Show Notes

In this episode of Conversations on Groong, we speak with Armen Ashotyan, vice president of the Republican Party of Armenia, in his first English-language interview since being released from house arrest. Ashotyan reflects on his 25 months of detention as Armenia’s most prominent political prisoner, the broader pattern of repression under Pashinyan, the muted response of Western diplomats, the fragmented stance of the diaspora, and the ongoing erosion of Armenian statehood through the so-called “peace” process with Azerbaijan.

Main Topics Addressed

Armen Ashotyan’s imprisonment, conditions of detention, and current restrictions.
The role and response of international organizations and the Armenian diaspora.
The Pashinyan government’s targeting of the Armenian Church and broader political repression.
The “Managed Capitulation Process”: Artsakh’s ethnic cleansing, the 17-point draft document, and constitutional preconditions.

Key Questions Discussed

What was Ashotyan’s experience as a political prisoner under the Pashinyan regime?
How has international and diaspora support compared to earlier eras?
Why are Church leaders and activists being imprisoned, and why is society tolerating it?
How does Ashotyan assess Pashinyan’s handling of negotiations with Aliyev and the so-called “peace” process?
What does the 17-point draft document mean for Armenia, and how realistic is constitutional change as a precondition?

Referenced Articles & Sources

Wrap-up

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Armen Ashotyan

Armen Ashotyan is the vice president of the Republican Party of Armenia. From 2005 to 2007, Mr. Ashotyan was a member of the National Assembly, and chaired the Committee on Foreign Relations. From 2009 to 2017, Ashotyan served as Minister of Education and Science. In 2017, Ashotyan was elected to the parliament again and served there until the Dec 2018 snap parliamentary elections.

Hovik Manucharyan

Hovik Manucharyan is an information security engineer who moved from Seattle to Armenia in 2022. He co-founded the ANN/Groong podcast in 2020 and has been a contributor to Groong News since the late 1990s.

Disclaimer: The views expressed by Hovik Manucharyan on the ANN/Groong podcast are his own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of his employer or any other organization.

Asbed Bedrossian

Asbed Bedrossian is an IT professional with extensive experience in enterprise IT infrastructure, IT security, enterprise applications, data center operations, high performance computing, ITSM, ITPM, and more.

Asbed is founder of the Armenian News Network Groong (ca. 1989/1990) and co-founder of the ANN/Groong podcast in 2020.

Armen Ashotyan - Reflections on Life as a Political Prisoner, Attacks on the Church and Sovereignty | Ep 465, Aug 29, 2025 [EP465]

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