Rights Groups Accuse Armenian Government of Failing Released POWs
A coalition of Armenian and international civil society organizations, including the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention and Human Security, has signed an open letter denouncing the Armenian government’s failure to provide adequate rehabilitation, psychological and physical medical care, housing, and social support to former Armenian POWs released from Azerbaijani captivity. The appeal focuses on former hostage Vicken Euljekjian, who spent more than five years in Azerbai
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‘Painful,’ ‘Humiliating’ and ‘Something That Should Never Have Happened’: Supporters Condemn Karekin II Court Case as ‘Terror Against a 1,725-Year-Old Institution’
INTERVIEWS: As Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II appeared in court in an unprecedented criminal case Friday, supporters gathered outside described the moment as painful, humiliating and deeply unsettling for a nation whose church has survived centuries of war, foreign rule and political upheaval. The Armenian Report spoke with filmmakers, activists and political figures outside the Vagharshapat courthouse, where the first criminal proceedings against a sitting Catholicos
2 days ago
Firebird AI Opens $500 Million AI Computing Facility in Armenia, Plans 70,000 NVIDIA Chips
Firebird AI opened a more than $500 million artificial intelligence computing facility near Hrazdan on Saturday, launching a project that is expected to bring tens of thousands of advanced NVIDIA chips to Armenia and turn the country into a major regional center for AI infrastructure. The facility is already operating and represents the first phase of a planned 300-megawatt computing campus. Firebird expects to install more than 70,000 NVIDIA Blackwell and Vera Rubin GPUs by
2 days ago
World Council of Churches Backs Armenian Apostolic Church, Raises Concern Over Government Interference
The World Council of Churches has raised concern over what it called “undue interference” in the internal affairs of the Armenian Apostolic Church, weighing in as a confrontation between Armenia’s government and church leadership increasingly spills into the courts. The WCC, a global fellowship of Christian churches, said the Armenian Apostolic Church holds a vital place in Armenian spiritual, cultural and historical life, as well as in the broader Christian world. “As WCC, w
2 days ago
Pashinyan, Aliyev Hold Anniversary Call, Discuss Peace Process, TRIPP and Armenia-Azerbaijan Trade One Year After Washington Summit
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev spoke by phone Saturday, one year after a U.S.-backed summit in Washington. The Aug. 8 call focused on the progress Armenia and Azerbaijan have made since the 2025 Washington summit, as well as expanding economic ties and plans for a new regional transit route, according to the Armenian government. Pashinyan and Aliyev met in Washington on Aug. 8, 2025, with the support of U.S. President Donald Tru
2 days ago
Pashinyan Says Armenia Not Yet Choosing EU Membership, Challenges Russia Over Trade Restrictions at EAEU Meeting
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said Friday that Armenia will continue seeking political and economic alternatives beyond its traditional partnerships, arguing that diversification is a sovereign right and urging the Eurasian Economic Union not to stand in the way. Speaking to Russian reporters on Aug. 7 on the sidelines of a meeting of the EAEU Intergovernmental Council, Pashinyan said the Moscow-led economic bloc should respond to Armenia’s changing foreign policy b
3 days ago
Armenian Church Leaders in Lebanon, Jerusalem and U.S. Condemn Criminal Case Against Catholicos Karekin II
Senior Armenian Apostolic Church leaders in Lebanon, Jerusalem and the United States condemned the criminal case against Catholicos Karekin II on Friday, rallying behind the Church’s spiritual leader as he was due to appear in court as a defendant. Catholicos Aram I, head of the Armenian Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia in Lebanon, called Karekin II’s summons to court “unacceptable and condemnable.” He said he had personally urged the Catholicos not to attend the h
3 days ago
Armenia Honors TUMO Co-Founder Sam Simonian With First Class Order for Services to the Homeland
Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan has awarded Armenian-American entrepreneur and philanthropist Sam Simonian one of the country’s highest state honors, recognizing his decades of work in education, technology, culture and economic development. Simonian, president of the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU), received the First Class Order for Services to the Homeland during a meeting with Khachaturyan in Yerevan. The honor was granted in connection with Armenia’s Repu
3 days ago
Judge Withdraws From Criminal Case Against Catholicos Karekin II Minutes Into First Hearing
A judge withdrew Friday from the criminal case against Catholicos Karekin II just minutes after the first hearing began, delaying proceedings against the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church and six senior clerics. Judge Hakob Manukyan recused himself after initially closing the hearing to the public. A new hearing will be scheduled once another judge is assigned to the case, defense attorney Ara Zohrabyan told reporters outside the courthouse. The case charges Karekin II wi
3 days ago
Israeli Airstrikes Shake Southern Lebanon as U.S.-Brokered Talks Continue in Rome
INTERVIEW: A new round of Israeli airstrikes struck southern Lebanon, testing already fragile ceasefire negotiations as diplomats from Lebanon and Israel continued U.S.-mediated talks in Rome. According to regional media, Israeli strikes hit areas near Kfar Shouba, Majdal Zoun and Al-Khaniyah. Earlier in the day, an airstrike on a residential building in the town of Tebnin killed one person and injured 11 others. The attacks come weeks after a June 26 framework agreement reac
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