Democracy Watch

By Tigran Grigoryan The Armenian government’s treatment of opposition figures continues to raise concerns about freedom of expression and political repression. The latest case involves Edgar Ghazaryan, a former high-ranking official, ex-ambassador to Poland, and now a vocal government critic through his YouTube platform. Ghazaryan faces criminal charges over statements deemed defamatory, with potential consequences […]

By Tigran Grigoryan On February 1, the Armenian media landscape was shaken by the news that a 70-year-old professor from Nagorno-Karabakh, Gharib Babayan, who had recently posted a video on his Facebook page showing a group of ethnic Azerbaijanis from Iran singing a song titled “Karabakh”, was under investigation. In his post, Babayan expressed outrage […]

By Karena Avedissian For a recent Freedom House project on disinformation and hate speech targeting vulnerable groups in Armenia, the Regional Center for Democracy and Security, where I work as Senior Analyst, conducted a focus group with Nagorno-Karabakh refugees. Our goal was to identify the most common stereotypes they face in Armenian society, based on […]

By Tigran Grigoryan The recent confrontation between Armenia’s Human Rights Defender, Anahit Manasyan, and opposition MP Garnik Danielyan has ignited debate over freedom of speech and the independence of the ombudsperson institution. The controversy began with a Facebook post by Danielyan, in which he criticized Armenia’s penitentiary system and accused the ombudsperson’s office of inaction. Manasyan responded with a […]

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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, […]

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, […]

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 […]