Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has gone on record to confirm that he required the termination of Dr. Edita Gzoyan as the Director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute.
Dr. Gzoyan is an expert of Armenian Genocide studies who has devoted her professional life to the vindication of historical records and who is held in the highest regard by her peers in Armenia and throughout the world. She has been a longtime collaborator of the Armenian Bar Association’s Genocide Reparations Committee and an essential ally in the Armenian Bar Association’s work under its Memorandum of Understanding with the AGMI.
According to the Prime Minister, the reason for his directive was that Dr. Gzoyan had the poise to mention Artsakh (Nagorno Karabagh) to U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance during their visit to the Tsitsernakaberd Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex as part of their official visit to Yerevan in February. He indicated that Gzoyan’s mere reference of Artsakh to the Vice President amounted to an outrageous act of defiance requiring her dismissal from AGMI.
The Prime Minister also indicated that he found to be inexcusable Dr. Gzoyan’s gesture of gifting written literature about Artsakh’s history to her American guests and showing them nearby memorials to the victims of the Sumgait, Kirovabad and Baku pogroms of Armenians conducted by Azerbaijan in the late 1980s-early 1990s.
The historical facts and academic research surrounding Artsakh and the Pogroms of Armenians are not political issues, they are historical facts. They are facts that need to be documented and researched under the leadership of academic institutions such as the AGMI and should not be silenced or buried. Moreover, they are the cornerstones of legal rights surrounding the right of return of Artsakh citizens to their native homes, the preservation of Artsakh’s cultural and religious heritage, and the pursuit of related claims in international courts.
The Armenian Bar Association has in recent years maintained a formal working relationship with AGMI and its staff on a broad range of topics and projects. During this time, representatives of the Association have met with Dr. Gzoyan on a monthly basis and partnered with her and her team on initiatives dedicated to preserving historical truth, advancing genocide scholarship, and documenting the lived experiences of Armenians who have survived persecution.
Among the most significant initiatives is the Armenian Bar Association’s Pogroms Project. A group of the Association’s members from across the country interview Armenians who arrived in the United States as refugees from Azerbaijan, following the anti-Armenian pogroms in cities such as Sumgait, Kirovabad, and Baku. These interviews document first-hand accounts of violence, displacement, and survival. The recorded testimonies are then transmitted to AGMI for archival preservation and scholarly use so that these histories may be studied by researchers and preserved for future generations.
The Armenian Bar also supports AGMI’s academic initiatives, including its Moot Court program for teams of students from law schools in multiple countries. This program engages mostly non-Armenian students and scholars in examining legal questions related to genocide, crimes against humanity, accountability, and reparations. These collaborative programs are a testament to the vital role AGMI plays as a global center for research, documentation, and education concerning the Armenian Genocide and subsequent anti-Armenian violence.
The independence of institutions devoted to genocide research is not merely an administrative matter—it is a fundamental requirement for credible scholarship and the preservation of historical truth. Any action that appears to subject the leadership of such an institution to political pressure raises serious concerns about academic freedom and institutional integrity.
AGMI is not simply a national institution; it is a cornerstone of global genocide scholarship. Its credibility depends on the ability of its scholars and leadership to pursue historical truth free from political interference. Attempts to pressure or remove leadership for political reasons risk undermining the institution’s reputation and weakening international efforts to combat genocide denial and distortion.
The Armenian Bar Association therefore calls upon the authorities in Yerevan and the responsible governing bodies to rethink and reconsider the forced departure of the Director and that they ensure that AGMI remains independent and protected from political interference. The AGMI’s ongoing projects are of utmost importance to the preservation of Armenian history, and any political effort to derail that work is unacceptable. The safeguarding of historical memory—particularly concerning genocide and crimes against humanity—must remain beyond the reach of short-term political considerations.
In light of these developments, the Armenian Bar Association joins the growing number of scholars and experts who have raised alarm.
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Disclaimer: This article was contributed and translated into English by Emil Lazarian. While we strive for quality, the views and accuracy of the content remain the responsibility of the contributor. Please verify all facts independently before reposting or citing.
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