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The September 19th & 19th: A Dark Mark on Armenian History Turkish crime repeated

Dates often carry symbolism. For Armenians, two “19ths” stand as wounds carved into the nation’s soul: January 19, 2007 and September 19, 2023.

On January 19, journalist and intellectual Hrant Dink was assassinated in front of the Agos newspaper office in Istanbul. His crime was not violence, nor treason, but truth. He dared to speak openly about the Armenian Genocide, reconciliation, and the need for Turkey to confront its past. For this, he was silenced. His murder was not an act of one fanatic alone — it was the byproduct of an entire system that demonized him, tolerated threats, and cultivated hate.

On September 19, the small Armenian Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) was emptied of its indigenous Armenian population. After months of blockade and starvation, Azerbaijani forces launched a one-day assault. Facing annihilation, Artsakh surrendered, and over 120,000 Armenians were driven from their homes. Ethnic cleansing was completed under the world’s watchful silence.

Two different 19ths, but the same story:

  • A people silenced.
  • A homeland erased.
  • The perpetrator’s crime denied.

For Turkey and Azerbaijan, denial is not an afterthought — it is the strategy itself. Hrant Dink was killed to erase a voice. Artsakh was emptied to erase a nation. Both acts serve one larger purpose: to strip Armenians of truth, land, and identity.

But history records. The 19th is not just a date on the calendar — it is a reminder. A reminder that crimes unpunished repeat themselves. That silence from allies and international organizations only fuels aggressors. That without accountability, justice remains distant.

For Armenians, the 19th is now a symbol of resilience as well as tragedy. To remember Hrant Dink is to keep his voice alive. To remember Artsakh is to keep its people’s right of return alive.

The world may choose to look away. Armenians cannot.
Because the 19th will always stand as proof: denial kills — again and again.

https://gagrule.net/96768-2/

Armenia’s Financial Death: The Silent Collapse Behind the Revolution

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Political revolutions promise renewal, but Armenia’s so-called “Velvet Revolution” has delivered something far darker — the slow financial death of the Armenian state.

For centuries, Armenia’s survival has depended not only on courage and culture but also on its economic resilience. Today, under Pashinyan’s leadership, that resilience is evaporating. War, capitulation, and corruption have stripped Armenia of both territory and trust, while the economy sinks deeper into dependency.

War and Capitulation

The 2020 Artsakh war and its aftermath left not only thousands dead but also billions lost. Infrastructure destroyed, displaced families resettled, and military defeat shattered investor confidence. Instead of recovery, Armenia was handed debt and humiliation.

Dependency and Debt

Rather than building economic sovereignty, Armenia is increasingly bound to foreign loans, remittances, and aid packages. Industry is hollowed out, agriculture remains under pressure, and youth emigration drains the labor force. The nation survives on borrowed money and exported workers — a textbook case of dependency economics.

Corruption and Mismanagement

The revolution’s promise of transparency collapsed quickly. Under Pashinyan, state assets have been squandered, oligarchic networks reshaped instead of dismantled, and government spending directed toward securing political loyalty rather than national stability. What should have been investment in production and self-reliance became the buying of silence.

National Weakening

Financial death is not just numbers on a balance sheet — it is a national weakening. It means pensions delayed, hospitals underfunded, soldiers unequipped, and citizens leaving for good. It means Armenia’s sovereignty traded piece by piece, until decisions in Yerevan are little more than echoes of powers abroad.

Conclusion:
The tragedy of Armenia today is not only on the battlefield but also in the bank account. A revolution that promised rebirth has instead delivered debt, dependency, and decline. Armenia’s financial death is slow, quiet, and invisible to those who choose not to see it — but it is real, and it is happening now.

And yet, there remains one undeniable truth: without some kind of victory, Armenia is doomed to failure. Even the act of removing Pashinyan would lift the nation’s morale, restoring faith that Armenia can fight back, rebuild, and survive.

