He Confronted Pashinyan Over Artsakh. Pashinyan Asked ‘Why Are You Alive?’ Days Later, He Was Jailed

Armenian authorities have placed Artsakh refugee and activist Artur Osipyan under two months of pre-trial detention following a heated confrontation with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan during the ruling Civil Contract party’s election campaign in Yerevan on May 18.

The incident, which quickly spread across Armenian social media and political circles, took place during a campaign event connected to Armenia’s upcoming June 7 parliamentary elections. Osipyan, who is originally from Nagorno-Karabakh, approached Pashinyan in public and confronted him over the loss of Artsakh, the 2020 war, and the political decisions that followed.

During the exchange, Osipyan accused Pashinyan of supporting former Artsakh President Arayik Harutyunyan during the 2018 and 2020 elections in Nagorno-Karabakh and claimed that the Armenian government had financially and politically backed corrupt political elites in Artsakh while ordinary people were struggling.

Pashinyan defended his position and argued that the people of Nagorno-Karabakh themselves had made their electoral choices. The confrontation then became increasingly emotional and tense in front of supporters, journalists, and members of the public gathered at the campaign event.

Days after the confrontation, Armenian law enforcement authorities arrested Osipyan and later secured a court decision placing him under two months of pre-trial detention.

According to Armenian authorities, the charges are connected not only to the confrontation itself but also to a Facebook post Osipyan allegedly made in late March. Investigators claimed the post contained “public calls for violence against” Pashinyan.

Authorities additionally accused Osipyan of obstructing Civil Contract’s election campaign activities and displaying what officials described as “obvious disrespect toward society and a contemptuous attitude toward legal and moral norms.”

The arrest immediately sparked criticism from a number of observers, public figures, and civil society representatives in Armenia, many of whom questioned whether the measures taken against Osipyan were politically motivated or disproportionate.

Critics called for the “immediate removal of restrictions” imposed on him and argued that the case raised broader concerns regarding freedom of speech, political expression, and the treatment of displaced Artsakh Armenians in Armenia’s increasingly tense political atmosphere ahead of the elections.

Many critics also pointed to the language used by Pashinyan during the confrontation itself. Video footage from the exchange circulated widely online after the incident.

During the argument, Pashinyan told Osipyan: “You should have gone and died in place of our children […] you thieving animals. Why are you alive? Why are you alive, when you’re even talking about another 5,000 victims, you scum — why are you alive?”

The remarks generated strong reactions across Armenia’s political landscape, with opposition figures and critics accusing the prime minister of using inflammatory rhetoric against refugees and critics from Artsakh.

The confrontation and subsequent arrest come during an already highly polarized election campaign period in Armenia, where issues connected to the loss of Nagorno-Karabakh, displaced Artsakh Armenians, the 2020 war, and Armenia’s future security direction remain among the most emotionally charged political topics in the country.

Thousands of Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh forcibly fled to Armenia in September 2023 after Azerbaijan occupied full control over the region. Since then, tensions between displaced Artsakh Armenians and the Armenian government have repeatedly surfaced in political debates, protests, and public confrontations.

Osipyan’s arrest has now become one of the most widely discussed political and legal controversies of Armenia’s current election campaign, with supporters and critics of the government sharply divided over whether the detention represents legitimate law enforcement action or an attempt to silence political dissent.

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