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The number of non-combat deaths in the Armenian military increased in the past five years, human rights activist Zhanna Aleksanyan said on Wednesday, stressing that the poor human rights situation in the armed forces remained unchanged.

The lawyer said 75 non-combat deaths were reported by the authorities this year.

“This is an unprecedented figure against the backdrop of Armenia’s war fatalities. This means that the authorities do not care about human lives. In addition, the criminal cases launched into the deaths do not solve these cases,” the lawyer told Panorama.am in an interview, accusing the Prosecutor General’s Office and the Investigative Committee of “inaction” and highlighting the importance of fair investigation to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Aleksanyan claims that the climate of impunity for crimes persists in the Armenian military.

"Ten deaths were registered in July-August this year, with two cases reported in different military units in a single day. These figures testify to poor supervision and no one, including [Defense Minister Suren] Papikyan, seems to be striving for a change. They announce that reforms are underway. If reforms were implemented, ten cases of death would not have been registered in one month," the human rights activist stressed.

She called out the lack of efforts to strengthen the army and improve its combat-readiness.

Aleksanyan also warned of rampant human rights violations in Armenia's prisons.