Wikipedia

Draft:Arthur Osipyan

Arthur Osipyan
Born
Arthur Osipyan

(1985-07-18) 18 July 1985 (age 40)
Stepanakert, Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast, Azerbaijan SSR, Soviet Union
OccupationsPolitician, public figure, civil activist

Arthur Osipyan (Armenian: Արթուր Օսիպյան; born 18 July 1985) is an Artsakh Armenian public and political figure and civil activist.[1][2] He became more widely known to the public for his political activity regarding the Artsakh issue, his criticism of the authorities, and a widely discussed incident with Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan on 18 May 2026.[1][2][3]

Biography

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Arthur Osipyan was actively involved in the public and political life of Artsakh for many years.[2] He completed postgraduate studies in mathematics at Moscow State University.[2] For many years, he worked as a lecturer at Artsakh State University.[2] In the early stage of his public and political activity, he began to stand out among the public for his active fight against and criticism of corruption among high-ranking officials of the Republic of Artsakh.[2] Due to his activism and criticism in Artsakh, Arthur Osipyan faced resistance from the local authorities.[2] Since such political freedoms were unusual locally, the authorities soon dismissed him from his position as a university lecturer.[2] He was then imprisoned in Shusha, where he spent several months.[2] After being released from prison, Osipyan continued his public and political activism and anti-corruption activity.[2]

After the Velvet Revolution and change of government in Armenia in 2018, Arthur Osipyan founded his own political force, the "Revolutionary Party of Artsakh".[2] After the party's creation, he engaged in active political activity with the aim of achieving the overthrow and removal of Artsakh's corrupt ruling elite.[2] The "Revolutionary Party of Artsakh", led by Arthur Osipyan, participated in the general elections held in Artsakh in spring 2020.[2] Arthur Osipyan also took part in combat operations.[2] He was on the frontline during the Four-Day War in 2016 and the 44-Day War in 2020.[2] Military command awarded Osipyan the rank of sergeant for his military activity during combat operations.[2] After the end of the 44-Day War, Arthur Osipyan led a public initiative.[2] Its aim was to provide housing for citizens of Artsakh forcibly displaced from Hadrut, Shusha and other places.[2] As part of the initiative, attempts were made to temporarily accommodate Artsakh refugees in private mansions belonging to high-ranking military officers, including generals, and various officials.[2]

During the blockade of Artsakh by Azerbaijan, Arthur Osipyan was one of the most active opposition figures in Artsakh.[2] He launched a public movement demanding that the Russian peacekeeping contingent fulfill its assumed obligations.[2] Osipyan and his supporters organized protest actions and blockaded the military headquarters of the Russian forces.[2] They demanded the immediate opening of the Lachin corridor and an end to the practice of making money through illegal supplies of food to the population of Artsakh.[2] In addition, through mass rallies, Osipyan called on the people of Artsakh to put pressure on the local authorities so that they would defend citizens' interests.[2] He also called on the public of Artsakh and Armenia to go to the Hakari bridge, where the Azerbaijani side had installed a checkpoint, block it, and force the road connecting Artsakh with Armenia to be opened.[2] After the Azerbaijani attack against Artsakh in September 2023 and the forcible displacement of the population, Arthur Osipyan was among the last people to leave the territory of Artsakh and move to Armenia.[2]

Incident with Nikol Pashinyan (2026)

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On 18 May 2026, during an election campaign in Armenia, Arthur Osipyan approached Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan on a street in Yerevan and asked him questions about the Artsakh issue, the negotiation process, and the fate of the people of Artsakh.[1][2][4][3] During the exchange, a heated argument and verbal dispute took place between the sides.[1][2][4][3] The verbal dispute was followed by the prime minister's angry reaction, which included insulting and humiliating remarks directed at Osipyan.[1][2][4][3] Amid the argument and Nikol Pashinyan's growing anger, Arthur Osipyan was quickly removed from the area by police and later arrested.[1][4] Videos of the incident were widely circulated on social media and in Armenian media outlets.[1][4][5]

The Investigative Committee of Armenia charged him under several articles: making public calls for violence on the internet, through the social network Facebook, obstructing the election campaign, and committing hooliganism.[1][6][7][4] Then, by court decision, pretrial detention for two months was applied against Arthur Osipyan as a preventive measure, while a ban on visits and communication with the outside world was also imposed.[1][4] Human Rights Defender of Armenia Anahit Manasyan addressed the situation and the pre-election atmosphere.[8] She assessed the insults, intolerance and rhetoric promoting violence spreading in public discourse during the campaign as highly concerning and dangerous.[8]

On Anahit Manasyan's instruction, representatives of the Human Rights Defender's Office visited the detention facility of the Ministry of Internal Affairs the following day, on 19 May, with the aim of meeting Arthur Osipyan and examining on site the state of protection of his rights.[9] Arthur Osipyan refused to have a private conversation with the representatives of the Human Rights Defender and to provide details regarding issues related to his rights.[1][9]

