Armenian and foreign genocide scholars have sent an open letter expressing deep concern that Edita Gzoyan, the former director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute, submitted her resignation under duress and coercion, rather than of her own free will.
Earlier, it was reported that Edita Gzoyan, director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute, submitted her resignation. It was reported that she did so under duress. A day earlier, Nikol Pashinyan confirmed that Gzoyan had written the resignation at his direction, as he had given her a book on the Artsakh issue during the visit of US Vice President J.D. Vance. According to Pashinyan, Gzoyan’s actions were a provocative act.
“Dr. Gzoyan enhanced the international academic reputation of the Armenian Genocide Institute (AGI). Under his leadership, the Institute expanded its archival collections, organized important symposia and conferences, and produced scholarly works that significantly advanced genocide studies worldwide. He was a tireless advocate for the Armenian Genocide, strengthening global understanding of past injustices and contributing to the restoration of historical truth. The timing and context of his forced removal are particularly concerning,” the genocide scholars wrote in a letter.
They noted that Gzoyan introduced US Vice President Vance not only to the 1915 Genocide but also to the subsequent massacres of Armenians in Sumgait, Kirovabad, and Baku, emphasizing the historical continuity of violence against Armenians in the region. He also presented Vice President Vance with scholarly works on the Armenian Genocide and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which experts believe provide important context for understanding Armenian history and contemporary issues.
“This sequence of events demonstrates a broader and deeply troubling pattern of silencing independent academic voices for political gain. There is every reason to believe that this is more about reorienting the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute than about its management, aligning its work with geopolitical priorities, particularly by avoiding honest discussion of the atrocities committed in Azerbaijan in the context of the ongoing peace process,” the letter states.
They emphasize that the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute is more than just a tourist attraction. It is a center for historical memory and scholarly research, a safeguard against denial and distortion. This means that the Institute’s leadership must be protected from political interference. Genocide scholars say Gzoyan’s forced departure sends a chilling message to scholars and historians worldwide that serious research and authentic remembrance can be traded for diplomatic expediency. They believe Gzoyan’s removal will seriously jeopardize the institute’s future and undermine its reputation in the international scholarly community.
“Such a decision will not only undermine the institute’s ongoing work but also send a disturbing signal to leading scholars in the field of genocide studies, discouraging them from collaborating with AGMI and weakening the global academic partnerships that are essential to its mission,” the open letter states.
Genocide scholars call on the Armenian government to refrain from interfering in the institute’s governance and allow Gzoyan to continue his work free from political pressure. The letter was signed by approximately 30 respected scholars studying genocide.