Ambassador of the USA accredited to RA, Ambassador of the Russian Federation, Ambassador of the European Union
to the Secretary General of the Council of Europe
Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights
Council of Europe Congress of Local and Regional Authorities
To the head of the Council of Europe office in Yerevan
Since October 20, 2025, the Court of First Instance of the General Jurisdiction of the Shirak Marz of the RA has made an unprecedented number of arrest decisions in just ten days, as a result of which about four dozen citizens were deprived of their freedom. Among them are both participants of the peaceful protest operation and Gyumri residents in the building of the Gyumri Municipality, four of whom are women.
On October 20, 2025, the peaceful protest action that took place in the Vardanants Square of the second largest city of the Republic of Armenia, Gyumri, was dispersed by the police forces using violence. On the same day, the police damaged and destroyed the property of the Gyumri Municipality using special means and objects.
The practice of imprisoning people in the Republic of Armenia actually operates according to the following false "principles".
• Imprisonment is a priority.
• it is the required and the only "effective" means;
• necessary to maintain the cannibal system,
• It is absolutely not important that it is not prescribed by law.
As in many other cases, during the actions in Gyumri on October 20, the authorities did not present any legal justification or condition of necessity that would justify the use of physical force and special measures by the police.
Until now, neither the RA human rights defender nor the investigative bodies have made any statement that would testify to the state's awareness of its obligation to provide a proper legal assessment of the cases of unlawful and disproportionate use of police force.
Many of the participants of the peaceful protest received physical injuries, while no police officers were injured during the violent dispersal of the peaceful protest and the damage or destruction of the property of the Gyumri Municipality.
It is still unknown to the public whether the RA human rights defender and his staff representatives visited about four dozen detained persons, and if so, what kind of violations were recorded.
In addition, it is very worrying and puzzling that, despite the fact that the RA Human Rights Defender is informed about the illegal imprisonment and violated rights of Gyumri Mayor Mr. Vardan Ghukasyan,
to this day he has not visited her and has not responded publicly.
The RA Human Rights Defender and the RA Prosecutor General were fully informed, but remained silent and did not condemn the fact that the peaceful protest action that took place on October 20, 2025 was preceded by an open call for violence and threats, which was made on October 1, 2025, from the hall of the RA National Assembly, by the person who holds the position of the RA Prime Minister.
That call was directed against the opposition, non-party mayor of Gyumri, Vardan Ghukasyan, who was legally elected about six months ago, and expressed the intention to remove him from the political and public arena. At the same time, that call aimed to question the results of the legal, legally recognized and undisputed elections of the Gyumri local self-government body.
Thus, the threat voiced was not limited to political pressure against Vardan Ghukasyan, but was also aimed at thousands of citizens of Gyumri who had legally exercised their fundamental constitutional right:
to elect Gyumri city council and mayor in the person of non-partisan Vardan Ghukasyan.
Basically, the executive head of the current government of RA has publicly prepared and is implementing a political process to overthrow the existing constitutional order in the Republic of Armenia.
In the Republic of Armenia, both the Constitution and the Law "On Local Self-Government" recognize and enshrine the principle of local self-government. Meanwhile, this fundamental principle is consistently ignored and violated by the person holding the position of RA Prime Minister.
Clause 1 of Article 179 of the RA Constitution and Article 3 of the Law "On Local Self-Government" clearly recognize and define the right of local self-government, according to which local self-government means the right and ability of democratically elected local bodies to manage local public affairs within the framework of their responsibility in the interests of the local population.
The local self-government of Gyumri formed on the basis of this constitutional principle, however, has become the target of a direct and consistent attack by the RA executive power. The latter's initiative to subvert the activity of the local self-government body of Gyumri should, in fact, be evaluated as a form of systematic and continuous manifestation of criminal activities aimed at the malicious goal of subverting the constitutional order of the Republic of Armenia.
In fact, by targeting the mayor of Gyumri, Vardan Ghukasyan, the executive power also targeted the people of Gyumri, who have been suffering deprivation for a long time and are subjected to oppression as a result of the illegal actions of the government.
Dear ladies and gentlemen,
In the Republic of Armenia, the local self-government bodies are essentially unable to fulfill their commitment. Elected local government officials who have a different opinion from the current government on political issues and state policies have become targets of violence, because of which they are unable to create a favorable environment where citizens can enjoy their right to live and create every day.
The lack of respect for human rights by the current authorities, the eradication of the democratic institution - the right to elect the council of elders and the mayor through elections - has become a "natural" phenomenon. At the local level, this "natural" phenomenon leads to poor governance, creates a deeper chasm in the relationship between the executive authorities and communities, and contributes to the widening of distrust towards political and state institutions.
November 2, 2025
Vardan Ghukasyan's defense attorney Zaruhi Pstanjyan
