Families of missing soldiers protest outside Armenian parliament over blocked hearing

Relatives of missing soldiers gathered outside the Armenian National Assembly on Thursday, accusing the parliamentary leadership of obstructing a public hearing into the circumstances surrounding wartime deaths and disappearances.

The group had requested access to the legislature’s main chamber for an open, live-broadcast session but was instead assigned a smaller room with limited capacity, prompting the protest.

Opposition lawmaker Taguhi Tovmasyan said invitations had been sent to multiple officials to attend the hearing, but all were declined. She criticized what she described as a longstanding pattern of closed-door engagements with families and an apparent reluctance to participate in transparent discussions.

“The parents have demanded a public hearing where officials respond to questions about the war and the fate of their children,” Tovmasyan told reporters. “Instead, they are being met with evasive answers.”

She said the smaller venue offered by the parliament could not accommodate the number of participants, calling the decision a matter of “dignity” given the scale of the issue.

Tovmasyan further alleged that the authorities were deliberately avoiding broader participation, suggesting a political decision had been made to limit scrutiny. She placed responsibility on the parliamentary leadership, including Speaker Alen Simonyan and administrative officials.