Former Artsakh official criticizes Armenia's democratic record at protest

Former Artsakh State Minister and Ombudsman Artak Beglaryan strongly criticized Armenia’s leadership during a protest in Yerevan amid the 8th European Political Community (EPC) summit, accusing the government of eroding democratic principles and failing to protect the rights of Artsakh Armenians.

Beglaryan highlighted that the rally was organized to spotlight both the state of democracy in Armenia and the plight of displaced Artsakh residents. “While the authorities speak of democracy, its principles are being trampled,” he said, pointing to political prisoners, hate speech, repression and the government’s anti-church campaign.

He argued that despite official rhetoric about peace and rights protections, “all our rights are being violated, and the authorities are either directly responsible for these abuses or complicit in Azerbaijan’s actions.” Beglaryan insisted that the European Political Community must give proper attention to these issues.

The former minister condemned European governments for backing Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, calling such support “unacceptable” in light of democratic backsliding and disregard for the Artsakh people’s humanitarian concerns. He also demanded the return of prisoners of war, the safeguarding of cultural heritage, private property rights and the right of displaced Artsakh Armenians to return to their homes.