From Ankara to Yerevan: The Erdoğan Blueprint Behind Pashinyan’s Rise

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By Wally Sarkeesian

When Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan visited Istanbul earlier this year, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan handed him a copy of his book. To most observers, it was a symbolic diplomatic gesture. But to those watching closely, the moment carried a deeper meaning: Pashinyan’s political career had already followed Erdoğan’s blueprint step by step.

From prison cells to popular revolutions, from promises of peace to the concentration of power, both leaders built their dominance on a strikingly similar playbook. Whether by coincidence or careful imitation, Pashinyan’s rise mirrors Erdoğan’s rise with unsettling precision.

Phase 1: From Prison to Power

Erdoğan’s Path: In 1997, Erdoğan, then Mayor of Istanbul, was jailed for reciting a poem deemed inflammatory. Far from ending his career, prison turned him into a martyr. In 2001, he co-founded the AKP, which swept the 2002 elections. Though initially banned from office, Erdoğan soon entered parliament and became Prime Minister in 2003. His narrative was simple: “I was oppressed, but the people raised me up.”

Pashinyan’s Path: Similarly, Pashinyan was imprisoned after the 2008 protests in Armenia. Released in 2011 under amnesty, he returned to politics stronger. By 2018, he led the Velvet Revolution, toppling Serzh Sargsyan and becoming Prime Minister. But his rise was not only about protest — it was also about political blackmail and populist pressure:

  • He leveraged mass street demonstrations to corner the ruling elite.
  • He declared: “Either me, or no one else will be Prime Minister.”
  • During the snap election process, Pashinyan pressured the opposition not to nominate alternative candidates, knowing he had the people’s backing.
  • The opposition reluctantly conceded, leaving Pashinyan the sole viable choice.

With this maneuver, he not only won power but also established the precedent that his authority came directly from the street, above institutions.

Blueprint Lesson #1: Turn prison into legitimacy. Combine victimhood with populist blackmail until rivals have no choice but to step aside.

Phase 2: The Illusion of Peace

Erdoğan: In the 2000s, Erdoğan charmed the West as a reformer, even launching a peace process with the Kurds (2009–2013). Kurds gained cultural rights and political representation. But by 2015, the peace collapsed. Erdoğan pivoted to nationalism, and Kurds were left betrayed — their trust used as political capital.

Pashinyan: After 2018, Pashinyan spoke the language of peace and democracy. He promised reforms and reconciliation, even softening Armenia’s stance on Artsakh. But behind the rhetoric, he was already weaponizing peace against rivals:

  • He branded critics of his peace agenda as “enemies of democracy” or “warmongers.”
  • He positioned himself as the only leader brave enough to pursue peace, echoing his earlier “either me or no one” posture.
  • By labeling alternatives as dangerous, he created a climate where supporting him appeared to be the only path to stability.

Blueprint Lesson #2: Promise peace to win trust. Use reconciliation as both a mask and a weapon to delegitimize rivals.

Phase 3: Centralizing Control

Erdoğan: Step by step, Erdoğan captured Turkey’s institutions. Courts filled with loyalists, media silenced or bought out, police and military purged. In 2017, he replaced parliamentary democracy with a presidential system, making himself the ultimate power.

Pashinyan: In Armenia, Pashinyan’s “reforms” steadily stripped institutions of independence and concentrated authority in his hands.

  • Judiciary: He pushed for a “transitional justice system” to purge judges, but this meant replacing them with loyalists.
  • Military: When generals demanded his resignation in 2021, Pashinyan dismissed them outright, asserting control and showing that the army would serve the Prime Minister, not the constitution.
  • Parliament: He forced early elections under his own terms. With the opposition fractured, his party secured dominance.
  • People as leverage: Each time his authority was questioned, Pashinyan invoked the “will of the people,” using street legitimacy to overwhelm institutions.

Blueprint Lesson #3: Capture institutions under the banner of reform. When that fails, invoke the people’s will until only one voice remains.

