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Parents and other relatives of missing and captured Armenian soldiers gathered outside the Armenian government on Tuesday evening to voice their indignation over the statements of National Assembly Speaker Alen Simonyan on prisoners of war (POWs).

A scandalous video recording emerged online earlier on Tuesday, in which the speaker can be heard saying, “I consider these POWs as non-existent”. According to Simonyan, the servicemen in question laid down their arms, fled and got lost, as a result of which they were captured by Azerbaijani forces.

One of the protesters, Arsen Ghukasyan, said that his son had gone missing for over one year.

“We have gathered here today to raise our voice. Who is he calling a deserter, my son? My child fought till the last bullet and it is not known where he is now. He has done more than all of them can do together,” the angry man said.

Ghukasyan noted that they were going to place the photos of 300 missing soldiers near the government building walls.

“These boys sacrificed their lives for the country. If your children don't come home for a couple of days, what will you do?” he added.