YEREVAN (November 12, 2026) — The Armenian government should ensure that the Investigative Committee that will examine the sudden November 10 death in custody of Arsen Gevorgyan, Stepanavan mayoral candidate, and member of the Strong Armenia opposition party, is independent and free from political interference, said the International Observatory for Democracy in Armenia (IODA). The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and other international bodies should also examine this incident in the wake of egregious abuses of pretrial detention targeting political opposition in the country: three opposition figures — Mher Yeghiazaryan, Armen Grigoryan, and Arsen Gevorgyan— have died in custody since 2019, alongside 24 total inmate deaths since 2025.
“Gevorgyan’s death in custody after just three weeks in prison is emblematic of the Armenian government’s abuses of pretrial detention laws targeting political opposition and requires an urgent, impartial investigation,” said José Maria Aranaz, IODA Board member. “His death is the predictable consequence of alarming prison conditions in the country, where 24 inmates have died in custody since 2025.”
Gevorgyan died at the Nubarashen Penitentiary following a sudden deterioration in his health since his pretrial detention there on October 21. Security forces arrested him alongside fourteen other opposition party supporters in a controversial “anti-corruption” crackdown just days before the October 25 local council elections, where Gevorgyan was running as a candidate for mayor in Stepanavan as a member of the Strong Armenia party.
The government has arrested at least 250 opposition party members and relied on sweeping pre-trial detention authorities to imprison them, in some cases for many years. A forthcoming report by IODA, to be released in Yerevan on November 18, documents the government’s abuse of pretrial detention and asset confiscation laws to selectively prosecute political opposition and critics of the government.
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Gevorgyan’s death at Nubarashen Penitentiary exposes a deadly nexus of chronic institutional neglect and systemic human rights violations. The facility’s conditions are notoriously deplorable, failing to meet even basic international standards. Lilit Galstyan, Chair of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Protection of Human Rights and Public Affairs, only earlier this month released a report documenting appalling prison conditions. The Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture 2023 report, alongside assessments in 2024 by United Nations monitoring bodies, have explicitly characterized conditions at Nubarashen as amounting to inhuman and degrading treatment—underscoring an environment where basic human dignity is systematically denied.
“Arsen Gevorgyan’s death in state custody cannot be dismissed as an isolated medical failure. It is the tragic, inevitable outcome of a pervasive governance crisis where the ruling party is weaponizing pre-trial detention as a tool of punishment and intimidation,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, IODA Board Member. “By jailing opposition leaders prior to any legal conviction into decaying, internationally condemned facilities, the state has deliberately subjected them to severe abuse.”
Under Armenia’s Criminal Code, the Investigative Committee, a body established under the Constitution, must open an investigation into deaths in custody. The committee’s independence, while guaranteed by the Constitution, has come into question following the resignation of the chairman of the committee in response to a text demand from Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. The government must avoid interfering in the work of the committee as it investigates this death.
On November 10, Ombudsman Anahit Manasyan initiated an inquiry into Gevorgyan’s death, demanding formal clarifications from state authorities. The Ombudsman emphasized that the state is legally responsible for protecting the life and health of all detainees and must ensure a thorough, objective investigation into the case. Justice Minister Srbuhi Galyan and the Penitentiary Service stated that Gevorgyan reported no health issues prior to suddenly experiencing cardiac arrest early Tuesday morning. While expressing condolences, Galyan noted that deaths in custody occur worldwide and firmly denied any political persecution. Meanwhile, the Investigative Committee initiated criminal proceedings and ordered a forensic medical examination.
IODA calls on the Investigative Committee to ensure that its investigation into the circumstances surrounding Gevorgyan’s death includes a review of his access to medical care and the conditions of his detention.
It is therefore particularly important that international representatives and human rights mandate holders independently examine this fatal incident as a critical indicator of systemic abuse, through their established monitoring and country-review mechanisms:
- The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) should review this incident within the broader framework of dismal conditions of confinement, systemic impunity, and state accountability;
- The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) should monitor how the government is using pre-trial detention to target opposition figures during political transition periods.
- The Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights and the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) should address these recurring systemic failures during their country monitoring and dialogue with Armenian authorities.
For further information about IODA’s reports on human rights and democracy in Armenia, see armeniaobservatory.org/
IODA