The "Akanates" observation mission also addressed the incident and its consequences on 20 May.[10] The organization expressed deep concern over the escalation of hate speech and intolerance in political discourse.[1][10] Based on publicly available information, the mission stated that it considered the criminal prosecution of Osipyan under Articles 330, 297 and 211 of the Criminal Code of Armenia, the charges brought against him and the motion for detention to be apparently unfounded and unlawful.[1][10] The mission noted that Arthur Osipyan's words were within the bounds of political criticism, while Nikol Pashinyan's response deepened polarization.[10] According to the mission, Nikol Pashinyan had made responses that were no less harsh and even sharper. The mission called on law-enforcement bodies to terminate the unfounded criminal prosecution that created a political context.[10] A number of civil society organizations also condemned the criminal prosecution of Arthur Osipyan and demanded his immediate release.[1][11][12]

On 21 May, the Investigative Committee of Armenia reported that public criminal prosecution had been initiated against Arthur Osipyan.[13] The activist was charged with making public calls for violence, committing hooliganism, and obstructing election campaigning.[13] By court decision, he was detained.[13]

On 25 May, a number of Artsakh civil society organizations and various Artsakh Armenian figures issued a joint statement expressing their strong protest over the arrest and detention of political figure Arthur Osipyan.[1][4] They described the actions of law-enforcement officers as unlawful and disproportionate.[1][4] They also considered unacceptable the insulting question directed at Arthur Osipyan during the debate by Nikol Pashinyan, the prime ministerial candidate of the Civil Contract party.[4]

Arthur Osipyan described his detention as political persecution and immediately declared a hunger strike[1][14] at the "Nubarashen" penitentiary institution.[4] He demanded his release and also demanded that the prime minister apologize for insulting him and the people of Artsakh.[4] According to lawyer Davit Hovhannisyan, because of the hunger strike, Arthur Osipyan's body was already in a severely weakened state by the 14th day.[4] Nevertheless, the lawyer noted that Osipyan was determined to continue his struggle to the end.[4] Hovhannisyan also stated that disinformation had been spread about the activist, allegedly claiming that he had fled from the war.[4] The lawyer denied these claims, emphasizing that Osipyan had actively participated in military operations from beginning to end.[4]

On 1 June, public figure Gegham Ohanyan began an indefinite sit-in in front of the Residence of the President of Armenia.[15] Through this action, he expressed his support for Arthur Osipyan, who at that point had already been on hunger strike for 14 days.[15] During the sit-in, Gegham Ohanyan submitted an open letter to the staff of the President of Armenia.[15] In the letter, he called on the President of the Republic to use his powers and submit a motion to the Prosecutor General’s Office of Armenia.[15] The purpose of the motion was to change Arthur Osipyan's preventive measure of detention, release him, and ensure the activist's rights to freedom of movement and speech.[15]

On 2 June, a number of civil society organizations issued a new joint statement.[16][17] This time the appeal was addressed personally to Armenia's Prosecutor General Anna Vardapetyan.[16][17] The authors of the statement referred to Arthur Osipyan's detention and the ongoing criminal prosecution against him, demanding a review of the preventive measure.[16][17] At the same time, representatives of civil society organizations and individuals gathered in front of the Prosecutor General's Office building.[17] They demanded a meeting with Prosecutor General Anna Vardapetyan to discuss the issue of Arthur Osipyan's immediate release.[17] However, police officers guarding the entrance to the Prosecutor's Office did not allow the activists to enter the building.[17] Instead, they urged them to apply to the citizens' reception office.[17] After failing to meet the Prosecutor General, the assembled citizens and NGO representatives submitted their letter-demand to the citizens' reception office of the Prosecutor's Office.[17]

On 2 June, the lawyer of the detained Arthur Osipyan published Osipyan's open letters addressed to the Human Rights Defender and international diplomatic missions, in which he claimed that his arrest was a gross violation of freedom of speech.[18] Osipyan stated that his life was at risk in the pretrial detention facility and expressed fears regarding threats made against him by the authorities.[18] In the letter, Arthur Osipyan stated that his hunger strike had already lasted about 15 days.[18] He cited as one of the main reasons for the hunger strike the fact that he was under the control of a body subordinate to the executive branch.[18] According to the activist, in the situation that had arisen there were serious risks of him being poisoned or his life being harmed.[18] Osipyan also drew attention to the fact that after threats were made against him, after the use of physical force recorded in videos by various media outlets, and after actions involving the seizure of his personal phone and deletion of his Facebook page, law-enforcement bodies had not initiated criminal proceedings against anyone.[18]

On 4 June, Human Rights Defender Anahit Manasyan received a delegation led by Ambassador Vassilis Maragos, head of the Delegation of the European Union to Armenia, and discussed with him the human rights situation ahead of the elections and related ongoing cases, including Arthur Osipyan's case.[19]

On 9 June, Arthur Osipyan's lawyer Davit Hovhannisyan stated that the activist, who had been on hunger strike for 22 days, had lost significant weight and that his health condition had worsened, but that he was refusing medical examination as a form of protest.[20]

