Activist launches sit-in as jailed Karabakh opposition figure enters second week of hunger strike

By Hayk Ghazaryan

Activist Gegham Ohanyan began a sit-in protest in central Yerevan on Monday, demanding the release of detained Artsakh opposition activist Artur Osipyan, who has been on a hunger strike for 14 days.

Ohanyan said he would continue the protest until Osipyan is freed, describing the jailed activist’s deteriorating physical condition as a matter of urgent concern.

“I came here with a clear demand: Artur Osipyan must be released immediately,” Ohanyan said. He added that he also supports Osipyan’s demand that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan apologize for referring to displaced Artsakh Armenians as “runaways.” 

Osipyan was arrested after a heated confrontation with Pashinyan during an election campaign event in Yerevan on May 19. He was later placed in pre-trial detention for two months and charged with public calls for violence, hooliganism, and obstructing election campaigning. Authorities have not publicly specified which statements or actions constitute the basis of the charges.

Also read: Displaced Karabakh resident charged after confrontation with Pashinyan

The dispute erupted after Osipyan, a displaced Nagorno-Karabakh Armenian known for his opposition activism, criticized Pashinyan over the loss of Karabakh and accused him of protecting former Karabakh officials. During the exchange, the prime minister responded with a series of insults and threats that drew widespread criticism from rights groups and opposition figures. 

Osipyan has since launched a hunger strike, demanding an apology from Pashinyan for remarks widely interpreted as targeting displaced Karabakh Armenians. According to Ohanyan, although Osipyan's physical condition has weakened, he remains determined to continue his protest.

Civil society groups appeal to international organizations

The sit-in comes as criticism of the case from Armenian civil society grows. 

A dozen NGOs and public figures have described Osipyan’s detention as unlawful and politically motivated, while raising concerns about his ongoing hunger strike. On Monday, a coalition of civil society organizations announced that they had appealed to international bodies, arguing that Osipyan’s prosecution and deprivation of liberty may be unfounded, illegal, and politically motivated. The groups also expressed particular concern over the court’s decision to place him in two months of pre-trial detention while he remains on hunger strike.

Earlier, the election observer civil society initiative Akanates described the criminal prosecution against Osipyan as “apparently unfounded and illegal,” arguing that his statements fell within the bounds of political criticism and could not reasonably be classified as hooliganism, interference with campaigning, or public calls for violence. The Independent Observer Coalition likewise called for his immediate release.

Among those attending Monday’s protest was politician Nina Karapetyants, who drew parallels between Osipyan’s case and other controversial prosecutions in Armenia.

Asked whether she considers Osipyan a political prisoner, Karapetyants replied: “If there were a status higher than political prisoner, I would say Artur Osipyan is one level above that. There is no debate about it.”

The case has become one of the most contentious issues of Armenia’s parliamentary election campaign, intensifying debate over freedom of expression, the treatment of displaced Karabakh Armenians and the use of criminal law in politically sensitive cases.