Recently, Armenian police detained nine young individuals knowing for their opposition views, arresting them on charges of illegal weapons possession.

Among those detained was Hovhannes Avetisyan, a Harvard-educated public administration specialist and economist. Authorities found no illegal weapons or ammunition in Avetisyan’s car and apartment, or in the homes of the other detainees. All nine detained individuals were subsequently released.

The arrested opposition members claim these actions are part of a broader campaign of political repression by Armenian authorities. Upon his release, Avetisyan held a press conference on November 2 where he addressed his concerns and sent public messages to various groups and individuals, including U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Kristina Kvien, highlighting what he describes as political repression.

Yesterday, a group of opposition-aligned youth attempted to deliver formal letters about the alleged political repression directly to the EU and U.S. embassies in Armenia. While the EU office accepted their letter, the U.S. embassy declined, citing a policy of accepting communications only by postal mail or email.

In response, Avetisyan confirmed that he has sent his letter to Ambassador Kristina Kvien through Haypost as of November 13.

The letters addressed to the U.S. and EU ambassadors are published below.

Her Excellency Kristina Kvien

Ambassador of the United States of America to Armenia

Honorable Madam Ambassador,

My name is Hovhannes Avetisyan and I am writing to express my disappointment and concerns over the drastically deteriorating human rights situation in Armenia, namely what appears to be a new wave of repression and detentions of those who speak out against the current authorities.

The U.S. government has provided considerable support for the RA government’s reform agenda aimed at modernizing law enforcement institutions and overall justice system supposedly for the benefit of the Armenian people. That being so, the U.S. government holds a share of responsibility and its reputation is at stake for the lapse in the administration of justice and rule of law in Armenia. What is really frustrating, the RA Police and the Investigative Committee are targeting well-educated change agents among others, who are able to challenge the government’s irresponsible and corrupt behavior. 

I am an Armenian citizen who received funding from your Government in 2012 to study at the State University of Georgia through the Edmund S. Muskie Graduate Fellowship Program. I hold degrees in Diplomacy, Public Policy, Public Administration and Economics from four universities, including an MPA degree from Harvard University. I was serving in the Government of Armenia until 2012 and among other duties I was leading Armenian-USA Trade and Investment Working Group, U.S. – Armenia Task Force. And I am still serving to my country as an independent consultant to various reform projects.

I am committed to continue serving my nation and becoming a statesman dedicated to a safe, democratic, just and prosperous Armenia. This is my vision for Armenia that made me travel to the U.S. to learn and develop professionally and become strong in values and in my belief “that all men are created equal and independent, that from that equal creation they derive rights inherent and inalienable, among which are the preservation of life, and liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

I would not write you this letter if the situation was not exacerbating day by day and if democracy and basic human rights were not under serious threat in Armenia each and other day.

The core of the problem is the authoritarian system that the current government led by Nikol Pashinyan is consistently building by targeting all the opposition voices with the use of police and justice system for oppressing and silencing them. In similar situations it comes as no surprise that I and eight other young opposition activists have been illegally detained and arrested recently with fabricated charges, specifically “possession of illegal firearms.”

Your efforts to reform Armenia's justice and police systems are commendable. And it saddens me to say that the U.S. government support appears wasted, as our government is not utilizing it to establish a true democratic system, ensure fair justice, or create a police force guided by legal principles, human rights, and dignity. This is evidenced by the significant rise in crime rate, the poorly functioning justice system, and more specifically the way the current government is leveraging your support to establish a repressive regime in Armenia. The government is using your backing to implement targeted political repressions and enforce selective justice, effectively creating an authoritarian system. Recent actions by the police and justice system against hundreds of Armenian citizens, politically motivated arrests, including my own, clearly demonstrate this situation.

