Video: © 2019, Families in the Dark documentary film. Author: Vahagn Antonyan.
Peace Dialogue NGO presents the documentary film, Families in the Dark, by Vahagn Antonyan. The film was completed in 2019 and addresses issues that arise during criminal investigations of the deaths of non-combatant soldiers in the Armenian Armed Forces. These issues are presented through testimonies given by the family members of Levon Torosyan who, according to official records, died by suicide in May 2018 during his mandatory military service.
Mr. Torosyan’s relatives disagree with this theory and believe their son was murdered. They provide background on Levon’s life, speak about the possible causes of his death, and argue why they disagree with the official version of events relating to his death. They explain why they are convinced that the investigative authorities did not conduct an impartial, comprehensive investigation of the case. Using the example of the Torosyan family’s struggle for justice, the filmmaker also tried to show the general situation in the Armenian military. Having worked in the field of human rights in the Armed Forces since 2013, Peace Dialogue has data on many such cases.
The film contains interviews with professionals who are well-aware of the current situation in the military (i.e. they engage in public, expert activities, they work as journalists, etc.). The filmmaker uses these interviews to explore what changes have occurred after the 2018 Armenian Velvet Revolution; asking questions on the work approach of government bodies investigating these cases.
This documentary film was produced with support from the Rights Reframed program implemented by the organizations, New Media Advocacy Project (NMAP) and International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR).
