{"id":44893,"date":"2026-06-02T17:25:28","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T13:25:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/prwb.am\/2026\/06\/02\/open-letter-statement\/"},"modified":"2026-06-03T20:01:48","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T16:01:48","slug":"open-letter-statement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/prwb.am\/en\/2026\/06\/02\/open-letter-statement\/","title":{"rendered":"Open Letter \/ Statement"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Demanding the Release of Artur Osipyan<\/b>
<\/b>Addressed to the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Armenia, Anna Vardapetyan<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We, the undersigned civil society organizations and individuals, strongly condemn the ongoing unlawful, unfounded and politically motivated criminal prosecution of Artur Osipyan, as well as his detention, which is being used as a form of punishment.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 18 May 2026, during Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan\u2019s pre-election campaign activities and interactions with citizens in the streets of Yerevan, Artur Osipyan, a person forcibly displaced from Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), approached the Prime Minister and began publicly posing critical questions and expressing his views on the negotiation process around the Artsakh conflict and the developments that took place in Artsakh. The exchange gradually became highly emotional for both sides, after which the Prime Minister responded by making insulting and degrading remarks about Osipyan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Artur Osipyan was swiftly removed from the area by the police and arrested. According to the official statement of the Investigative Committee of Armenia, criminal proceedings were initiated against Osipyan on charges of hooliganism, obstruction of pre-election campaigning, and public calls for violence. Furthermore, by decision of the Criminal Court of First Instance of Yerevan, pre-trial detention for a period of two months was imposed on Osipyan as a measure of restraint while also imposing restrictions on visits and communication with the outside world.\r\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The questions raised by Artur Osipyan and the concerns he voiced, including his other public actions, his engagement with matters of public interest, and his social media post, fall within the protection of the right to freedom of expression as critical speech. The subsequent actions taken against him constitute an abuse of power and an attempt to silence a citizen through authoritarian instruments.\r\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The criminal prosecution initiated against him and his detention are contrary to Armenia\u2019s human rights obligations and pose a serious threat to the protection of democratic freedoms, political pluralism, and freedom of expression in Armenia. Such practices deal a significant blow to the independence of the law enforcement system, as well as to its public standing and credibility.\r\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are deeply concerned about Artur Osipyan\u2019s health condition, as he has been on hunger strike for 15 days and, according to his lawyer, is already severely weakened. Moreover, in Nubarashen Penitentiary Institution, he is being held in a damp cell without access to sunlight, which contradicts internationally accepted standards for the detention conditions of persons on hunger strike and gives rise to substantiated concerns of inhuman treatment against Artur Osipyan.\r\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taking into account the above, the guarantees for the protection of human rights enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia, the obligations arising from the legislation of the Republic of Armenia, as well as Armenia\u2019s international human rights obligations, including the imperative to ensure the right to freedom of expression, the right to liberty, and the right not to be subjected to inhuman treatment, we demand the following:\r\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Armenia, Anna Vardapetyan:<\/strong>