Publications
Pashinyan’s one-man rule threatens Armenia’s democratic development
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Democracy Watch
Publications
Russian-Style Propaganda in Armenia: Government Part of the Problem
By Tigran Grigoryan When I was invited to testify at the U.S. Helsinki Commission’s congressional hearing on Armenia last September, I drew the attention of the Russian propaganda machine. Posts about the hearing began appearing immediately after the event was announced. One of the largest Russian propaganda Telegram channels, Rybar, shared a post about the hearing. After the hearing, […]
Publications
Demonizing media: Yerevan Mayor’s populist tactic is a threat to democracy
Campaign posters ahead of the Mayoral elections in Yerevan, Armenia By Tigran Grigoryan and Tatev Baghdasaryan On December 18, Factor TV hosted a live debate between Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan and his predecessor, Hayk Marutyan. During the debate, Marutyan criticized Avinyan’s conduct in office, particularly highlighting investigative findings from the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP). These findings, […]
Publications
Old Practices Back: The Curious Case of Hovik Aghazaryan
By Tatev Baghdasaryan and Tigran Grigoryan In the ongoing controversy surrounding Hovik Aghazaryan, a former member of Armenia’s ruling Civil Contract party, allegations of blackmail and political pressure have emerged. During a recent interview, Aghazaryan claimed that “influential figures” threatened to reveal intimate details of his private life unless he resigns from his parliamentary position. Among […]
Publications
Public office, private gains: The controversial record of Yerevan’s mayor
By Tatev Baghdasaryan A week ago, it was reported that last month, Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan took off on a week-long official visit to Los Angeles, USA, accompanied by a delegation of nine people. To organize the trip, the Yerevan Municipality signed a direct, non-competitive procurement contract worth around USD 31,800 with Luxury Voyage LLC. The expenses included eight […]
Publications
Loyalty vs. impartiality: The government’s move undermines judicial independence
By Tatev Baghdasaryan Alexander Sirunyan, the ruling party’s nominee for a non-judge position on the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC), has recently become one of the most controversial figures in Armenian public life. His nomination has sparked widespread criticism and raised serious concerns about the potential impact on the independence and integrity of the judiciary. The […]
Publications
Resignations in Armenia Spark Debate over Judicial Independence and Democratic Integrity
By Tigran Grigoryan and Tatev Baghdasaryan Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s government has faced a wave of resignations over the past two weeks, with several ministers and officials stepping down and some positions already filled. However, the circumstances surrounding these resignations have ignited controversy and raised serious constitutional concerns. In an interview with Public Television on […]
Publications
Trump’s Return: Global Authoritarianism and Armenia’s Struggle for Democracy
By Karena Avedissian When Donald Trump won the presidential election in 2016, I was devastated––I didn’t get out of bed for two days, so unfathomable was the idea that an autocratic-minded serial sexual assaulter would be leading the U.S. After this election, however, despite the specter of harsher right-wing policies, accelerated dismantling of democratic institutions, […]
Publications
Instrumentalized and Alienated: Nagorno-Karabakh Armenian Refugees in Armenia
By Karena Avedissian The discourse around Armenian refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh in Armenia following the region’s ethnic cleansing by Azerbaijan in September 2023 highlights the troubling tendency for vulnerable refugee populations to be politicized. The plight of these refugees—marginalized by virtue of their displacement—has been overshadowed by how various actors in Armenia, from government officials to […]