Ani Avetisyan

296 Posts

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Ani is a seasoned journalist and fact-checker. Open-source investigations and data visualisation are her passions.

A crowd of protesters outside the EBRD annual forum in Yerevan on 15 May, with Archbishop Galstanyan at the centre. Photo: Narek Aleksanyan/hetq.am

Armenia

Armenia’s opposition condemns border agreement as ‘illegal’ as protest continues

by Ani Avetisyan

•3 min read

Protests against the decision of Armenia’s government to hand over territory to Azerbaijan have been continuing for almost a month, with thousands taking to the streets in the country’s capital and border villages. In the past week, Armenia’s most prominent opposition groups have stated their support for the protesters, who are led by Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan. Galstanyan and his supporters are calling for the handover of land in northeastern Tavush province to be halted, and for Prime Min

Police detaining a protester against the delimitation process in Yerevan. Image via RFE/RL.

Armenia

Armenian police detain over 170 as demarcation protests continue

by Ani Avetisyan

•2 min read

Over 170 people have been detained during acts of civil disobedience in Yerevan to protest Armenia’s unilateral handover of territory to Azerbaijan during the initial phase of the two countries’ demarcation process. Several thousand people began blocking streets in the capital early Monday morning. Several Armenian media outlets reported that police had used disproportionate force while detaining people. As of around 14:00, the police reported that no streets remained blocked. Those detained

Thousands have gathered in Yerevan’s Republic Square on 9 May to join the Tavush for the Motherland’s rally. Arshaluys Mghdesyan/CivilNet.

Armenia

Protesters demand Armenian Prime Minister’s resignation over border delimitation deal

by Ani Avetisyan

•4 min read

Protesters against Armenia’s delimitation process with Azerbaijan have called on the opposition to launch an impeachment inquiry against Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and vowed to hold ‘actions of civil disobedience in all possible places’. Protesters led by Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan marched from the village of Kirants in Armenia’s northeastern Tavush Province to Yerevan this week in what they called a ‘symbolic’ and ‘sacred’ march. They are protesting against Armenia’s unilateral handov

Armenia

Kremlin propaganda turns up the heat on Armenia

by Ani Avetisyan

•7 min read

Russia and Armenia’s rapidly deteriorating relations have taken a new turn in recent weeks, with the Kremlin’s propaganda channels openly turning on Armenia, and in particular, its leader, Nikol Pashinyan. According to Russia’s state-run Channel One, Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is, per the title of a 23 October broadcast, ‘a harbinger of trouble’. The hour-long programme was dedicated in its entirety to criticism of Pashinyan, focusing on the idea that he had sold, or was in the

People packing their belongings into a car before leaving Stepanakert. Photo: Marut Vanyan

Armenia

‘If I had wings, I would fly away’: Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians seek evacuation

by Ani Avetisyan

•8 min read

Following Nagorno-Karabakh’s surrender to Azerbaijan, much of the region’s Armenian population is scrambling to leave for Armenia. Thousands have already left, driven both by fears of what an Azerbaijani government might do to them, and by a refusal to live under Azerbaijani rule. ‘We’re at home now, waiting to see if anyone will get us out or if they will leave us here to die’, said Zvart Shirinyan, in a voice message sent on Friday evening. It remained unclear what awaited Zvart, 29, her

A Russian peacekeeper base inside the Lachin Corridor in 2022. Photo: Ani Avetisyan/OC Media

Armenia

Armenia slams Russia for ‘absolute indifference’

by Ani Avetisyan

•3 min read

Armenia has condemned Russia’s ‘absolute indifference’ towards Azerbaijani attacks on Armenian territory, after Russia’s Foreign Ministry claimed that Armenia was to blame for the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh. In a scathing statement on Thursday, Armenia’s Foreign Ministry accused Russia of ‘absolute indifference’ to Azerbaijan’s attacks on Armenia’s territory in September 2022. It added that Russia had then ‘[left] unanswered’ an official request from Armenia for military

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