Former Artsakh ombudsman warns against 'peace built on blood' at Yerevan summit protest

Former Artsakh Human Rights Defender Artak Beglaryan insisted that lasting peace in the South Caucasus cannot be achieved by disregarding the rights of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians as European leaders gathered in Yerevan for the eighth European Political Community summit on Monday.

Speaking to Panorama.am during a protest outside the Karen Demirchyan Sports and Concerts Complex, Beglaryan accused the Armenian government of misrepresenting the situation to European officials. “We are sending a message to European leaders that the reality is not what Armenia’s authorities present. The reality is that the rights of Artsakh Armenians are being neglected,” he said.

Beglaryan warned that attempts to build peace “on our rights and our blood” would not bring stability to the region. He also accused the Armenian government of authoritarian tendencies, citing political repression, campaign against the Armenian Apostolic Church and the spread of hate speech against Artsakh Armenians and other groups.