Azernews.Az

BAKU - A soldier of the Armenian armed forces who has crossed over to the Azerbaijani side has said conscripts have to pay a hefty bribe to evade military service in Nagorno Karabakh, an Azerbaijani region where ethnic Armenians are running a self-proclaimed republic.

"You have to pay a bribe worth $6,000-8,000 not to serve in Nagorno Karabakh," Karen Khachaturyan told Azerbaijan’s APA news agency. "Therefore, they send only the poor people to Karabakh."

Khachaturyan said that while in his military unit he faced beatings and was prompted to pay money every day.

"They were saying that if I refused to pay, I would get killed. They even tried to rape me, and I was subjected to degrading insults. I was forced to clean restrooms as well. They broke my finger. After that I decided to run away."

Khachaturyan said such abuse is widespread in Armenian military units. He said it was impossible to live and work in Armenia, people there are deprived of normal nutrition, everyone longs for President Serzh Sarkisian’s step-down, and protesters often take to the streets to put forth this demand.

Khachaturyan said that upon escaping he planned to head to Turkey and after crossing the border thought he was there.

"Having gone across the border, I saw a child. I let him know by gestures that I was hungry and thirsty. He showed me to their home. They gave me cigarettes, water and food. Then I had some rest."

Khachaturyan said he intended to go to a third country but was at ease in Azerbaijan.

"When I got here, I was treated. There is no problem with food, and everything is normal. Let my family not worry about me."

Khachaturyan, 20, escaped the infantry regiment where he served in July 2009, and crossed over to Azerbaijan through the country’s Gadabay region.

There are five other Armenian soldiers who have voluntarily drifted to Azerbaijan. Moreover, an Armenian civilian has crossed to Azerbaijan together with his family members.