YOUTH ACTIVISTS REPORT ARMY DEATHS ARE A HUGE PROBLEM IN AZERBAIJAN

Opposition youth organizations claim that around 95 army soldiers have died so far in 2011, and criticize what they call indifferent attitudes on the part of the armed forces, the Defense Ministry, and other government structures. Speaking about December 3rd protest in the center of Baku, Musavat Party Youth Organization deputy chairman Sakhavat Soltanli said that young people should pay close attention to army conditions. According to him, poor conditions in the Azerbaijani army are causing parents to attempt to avoid sending their sons for military service. Gadir Novruzov, the father, and Amir Gasimov, a relative of Eldar Novruzov, a soldier who died during military service, complained about indifference to the case, bureaucracy in military court and law-enforcement agencies, and the failure of authorities to lessen the army casualty rates. They specifically named Defense Minister Safar Abiyev's and general prosecutor Zakir Garalov's as officials who showed little concern for the problem. Etibar Guliyev, father of Zakir Guliyev, a soldier who was claimed to have killed 6 soldiers in Goygol in February 2011 before killing himself, expressed his outrage against the injustice. "They not only killed my son, but also slander him. After the death of my son, the Defense Ministry made a statement that , as though there have been a conflict between him and the soldiers and he killed himself after killing those soldiers. However, the truth is that both my son and other soldiers were killed by snipers. We demand the relevant institutions to carry out investigations again and bring the perpetrators into liability." .