Phase 4: Exploiting Crisis

Erdoğan: The failed 2016 coup attempt became Erdoğan’s greatest gift. Within hours, he called citizens into the streets via FaceTime. The coup collapsed, and Erdoğan launched mass purges of military, judiciary, media, and academia. By declaring a state of emergency, he ruled by decree and emerged unchallenged.

Pashinyan: Armenia’s catastrophic 2020 war should have ended his career. Instead, Pashinyan turned defeat into survival:

  • Critics of the capitulation were branded as “traitors” and “war profiteers.”
  • Opposition protests were suppressed, and activists were arrested.
  • In the 2021 snap elections, he warned that opposing him meant risking national collapse. His party won a renewed mandate.

Like Erdoğan, Pashinyan transformed disaster into opportunity — not by saving the country, but by blackmailing society with fear of worse chaos without him.

Blueprint Lesson #4: Never waste a crisis. War, defeat, or even a coup can be turned into a weapon to silence rivals and consolidate power.

Phase 5: Aftermath & Legacy

Erdoğan’s Turkey: What began as democratic hope ended in authoritarian rule. Turkey is polarized, institutions hollowed out, and journalists silenced. Yet Erdoğan remains, presenting himself as the nation’s indispensable protector.

Pashinyan’s Armenia: Once hailed as the face of democratic renewal, Pashinyan has left Armenia weaker and more divided. Institutions now serve his survival rather than the country’s resilience. Supporters call it reform. Critics call it betrayal.

Blueprint Lesson #5: A leader’s legacy is not in promises, but in the system left behind. Both Erdoğan and Pashinyan leave nations weakened, institutions gutted, but their own power intact.

Phase 6 → The Church Under Siege No nation can stand without its spiritual backbone. For Armenians, that backbone has always been the Apostolic Church — a guardian of faith, culture, and continuity through centuries of struggle. Yet under Pashinyan’s leadership, this institution too has come under pressure.

The government’s rhetoric has sought to sideline the Church, framing it as outdated and unnecessary in modern governance. This mirrors Erdoğan’s earlier tactics in Turkey: reshaping religious authority and bending institutions to political will. Where Erdoğan co-opted religion to strengthen his power, Pashinyan appears determined to weaken Armenia’s own spiritual anchor, creating deep divisions between Church and state

Pashinyan police Storming Armenian church

For many Armenians, this attack is not just political, but existential. The Church has long symbolized unity and survival; undermining it risks eroding the very identity of the nation. In this sense, the blueprint extends beyond politics and war — it penetrates the soul of Armenia itself.

From Ankara to Yerevan, the same script has been performed:

Conclusion: The Book as Blueprint

The image of Erdoğan handing Pashinyan his book in Istanbul is more than a diplomatic courtesy. It is symbolic of a political truth: Erdoğan wrote the manual, and Pashinyan applied it in Armenia.

From Ankara to Yerevan, the same script has been performed:

  • Prison → Power.
  • Peace → Control.
  • Crisis → Consolidation.

For Turkey, this meant the rise of Erdoğan’s personal rule. For Armenia, it has meant defeat, division, and a hollowed state.

The shadow of Erdoğan’s playbook stretches across borders — and Pashinyan has walked its path step by step.

Police Guarded, Nation Destroyed

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By Wally Sarkeesian

Nikol Pashinyan lobbied the world—meeting EU leaders, shaking hands with Putin, and standing before U.S. officials. Secretly meeting Erdogan and Aliyev Yet not once did he negotiate with strength or make a genuine attempt to save Artsakh. His mission was not defense, not dignity, not the protection of his people. But dismantling 

Instead, he built a wall of protection around himself—a police state trained to shield him from Armenians, not from Armenia’s enemies. Like Aliyev and Erdoğan, he created a vicious apparatus that silenced dissent, crushed protest, and guaranteed his own survival, even as the nation crumbled.

This was not leadership.
It was surrender disguised as diplomacy.
It was betrayal enforced by police shields.