On 10 June, Armenia's Minister of Justice Srbuhi Galyan addressed the issue of Arthur Osipyan's hunger strike.[21] The minister stated that the activist's health condition was stable and that she was receiving operational information about him every day.[21] According to the minister, Arthur Osipyan had been offered the opportunity to file a crime report regarding the incidents he considered criminal.[21] Srbuhi Galyan emphasized that all necessary measures were being taken to properly ensure Osipyan's rights, including the opportunity to walk, the right to declare a hunger strike and other conditions.[21] She added that no tendency should be sought in terms of ill-treatment of the person.[21] The minister noted that she did not know why detention specifically had been chosen as the preventive measure against Osipyan and added that her official position prohibited her from interfering in or being informed of the reasons for that decision.[21]

On the same day, 10 June, Armenia's Human Rights Defender Anahit Manasyan personally visited the "Nubarashen" penitentiary institution.[22] During the visit, Anahit Manasyan had a private conversation with Arthur Osipyan, who was deprived of liberty and had declared a hunger strike.[22] The state of protection of the activist's rights was observed on site, and the issues he raised were discussed with the administration of the penitentiary institution.[22] The office also reported that the issues raised by Osipyan regarding the criminal proceedings continued to be addressed to the competent state bodies.[22]

On 10 June, the Prosecutor General's Office of Armenia officially announced the decision to revoke Arthur Osipyan's detention.[23] According to the Prosecutor's Office statement, the supervising prosecutor, among other circumstances, took into account the position of a group of civil society representatives.[23] The latter, in motions addressed to Armenia's Prosecutor General and the supervising prosecutor, had expressed readiness to assume personal guarantees for the accused Arthur Osipyan.[23] Based on these circumstances, the supervising prosecutor decided to revoke the preventive measure of detention applied against the activist.[23] The decision was immediately sent to the "Nubarashen" penitentiary institution of the Ministry of Justice of Armenia in order to release the person without delay.[23]

References

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  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 "Several NGOs demand the immediate release of Arthur Osipyan". hetq.am. 1 June 2026. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 "Arthur Osipyan did not fit into Pashinyan's propaganda schemes". hetq.am. 22 May 2026. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 ""Arthur Osipyan is in an exhausted state": lawyer". hetq.am. 1 June 2026. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 "Artsakh NGOs issue a statement demanding the immediate release of Arthur Osipyan". hetq.am. 25 May 2026. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
  5. ↑ ""Get lost, you fool": heated verbal dispute between Pashinyan and Arthur Osipyan". YouTube. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
  6. ↑ "Public criminal prosecution has been initiated against a person who committed hooliganism on Facebook". investigative.am. 18 May 2026. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
  7. ↑ "Public criminal prosecution has been initiated against a person who committed hooliganism on Facebook: Investigative Committee". hetq.am. 18 May 2026. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
  8. 1 2 ""During the election campaign, all political forces must rule out any manifestation of discourse promoting insult, violence": Human Rights Defender". hetq.am. 18 May 2026. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
  9. 1 2 "Clarifications will be requested regarding the grounds for depriving Arthur Osipyan of liberty: Human Rights Defender". hetq.am. 19 May 2026. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 ""In N. Pashinyan's case, the inappropriate remarks directed at forcibly displaced persons from Artsakh are extremely concerning and unacceptable": Akanates". hetq.am. 20 May 2026. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
  11. ↑ "NGOs demand the immediate release of Arthur Osipyan". hetq.am. 20 May 2026. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
  12. ↑ "Statement by Protection of Rights Without Borders NGO". prwb.am. 20 May 2026. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
  13. 1 2 3 "Arthur Osipyan, who argued with Nikol Pashinyan, has been detained". hetq.am. 21 May 2026. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
  14. ↑ "Karabakh Man Jailed For Arguing With Pashinian Continues Hunger Strike". azatutyun.am. 25 May 2026. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 "Indefinite sit-in for Arthur Osipyan, who has been on hunger strike for two weeks (photos)". hetq.am. 1 June 2026. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
  16. 1 2 3 "Demand from NGOs and individuals to the Prosecutor General to release Arthur Osipyan". hetq.am. 2 June 2026. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Letter-demand to release Arthur Osipyan submitted to the Prosecutor's Office". hetq.am. 2 June 2026. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
  18. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Arthur Osipyan has been on hunger strike for 15 days: open letters and alarm from prison". hetq.am. 2 June 2026. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
  19. ↑ "The issue of Arthur Osipyan was also discussed at the meeting between the Human Rights Defender and the EU Ambassador". hetq.am. 4 June 2026. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
  20. ↑ "Arthur Osipyan refuses medical examination: 22nd day of hunger strike". hetq.am. 9 June 2026. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
  21. 1 2 3 4 5 6 ""I do not know why detention was chosen for Osipyan, and I should not know": Srbuhi Galyan". hetq.am. 10 June 2026. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
  22. 1 2 3 4 "The Human Rights Defender emphasizes the importance of discussing the possibility of applying an alternative preventive measure to Osipyan". hetq.am. 10 June 2026. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
  23. 1 2 3 4 5 "Arthur Osipyan will be released: a decision has been made to revoke his preventive measure of detention". hetq.am. 10 June 2026. Retrieved 11 June 2026.

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