Honorable Madam Ambassador, I believe you understand that the support Your government provides to the Armenian government, particularly its ongoing use of it for political repressions, will lead to serious consequences. The most concerning outcome would be the deterioration of Armenian-American relations. Therefore, I urge you to rethink and reassess the effectiveness and purpose of Your government’s support. Please reconsider the extent of your support to this Government and ensure it is not used to foster an authoritarian system or to carry out political repressions against Armenian citizens. 

I remain available, may you wish to talk through my concerns raised in this letter. I may discuss in more detail the nature of organized repressions, which I and other opposition activists/politicians have been going through recently. I am sincerely looking forward to seeing you being vocal on addressing this important issue.

His Excellency Vassilis Maragos

Ambassador, Head of the EU Delegation to Armenia

Honorable Mister Ambassador,

My name is Hovhannes Avetisyan and I am writing to express my disappointment and concerns over the drastically deteriorating human rights situation in Armenia, namely what appears to be a new wave of repressions and detentions of those who speak out against the current authorities.

The European Union has provided considerable support for the Armenian government’s reform agenda including the modernizing law enforcement institutions and overall justice system supposedly for the benefit of the Armenian people. That being so, the EU holds a share of responsibility and its reputation is at stake for the lapse in the administration of justice and rule of law in Armenia. What is really frustrating, the RA Police and the Investigative Committee are targeting well-educated change agents among others, who are able to challenge the government’s irresponsible and corrupt behavior. 

I am an Armenian citizen who received funding from the U.S. Government in 2012 to study at the State University of Georgia through the Edmund S. Muskie Graduate Fellowship Program. I hold degrees in Diplomacy, Public Policy, Public Administration and Economics from four universities, including an MPA degree from Harvard University. I was serving in the Government of Armenia until 2012 and among other duties I was leading Armenian-USA Trade and Investment Working Group, U.S. – Armenia Task Force. And I am still serving to my country as an independent consultant to various reform projects.

I am committed to serving my nation and becoming a statesman dedicated to a safe, democratic, just and prosperous Armenia. This is my vision for Armenia that made me arrive in the U.S. to learn and develop professionally and become strong in values and in my belief “that all men are created equal and independent, that from that equal creation they derive rights inherent and inalienable, among which are the preservation of life, and liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

I would not write you this letter if the situation was not exacerbating day by day and if democracy and basic human rights were not under serious threat in Armenia each and other day. And the core of the problem is the authoritarian system that the current government led by Nikol Pashinyan is consistently building by targeting all the opposition voices with the use of police and justice system for oppressing and silencing them. In similar situations it comes as no surprise that I and eight other young opposition activists have been illegally detained and arrested recently with fabricated charges, specifically “possession of illegal firearms.”

Your efforts to reform Armenia's public sector including the justice and police systems are commendable. And it saddens me to say that the EU support appears wasted, as our government is not utilizing it to establish a true democratic system, ensure fair justice, or create a police force guided by legal principles, human rights, and dignity. This is evidenced by the significant rise in crime rate, the poorly functioning justice system, and more specifically the way the current government is leveraging the EU and the U.S. support to establish a repressive regime in Armenia. The government is using the EU backing to implement targeted political repressions and enforce selective justice, effectively creating an authoritarian system. Recent actions by the police and justice system against hundreds of Armenian citizens, politically motivated arrests, including my own, clearly demonstrate this situation.

Honorable Mister Ambassador, I believe you understand that the support the European Union provides to this government, particularly its ongoing use of it for political repressions, will lead to serious consequences. The most concerning outcome would be the deterioration of Armenian-EU relations. Therefore, I urge you to rethink and reassess the effectiveness and purpose of the EU support. Please reconsider the extent of your support to this government and make sure it is not used to foster an authoritarian system to carry out political repressions against Armenian citizens. 

I remain available, may you wish to talk through my concerns raised in this letter. I may discuss in more detail the nature of organized repressions, which I and other opposition activists/politicians have been going through recently. I am sincerely looking forward to seeing you being vocal on addressing this important issue.