The listing made no mention of Artsakh’s Armenian history, Azerbaijan’s genocidal blockade, the September 2023 ethnic cleansing, or the forced displacement of its indigenous Armenian population. It referred to the region as the “Karabakh zone” and described the Armenian monument “We Are Our Mountains” only as a “notable example of regional stone art and architecture”.

Following the campaign, Marriott reversed course in under 120 hours.

The complaint states that the trials before the Baku Military Court were “fictitious and predetermined in nature” and violated the right to a fair trial. It also highlights serious violations of the right to defence: 422 volumes and around 105,000 pages of case materials were not adequately translated, while access to documents and effective communication with lawyers were restricted.

Azerbaijani officials, including Ilham Aliyev, had publicly labelled the defendants “terrorists”, “war criminals” and “separatists” before any verdict was issued. On 6 August, the appellate court upheld the sentences unchanged.

Complete information here: https://iclaw.am/media/news-feed/248/details

From the election platform it adopted for Armenia’s 2026 National Assembly elections to its 2026–2031 government program presented to the National Assembly, as well as through statements made by its various representatives in the interim, the Civil Contract party has equated the authorities of the Republic of Armenia—in this case, itself—with the Republic of Armenia as a state, much as the Bolsheviks once did. Ignoring the fact that more than half of the Armenian citizens who participated in the controversial recent elections voted against it, Civil Contract persists in declaring, in effect, that “if you are not with us, then you are against the Republic of Armenia,” and continues to act according to that logic.

Immediately after the elections, Civil Contract moved quickly to restrict the rights of voters of the Republic of Armenia.

It then repeated, in the same Bolshevik manner, that there are “anti-state” and “pro-state” circles in the Diaspora.

In the Government’s 2026–2031 program, it included objectives aimed at making it more difficult for ethnic Armenians to obtain citizenship of the Republic of Armenia and at the “removal of the de facto head of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church.”

Based on the “ideology” of “Real Armenia,” and proceeding from a fundamentally flawed assessment, it has also sought to portray the strengthening of the homeland and the strengthening of the Diaspora as conflicting objectives.

In recent weeks, the targeting of the Diaspora in general, and of the Armenian National Committees’ network in particular, by Civil Contract representatives amounts to an inadvertent admission that this network is operating effectively and that its agenda is receiving international attention. Those most displeased by this effectiveness have been, and continue to be, Turkey and Azerbaijan—the principal threats to the security of the Republic of Armenia. Civil Contract, it appears, has decided in this instance as well to echo the positions of those two states.

In neo-Bolshevik fashion, the Civil Contract government claims, on the one hand, that its mission is solely to defend the interests of the citizens of the Republic of Armenia, while at the same time demanding that the entire Armenian nation throughout the world follow its political course.

In a further effort to put an end to these distortions, we reiterate the priorities of the Armenian National Committees’ network:

A) The defense of the full range of rights of Artsakh and the people of Artsakh, including accountability for Azerbaijan’s crimes, the right of return, and the right to self-determination;
B) Support for strengthening the security of the Republic of Armenia;
C) International recognition and condemnation of the Armenian Genocide and reparations;
D) Preparing young people to defend the rights of the Armenian people through engagement in the struggle for the Armenian Cause.

In pursuit of the above objectives, the Armenian National Committees’ network may periodically shift its emphasis and adapt its tactics to the circumstances of the moment, but it will continue the struggle with the same determination and steadfastness.

ARMENIAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE – INTERNATIONAL

August 27, 2026

ANC Jerusalem described the incident as “part of a longstanding pattern of harassment and intimidation directed against Jerusalem’s Armenian community” and warned that “the failure to consistently hold perpetrators accountable has allowed such attacks to continue”.

The Committee called upon President Isaac Herzog to “publicly condemn these acts and reaffirm Israel’s commitment to protecting all religious and ethnic communities”.

It also urged the Israeli government and law enforcement authorities to “enforce the law impartially and ensure meaningful accountability for those responsible”.

ANC Jerusalem further called on international human rights organisations and the wider international community to closely monitor these incidents and advocate for the protection of Jerusalem’s Armenian community.

“Protecting the security, dignity, and historic presence of the Armenian community is essential to preserving Jerusalem’s rich religious and cultural heritage.”