The forced removal of Edita Gzoyan is worrying. Armenian and foreign genocide scholars

Armenian and foreign Genocide scholars have sent an open letter, expressing deep concern for Edita Gzoyan, the former director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute, for writing a dismissal application under pressure and coercion, rather than by free choice.

Earlier, it became known that the director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute, Edita Gzoyan, has written an application for dismissal. There were reports that he did it under duress. A day later, RA Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan confirmed that Gzoyan wrote the application on his instructions, because during the visit of Vice President J.D. Vance, the United Arab Emirates presented him with a book on the Artsakh issue, while the Prime Minister announced that the Karabakh movement would not continue. According to Pashinyan, Gzoyan’s act was a provocative act.

“Dr. Gzoyan raised the international academic reputation of HCTI, under his leadership, the institute expanded its archival collections, organized important symposia and conferences, as well as created scientific works that significantly advanced genocide studies worldwide. He has been a tireless defender of the Armenian Genocide, which has strengthened global understanding of past injustices and supported the restoration of historical truth. The timing and context of his forced removal is particularly worrying,” the letter of the Genocide experts stated.

They emphasized that Gzoyan presented to US Vice President Vance not only the genocide of 1915, but also the subsequent massacres of Armenians in Sumgait, Kirovabad and Baku, emphasizing the historical continuity of violence against Armenians in the region. He also presented Vice President Vance with scientific works on the Armenian Genocide and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which, according to experts, is an important context for understanding Armenia’s history and contemporary challenges.

“The sequence of events points to a broader and deeply troubling pattern: the silencing of independent academic voices in favor of political convenience. There is every reason to believe that this is more about the management of the museum than about the reorganization of the HCTI, aligning the work with geopolitical priorities, in particular, trying to avoid a frank discussion of the atrocities related to Azerbaijan, against the background of the ongoing settlement process,” the letter states.

They emphasize that the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute is not just a tourist destination. It is a center of historical memory and science, a defense against denial and distortion. This means that the leadership of the institute should be protected from political interference. According to genocide scholars, Gzoyan’s forced departure sends a terrible message to scholars and historians everywhere that serious research and true memory can be replaced by diplomatic convenience. They are sure that the removal of Gzoyan will seriously endanger the future of the institute and undermine its reputation in the international scientific community.

“Such a decision will not only disrupt the current work of the institute, but will also send a worrying signal to leading scholars in the field of genocide studies, deterring them from collaborating with HCTI and weakening global academic partnerships that are important to its mission,” the open letter states.

Genocide experts call on the RA government to refrain from interfering in the management of the institute and to allow Gzoyan to continue his work without political pressure.

The letter was signed by around 3 dozen reputable genocide scholars.
Edita Gzoyan will continue working at the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute. Tashchyan

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