The November 2020 capitulation proves the truth. On the battlefield, Azerbaijan could not capture Artsakh or Kalbajar. Armenian fighters held the line, unbroken. In war, when a ceasefire is signed, the land held belongs to those who defended it. Yet Pashinyan handed everything away—without being forced. Even Aliyev admitted: if the war had continued one more week, Azerbaijan would have lost.

This was not a defeat imposed by the enemy.
It was a betrayal orchestrated from within.
And while Armenian soldiers bled for their homeland, the police guarded Pashinyan—so he could surrender Artsakh.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/119790681971882

Pashinyan & Saakashvili: Twin Betrayals, Different Nations, Same Fate, 

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By Wally Sarkeesian

Armenia stands in the shadow of betrayal
Will Pashinyan end up in the same rat hole as Saakachvili?

History has a way of repeating itself. Georgia lived through it under Mikheil Saakashvili, and now Armenia is enduring it under Nikol Pashinyan. Both men came to power promising reform, but instead delivered betrayal, division, and national decline. Both aligned themselves with Turkey and Azerbaijan, deceived the European Union, and pursued policies that hollowed out their own states from within. And just as Georgians eventually realized the scale of Saakashvili’s treachery, Armenians, too, will awaken to the truth about Pashinyan.

Saakashvili’s Georgia became the playground of foreign interests. Turkey and Azerbaijan built oil pipelines and railways across Georgian territory, effectively transforming the country into a geopolitical pawn designed to weaken Russia. The cost was devastating: Georgia lost two provinces and its sovereignty was compromised. Eventually, the Georgian people understood what had been done to them. They rose up and rejected Saakashvili, leaving him disgraced and imprisoned.

Nikol Pashinyan’s betrayal of Armenia, however, runs even deeper. Posing as a reformer and democrat, he worked hand in hand with Turkey and Azerbaijan while pretending to defend Armenian interests. He orchestrated a staged war over Artsakh, only to surrender it outright. For seven long years, Pashinyan maintained the illusion of negotiations and consultations, which were nothing more than deliberate stalling tactics. These years were not about peace; they were about buying time for Pashinyan to consolidate his power and prepare the machinery of repression.

The most blatant betrayal came with the November 9, 2020 capitulation, where Pashinyan not only handed Artsakh to Azerbaijan but also opened the door to a new geopolitical trap: a corridor across Armenia, linking Turkey and Azerbaijan directly. This was done without a national referendum, without consulting the Armenian people, and without any democratic mandate. Every major concession—from Artsakh’s surrender to the corridor agreement—was forced upon the nation without its consent. Like Saakashvili before him, Pashinyan turned his country into a passageway for foreign powers, disregarding the will of his people.

Like Turkey and Azerbaijan, Pashinyan built a vicious police state. When Armenians resisted his rule, he unleashed his forces with brutality—beating protestors, dragging citizens off the streets, and filling the prisons with political detainees. His repression has not stopped with opposition politicians. Business leaders, religious figures, and ordinary citizens have all been targeted. Armenia’s prisons are increasingly filled with political prisoners, while its streets echo with the silence of fear.

This is no accident. Pashinyan has carefully dismantled the foundations of Armenian society. By weakening the Church, silencing independent voices, and terrorizing the population, he seeks to sever Armenians from their identity and their means of resistance. What he has done to Artsakh is only part of the picture. His true crime is the systematic destruction of Armenia’s very soul.

Just as Georgians recognized the disaster Saakashvili brought upon them, Armenians too will one day see the full scope of Pashinyan’s betrayal. His alliance with Turkey and Azerbaijan, his deception of the Armenian people, his surrender of Artsakh, and his imposition of the corridor without a referendum will not be forgotten. History will not absolve him. And when the Armenian people rise—as they inevitably will—Pashinyan will meet the same fate as Saakashvili: disgraced, broken, and imprisoned.

For now, Armenia stands in the shadow of betrayal. But betrayal has a way of sowing its own destruction. The silence cannot last forever. Just as the Georgian people reclaimed their voice, so too will Armenians reclaim their dignity, their land, and their future.

