The Middle East Studies Association of North America, MESA, sent a letter to RA Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, demanding the immediate reinstatement of Edita Gzoyan as the director of the Armenian Genocide Museum Institute and guaranteeing the institute’s academic integrity.
The association emphasizes that Gzoyan played a key leading role in promoting new scientific works on the Armenian Genocide, modernizing the museum and integrating young Armenian scientists into the world community of Genocide scholars, and his scientific works were published in leading European and American periodicals.
The association’s open letter also refers to RA Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s press conference on March 12, during which he stated that he was the one who demanded Gzoyan’s resignation because, according to him, US Vice President JD Vance gave a “provocative” book about Artsakh.
“You bypassed the established procedure and appointed one of your staff members to the position of director, and replaced the members of the independent board of trustees with political allies. We understand that Armenia is in a difficult and difficult situation, striving to end the multi-year conflict with Azerbaijan and reach a normalization of relations. However, the erasure of historical memory cannot be conditioned by short-term political needs,” the association’s letter states.
The letter emphasizes that one of the goals of establishing the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute was to counter the denial of the Armenian Genocide. They urge the RA government to correct the unjust interference in scientific independence and to restore the confidence of the international academic community not only in HCTI, but also in Armenia’s commitment to academic freedom and fundamental human rights.
Copies of the letters were also sent to RA KGSMS Minister Zhanna Andreasyan, RA Human Rights Defender Anahit Manasyan, Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner Michael O’Flaherty, International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS).
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