On July 17, 2016, a group of armed men called the Daredevils of Sassoun took over a police station in Yerevan. They demanded the resignation of President Serzh Sargsyan, and the release of all political prisoners in Armenia. The hostage crisis lasted two weeks, and sparked widespread antigovernment protests throughout the city. Here are the key takeaways one year out from the deadly standoff.
-
Can Artsakh Armenians reclaim their homeland?
In this episode of Insights, we commemorate the one-year anniversary of the September 19 aggression that led to the ethnic cleansing of Artsakh Armenians, an event some legal experts consider the start of a genocide. The discussion delves deep into the critical issue of the right of return for Artsakh Armenians to their ancestral lands, exploring its historical context, legal ramifications, and the complex political landscape surrounding this fundamental human right.
-
EXPLAINER: What is the so-called ‘Zangezur corridor’ and why the
By Alexander Pracht Discussions about the so-called ‘Zangezur corridor’ were revived last month by Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who insisted that a transport link connecting mainland Azerbaijan and its Nakhichevan exclave must be established through Armenia’s sovereign territory and put under Moscow’s control, as the three countries agreed after the 2020 war. Lavrov’s statements triggered harsh opposition from Iran, one of Moscow’s most important strategic partners at the moment. What is the ‘Zangezur corridor?’ The Russia-brokered ceasefire statement that concluded the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war includes an article concerning regional transport links, including a proposed route between mainland Azerbaijan and […]
-
BREAKING: First communication filed at ICC on behalf of Karabakh
By Mark Dovich Lawyers representing two officials who held senior human rights-related positions in Nagorno-Karabakh’s government have formally asked the International Criminal Court to investigate Azerbaijan’s leaders for crimes against humanity. The petition, known as a communication, contends that Azerbaijan’s forcible displacement of nearly all of Nagorno-Karabakh’s Armenians last year falls within the definition of deportation, which can be considered a crime against humanity under international law. It marks the second such submission to the Hague-based tribunal since Armenia joined earlier this year, as well as the first time that a petition concerning Nagorno-Karabakh has been filed, and the first […]
-
Contradictions cloud Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights’ mission amid Baku
By Paul Vartan Sookiasian Established in 1968, the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights non-profit says it works “in pursuit of the dream of a more just and peaceful world.” Yet its active participation with a Baku-based organization funded by the Ilham Aliyev government, perpetrator of repeated human rights abuses, ethnic cleansing, and ruthless internal repression, puts its mission under a cloud. Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, aka RFK Human Rights was established in the aftermath of the assassination of the former U.S. Attorney General and U.S. Senator and Presidential candidate and is currently led by his daughter Kerry. According to […]
-
‘Russia and the Middle East in a Changing Geopolitical Environment’
Hanna Notte, an expert on Russian foreign and security policy, gave a lecture on “Russia and the Middle East in a Changing Geopolitical Environment” at a symposium organized by the Monterey Initiative in Russian Studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. The lecture took place on July 2 in Yerevan. Hanna Notte is a Senior Research Associate at the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation and a Senior Associate (non-resident) in the Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. This year’s Monterey Summer Symposium on Russia took place […]