A Nation in Peril: Anything Armenian pashinyan Dismantling

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By Wally Sarkeesian

A Nation in Peril

This is not simply mismanagement. It is not mere corruption. What we are witnessing is a coordinated and systematic destruction of Armenia’s foundations—its land, its faith, its history, and its pride. No Armenian leader, not even in times of foreign invasion, has inflicted such comprehensive damage. For the first time, the greatest danger to Armenia does not come from beyond its borders, but from within—seated in the highest office of the land.

The Systematic Destruction of Armenia Under Nikol Pashinyan

Everything that is Armenian, Nikol Pashinyan has either destroyed or is in the process of destroying—at a scale never before witnessed in our history. His tenure is not simply a failure of leadership; it is a systematic dismantling of our nation, stone by stone, institution by institution.

Artsakh: The Shattered Symbol of Victory

Artsakh once stood as a symbol of Armenian resilience and triumph. It was proof that, against overwhelming odds, Armenians could defend and liberate their homeland. Under Pashinyan, this symbol of pride and victory was erased. He did not merely lose Artsakh—he destroyed it. Worse, he surrendered its leaders, who now sit humiliated in Azerbaijani prisons and courtrooms. This is not defeat on the battlefield; it is betrayal of the highest order, unprecedented in Armenian history.

Political Prisoners: Silencing Armenia From Within

The devastation extends far beyond Artsakh. Inside Armenia, Pashinyan has waged war against his own people. Political leaders are thrown into jail, opposition voices are crushed, and business leaders are silenced. Instead of strengthening the republic, his regime is hollowing it out from within—paralyzing its institutions, stifling dissent, and stripping the nation of its backbone.

Armenian Church: Severing the Nation’s Soul

Perhaps the most alarming assault is aimed at the Armenian Apostolic Church, the cornerstone of our cultural and spiritual identity since 301 AD. For centuries, the Church has carried the Armenian people through invasions, massacres, and genocide. To attack it is not simply a political maneuver—it is an attempt to sever Armenians from their soul, to dismantle the very institution that has ensured our survival through history’s darkest hours.

Genocide Denial: Erasing Memory, Insulting History

As if these wounds were not deep enough, Pashinyan adds insult to injury by flirting with genocide denial. He has openly declared, “we have nothing to do with it,” distancing Armenia from the crime that defines its modern identity and struggle for justice. Words matter—and these words cut deep. If he can deny our past with language, what is to stop him from erasing our memory with actions? What begins with denial could end with the demolition of monuments and the erasure of history itself

The Call to Wake Up

The Armenian people must recognize this reality before it is too late. Silence, apathy, and passivity will only accelerate the collapse of our nation. Armenia’s survival does not depend on hollow speeches or empty rituals—it depends on courage. The courage to confront betrayal, to defend our institutions, to protect our history, and to preserve our national spirit. If we fail to awaken and act now, the day may come when there is nothing left to save.

Levon Zurabyan filed a crime report related to Pashinyan’s statement “I am the Government”

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Source: factor.am

Armenian National Congress Vice-Chairman Levon Zurabyan filed a criminal complaint regarding Prime Minister Pashinyan’s statement. Let us recall that the day before yesterday, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, responding to the observation that the Government had accepted that the Stockholm Arbitration Award was subject to mandatory execution, stated: “I am the Government, if there is anyone who contradicts my position, let them write an application right now and go.”

