00:58, 23 May 2026

Artur Osipyan went on a hunger strike demanding an apology from Pashinyan.

Karabakh activist Artur Osipyan, arrested in Yerevan, has declared a hunger strike in a pretrial detention center, demanding an apology from Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan for the insults he suffered. Observers are certain that Osipyan's prosecution is politically motivated, as he has not broken the law.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," Karabakh activist Artur Osipyan was charged with hooliganism, incitement to violence, and obstructing a campaign after an argument with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. The court sent him to pretrial detention for two months. Observers saw in Osipyan's case interference by the security apparatus in political processes and called for an end to his prosecution.

In response to questions from refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan resorted to insults and threats during meetings with voters. Afterward, clinic employee Armine Soghoyan, who asked about casualties in the Karabakh wars, was asked to resign, and Karabakh activist Artur Osipyan was detained on suspicion of hooliganism after an altercation with the prime minister. The case of Artur Osipyan demonstrates the disproportionate actions of security forces and the use of selective justice, human rights activists said.

Artur Osipyan has been on a hunger strike since his arrest, “which is already affecting his health,” his lawyer David Hovhannisyan told the “Caucasian Knot.”

“Osipyan has declared a hunger strike and is demanding an apology from Pashinyan for the insults, and especially for the fact that the prime minister called Osipyan a ‘fugitive.’ Artur Osipyan emphasizes that he has never evaded any process, participated in military operations, and calling him a ‘fugitive’ is a statement that demeans his dignity,” the lawyer explained.

According to his lawyer, Osipyan's defense intends to appeal the decision to arrest him in the Court of Appeals.

Artur Osipyan violated nothing during the election campaign, Nagorno-Karabakh Ombudsman Gegham Stepanyan is confident. "He calmly asked the candidate questions, and the fact that the conversation turned into an altercation as it unfolded is the Prime Minister's reaction to Osipyan's questions," he emphasized.

Stepanyan insists that Osipyan behaved "lawfully and constructively" during the meeting with Pashinyan. "But instead of answering questions, insults and accusations were made that violate the rights and dignity of citizens. As a result, we have yet another wave of hatred towards refugees from Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), threats, and the like." "Furthermore, we have become convinced that deliberate manipulation of society is being carried out – first, the entire Karabakh people are insulted, then immediately followed by justifications, and the blame is shifted to the Karabakh elite. It should be noted that this is not the first such case in which high-ranking officials and members of parliament, as well as government-funded media, have insulted and incited local society against the people of Artsakh (Karabakh). Such behavior is inconsistent with democratic principles and does not promote public solidarity," the human rights activist noted.

With the news that Artur Osipyan has declared a hunger strike, "the situation has become especially serious," said political scientist Manvel Sargsyan. He called on the Armenian authorities to take Osipyan's case seriously and not allow politically motivated persecution of opponents.

"The incident between Osipyan and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan was not accidental. "Pashinyan reacted painfully to accusations of collaborating with and supporting the corrupt elite of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) during the 2020 elections," Sargsyan noted.

Artur Osipyan is the leader of the opposition Revolutionary Party of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), co-founder of the "My Right" movement, which fights against the corrupt system. During the blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh, Osipyan called for a peaceful march to lift the blockade.

According to him, Osipyan is "a figure who doesn't fit into the authorities' usual pattern of 'former,' 'Karabakh clan,' or 'Russian agents.'" Sargsyan also drew a parallel between Artur Osipyan and Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

"Osipyan spent many years fighting corruption in Artsakh, was persecuted, arrested, and later founded a political party and openly criticized both the Artsakh authorities and the support they received from Yerevan. He was one of the few politicians in Artsakh who demanded transparency in financial transactions, actively participated in the 2016 and 2020 wars, and after the war, organized protests in support of displaced persons and spoke out against the inaction of Russian peacekeepers during the Artsakh blockade." "Osipyan has been criticized by both the Armenian authorities and the former Artsakh elite," the political scientist told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

The June parliamentary elections in Armenia will effectively be a referendum on the future of Nikol Pashinyan's rule and the country's foreign policy. At stake is the current team's retention of power or its transfer to the opposition, which promises to reconsider key decisions of recent years, according to the "Caucasian Knot" report "2026 Elections to the National Assembly (Parliament) of Armenia."

Translated automatically via Google translate from https://www.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/423474