And, it most probably will be. Even if only for keeping up the country’s reputation.