In this regard, Levon Zurabyan cited Article 42 of the RA Constitution on the right to freely express one’s opinion. “CONSTITUTION OF ARMENIA: “Article 42. Freedom of expression Everyone has the right to freely express his or her opinion. This right includes the freedom to hold one’s own opinion, as well as the freedom to seek, receive and disseminate information and ideas through any media, without interference by state and local self-government bodies and regardless of state borders.” LAW OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA ON THE STRUCTURE AND ACTIVITIES OF THE GOVERNMENT (Adopted on March 23, 2018). “Article 11. Government decisions 1. Decisions on legislative initiative and sub-legislative normative legal acts of the Government are adopted by a majority vote of the total number of members of the Government, by oral vote. Other decisions of the Government are adopted by a majority vote of the members of the Government participating in the session, by oral vote. Members of the Government participating in the session are obliged to participate in the vote. Members of the Government vote for or against. In case of a tie, the Prime Minister’s vote is decisive.” NIKOL PASHINIAN. “No one in the Government can have a position that contradicts my position. I am the Government. If there are people who have a position that contradicts my position, let them write an application and leave the buildings. If not, I will remove them myself.” REPORT ON A CRIMINAL OFFENSE. This statement by Nikol Pashinyan contains the features of an act provided for by Article 441 of the Criminal Code. Due to the fact of the commission of an apparent crime, I demand that the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Armenia accept this note as a report on the commission of an alleged crime and initiate criminal proceedings on the fact. CRIMINAL CODE OF THE RA. “Article 441 Abuse of power or official authority or influence resulting from them by an official or abuse of authority 1. The use by an official of his power or official authority or influence resulting from them to the detriment of state or official interests, or failure to perform or improper performance of his official duty, or the commission of an act that does not arise from his authority or is beyond the scope of his authority, which has caused significant damage to the rights, freedoms or legitimate interests of a person or organization or the legitimate interests of society or the state, is punishable by a fine in the amount of twenty to forty times the minimum wage, or by deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities for a term of three to seven years, or by restriction of liberty for a term of one to three years, or by short-term imprisonment for a term of one to two months, or by imprisonment for a term of one to four years. 2. The act provided for in Part 1 of this Article, which: 1) was committed by using violence or by threatening to use violence…,” Zurabyan wrote.

You can read the full article at this address: https://factor.am/925324.html?

Draft Letter to Armenian Legal Scholars / Armenian Bar Association

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Subject: Request for Legal Action Regarding Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan
Dear Esteemed Scholars and Members of the Armenian Bar Association,

I am writing to you out of deep concern for the Republic of Armenia, the Armenian nation, and the future of our people. The actions of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan raise urgent legal, constitutional, and moral questions that, in my view, demand immediate examination by the legal community and possible accountability before the law.

When Pashinyan came to power, he did so by presenting himself as the leader of a movement against corruption, promising honesty, justice, and democracy. Yet, the record of his governance reveals a very different reality.

  • He held multiple undisclosed meetings with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, without informing the Armenian people or even members of his own government.
  • He presided over the so-called 44-day war of 2020, which ended in a sudden capitulation on November 9. This decision was made without consultation with Armenia’s foreign minister, parliament, or the Armenian public.
  • After this, vast portions of Artsakh were surrendered without referendum, parliamentary debate, or national consensus.
  • Hundreds of Armenian villages were likewise handed over, again without public mandate.
  • The so-called “Zangezur Corridor” was conceded under the same secretive circumstances, with no referendum or constitutional process.
  • Most recently, instead of welcoming recognition of the Armenian Genocide by Israel and other nations, Pashinyan publicly undermined the matter, suggesting it was irrelevant to the interests of Armenia, and framing it as mere “geopolitical bargaining.” This statement effectively minimizes and denies one of the most painful truths of Armenian history.

Taken together, these actions raise serious issues of abuse of power, violation of constitutional duty, and betrayal of national sovereignty. They appear to bypass democratic processes and ignore the fundamental rights of the Armenian people to be consulted on existential issues of territory, security, and historical justice.

For these reasons, I respectfully urge Armenian legal scholars, jurists, and diaspora legal associations to consider avenues of accountability — whether through constitutional challenges, international legal instruments, or diaspora-led legal action.

History has shown us that silence enables injustice. Today, it is vital that the Armenian nation’s legal institutions rise to their duty: to protect the Republic, to uphold the Constitution, and to ensure that no leader can unilaterally dismantle the rights and dignity of the Armenian people.

