The Armenian Center for Political Rights (ACPR) has launched a public register documenting individuals it has identified as being subjected to politically motivated persecution in Armenia.
The register currently contains 36 people. According to ACPR, 31 are currently politically persecuted, while four are classified as political prisoners. The latter include Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, Vahagn Chakhalyan, businessman Samvel Karapetyan and Artur Sargsyan.
ACPR said the register is intended to serve as a tool for public oversight, allowing journalists, civil society and international organizations to track cases in which the legal system may be used for political purposes.
Alongside the register, the organization published a methodology outlining the criteria it uses to determine whether a prosecution or other restriction of rights is politically motivated.
Under the methodology, ACPR assesses the legal basis of the restriction, the stated purpose of the authorities’ actions, the circumstances of the individual case and the broader political and judicial environment. It draws in part on Article 18 of the European Convention on Human Rights and relevant European Court of Human Rights case law.
The register categorizes cases by context, including the campaign against the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church, restrictions on freedom of expression, freedom of peaceful assembly and pressure against lawyers. The largest category currently concerns the campaign against the Church, with 29 cases listed.
ACPR stressed that the list is not yet comprehensive and currently includes only cases it has already examined and documented in previous publications.
The organization said it continues to investigate additional cases of alleged political persecution, including those connected with the 2026 elections and the continuing campaign against the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church.
