Azeri army thins out: another soldier suicide reported

March 15, 2011 - 21:27 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Another suicide was reported in Azerbaijani army.

The incident was recorded in one of the military units belonging to Baku force. Orkhan Ilham Mammadov, born in 1991, drafted from Oghuz Region in January, 2010, committed suicide by hanging himself. The reasons of the suicide are not known yet. Only 3 months were left for his demobilization from the army.

Press service of the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry confirmed the fact to APA. Investigation is under way.

To Azerbaijan, such reports aren’t out of line. The flow of information on deaths in Azerbaijan’s armed forces: murders, suicides, lethal outcomes became incessant.

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.