With respect and urgency,

Wally Sarkeesian

Pashinyan’s: Betrayal, Silence, and the Price of Power

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By Wally Sarkeesian

In every nation’s history, there comes a moment when the people must ask whether their leaders serve the nation or serve themselves. For Armenians, that question has grown sharper in recent years as painful events unfolded around Artsakh, Syunik, and the broader struggle for sovereignty. Many now fear that instead of protecting the homeland, the political leadership has chosen the easier path of compromise, cooperation with adversaries, and suppression of the very citizens who once defended the nation’s dignity.

At the heart of the frustration lies a sense of betrayal. Armenia’s leadership once claimed it lacked the mandate to negotiate over Artsakh, insisting that the people’s will could not be bargained away. Yet after the disastrous war of 2020, that very stance collapsed. Negotiations shifted toward territorial concessions, and the narrative turned from safeguarding Armenian rights to managing surrender in the name of “peace.”

But peace has not followed. Instead, Armenians have seen the erosion of national security, the hollowing out of political accountability, and a campaign of pressure against some of the country’s most successful business figures—men and women who, in years past, devoted resources to Artsakh’s survival. Rather than being celebrated as patriots, they became scapegoats in a new political order where loyalty to the ruling elite seemed more important than loyalty to the nation.

Meanwhile, the adversary across the border boasts of military might and spreads Armenophobic rhetoric unchecked. Armenia’s silence in the face of such hostility feels less like diplomacy and more like acquiescence. When leaders speak of “historic opportunities for peace,” many Armenians hear only the echo of past betrayals: the November 2020 capitulation, the quiet surrender of borderlands, and now the chilling prospect of deeper concessions in Syunik.

The spectacle is bitter. While political leaders stand smiling beside their counterparts, Armenians see their own people—entrepreneurs, community builders, defenders of Artsakh—treated as expendable. The image is not one of peace, but of conspiracy: two powerful hands raised together, while ordinary Armenians and patriots are left behind bars, both figuratively and literally.

What is at stake is larger than the fate of any single leader or oligarch. It is the question of national dignity. Can Armenia survive when its most capable voices are silenced? Can Artsakh’s legacy endure when the defenders of its cause are punished, not honored? Can peace be trusted when built on secrecy, silence, and the imprisonment of those who stood for Armenian survival?

History is unforgiving. Those who trade sovereignty for short-term security often discover that they lose both. If today Armenia appears weaker, more fractured, and more vulnerable, it is not because of the Armenian people, but because of the choices of a political elite that mistook submission for strategy.

For many Armenians, the dream remains the same: a free, secure homeland where leaders defend rather than betray, where businessmen who supported Artsakh are recognized rather than persecuted, and where peace is built on dignity rather than capitulation. Until then, the silence of the powerful will only deepen the anger of the people—and the shadow of betrayal will haunt Armenia’s future.

Armenia at a Crossroads: Pashinyan’s Grip on Power

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By Wally Sarkeesian

Armenian Ruthless Dictator Nikol Pashinyan has transformed Armenia’s security landscape in ways that raise serious concerns about the country’s democratic future. While the military has been steadily weakened, the police have been expanded into a formidable force—larger than the army itself and trained with the assistance of foreign governments. This shift has not only undermined Armenia’s defenses but has also consolidated a domestic apparatus designed to protect Pashinyan’s rule rather than the nation.

The scale of his power is symbolized by his outsized motorcade—reportedly larger than that of the President of the United States. Such excess reflects more than personal vanity; it underscores the extent to which state resources are being directed toward securing the leader rather than serving the people.

Most troubling are Pashinyan’s warnings to the public: support his proposed peace treaty or prepare for revolution. This is not the language of a statesman seeking national unity but of a ruler confident in his ability to crush dissent. Over the past seven years, thousands of Armenians have been imprisoned for little more than voicing opposition. Today, prisons hold political detainees ranging from religious leaders to prominent business figures.

Armenia now faces a stark question. Will its people continue to endure a government increasingly accused of serving foreign interests, or will they find the unity to reclaim their democratic voice? The answer will define not only Armenia’s present but its future as a sovereign nation.