By Aram Tadevosyan On March 17, lawyer Roman Yeritsyan posted on Facebook about Tigran Ulubabyan being tortured by officers at the Lori Regional Police Department and being subjected to insults. Thanks to several media outlets, the incident received widespread public attention. The story of an individual’s rights violation quickly shifted to a broader discourse, from police […]
By Tatév Ghazaryan Since the political shifts of 2018, Armenia has seen a surge in local democratic transformations. As in Yerevan, regions and communities needed to align with the new political reality by electing new local authorities. Concurrently, since 2016, communities have undergone a process of consolidation, merging into larger administrative districts. This restructuring introduced […]
By Tigran Grigoryan In recent weeks, the rhetoric of Armenian politicians, particularly within the ruling party, has raised significant concerns about the use of offensive and politically incorrect language in public discourse. These incidents underscore the need for greater accountability and the protection of democratic values, particularly in the face of growing political polarization. Andranik […]
Introduction The Regional Center for Democracy and Security (RCDS) convened the “Direct Dialogue: Addressing Refugee Needs in Armenia” conference on February 4, facilitating discussions between forcibly displaced persons from Nagorno-Karabakh, international stakeholders, and Armenian civil society representatives. The discussions highlighted significant gaps in current assistance programs, legal frameworks, and integration policies. This policy recommendation outlines […]
French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu recently stated that France is providing Ukraine with intelligence that can be used for military purposes. According to him, French intelligence operates independently and has its own intelligence-gathering capabilities. France and Ukraine have signed an agreement to ensure intelligence sharing in case the United States limits or completely halts its […]
By Tigran Grigoryan As anticipated, the new Trump presidency is creating serious challenges for civil society and independent press around the world. The recent decisions by the administration to freeze foreign aid and curtail the activities of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) have had a crippling effect on Armenia’s civil society and independent […]
Recently, the Azerbaijani authorities have made several decisions that effectively limit the presence of international organizations and independent media in the country. Official Baku has decided to close four UN offices, including the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and the United […]
By Tigran Grigryan Hetq’s recent investigation revealed that on May 4, 2023, the Armenian government invested AMD 1.5 billion (around US$3.8 million) in a newly established company, CFW CJSC, led by an individual with close ties to Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan’s wife. What makes this deal even more alarming is that the company received the funds just […]
The History of Intolerance in Armenian Society Intolerance between different segments of Armenian society has a long history. Large population shifts in the past century have been accompanied by similar, and often even harsher, problems to those now faced by the forcibly displaced Artsakh Armenians. A key issue has been, and remains, the targeting of […]
