Genocide scholars condemn removal of AGMI director Edita Gzoyan

2026-03-13 - 13:14

We, the undersigned, express deep concern over recent and troubling developments at the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute (AGMI) in Yerevan. On March 11, 2026, Dr. Edita Gzoyan, one of the most outstanding and dedicated directors in the history of the institute, submitted her resignation — reportedly under pressure from the government rather than by free choice. Dr. Gzoyan elevated the AGMI to international academic prominence. Under her leadership, the institute expanded its archival collections, organized key symposia and conferences, and produced scholarly works that significantly advanced genocide studies worldwide. She has been a tireless advocate for rigorous historical research on the Armenian Genocide and related atrocities against Armenians — work that has strengthened global understanding of past injustices and supported the cause of historical truth. What makes her forced departure particularly alarming is its timing and context. Just weeks earlier, Dr. Gzoyan personally guided U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance during his visit to the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex. She highlighted not only the genocide of 1915 but also later massacres of Armenians in Sumgait, Kirovabad, and Baku, underscoring the historical continuity of anti-Armenian violence in the region. She also presented Vice President Vance with scholarly works on the Armenian Genocide and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict — essential context for understanding Armenia’s history and contemporary challenges. On March 12, responding to a journalist’s question regarding the forced resignation of Dr. Edita Gzoyan, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said: “I was the one who asked the director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute to submit a resignation letter; it was done on my instruction. I considered giving a book about Artsakh to Vance to be a provocative act that goes against the Government’s policy.” The sequence of events indicates a broader and deeply troubling pattern: the silencing of independent academic voices in favor of political convenience. There is every reason to believe that this is less about museum administration and more about repositioning AGMI to align its work with geopolitical priorities — especially a desire to avoid honest discussion of atrocities related to Azerbaijan amid ongoing normalization efforts. The Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute is not merely a tourist site. It is a center of historical memory and scholarship — a bulwark against denial and distortion. Its leadership should be protected from political interference, not subjected to it. Dr. Gzoyan’s forced exit sends a chilling message to academics and historians everywhere: that rigorous inquiry and truthful remembrance can be displaced for diplomatic comfort. All of us have been actively engaged with AGMI in numerous meaningful capacities — participating in its conferences, serving on the editorial board of the International Journal of Armenian Genocide Studies and on the academic board, collaborating with AGMI staff on joint scholarly initiatives, and contributing to the field through the publication of academic articles and books. Gzoyan has played a key role in involving us in AGMI’s activities through her creative vision and outstanding scholarship, helping shape the Institute’s future. We believe that any attempt to remove Dr. Gzoyan from the directorship of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute (AGMI) would seriously jeopardize the Institute’s future and undermine its standing within the international scholarly community. Such a decision would not only disrupt the institute’s ongoing work but would also send a deeply troubling signal to leading scholars of genocide studies worldwide, discouraging them from collaborating with AGMI and weakening the global academic partnerships that are essential to its mission. For these reasons, we strongly urge the Armenian government to refrain from interfering in the leadership of the Institute. We call on the authorities to respect the independence of AGMI and to ensure that Dr. Gzoyan is allowed to continue her work without political pressure or intervention. Protecting the Institute’s autonomy and leadership is critical for preserving its credibility, safeguarding its scholarly mission and maintaining the trust of the international academic community. We believe that directorship of the AGMI should be based on the qualities of the individual as a scholar and administrator and not the political expedience of any particular administration. AGMI staff and board members have expressed their full confidence in Dr. Gzoyan’s exceptional leadership. We firmly demand that Dr. Gzoyan be reinstated immediately and allowed to continue the outstanding work she has been leading. Prof. Bedross Der Matossian, professor of history, Hymen Rosenberg Professor in Judaic Studies, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Prof. Elyse Semerdjian, Robert Aram, Marianne Kaloosdian and Stephen and Marian Mugar Chair of Armenian Genocide studies at the Strassler Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Clark University. Prof. Armen Marsoobian, professor of philosophy, Southern Connecticut State University Prof. Keith Watenpaugh, professor of human rights studies, University of California, Davis Prof. Melanie Schulze Tanielian, associate professor of history, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor Dr. Simon Maghakyan, associate member of the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Oxford Dr. Boris Adjemian, Director of Bibliothèque Nubar de l’UGAB Marc Mamigonian, Director of Academic Affairs, National Association for Armenian Genocide and Research (NAASR) Prof. Vahé Tachjian, Houshamadyan, Berlin / Ara Hrechdakian Chair of Armenian Studies at Saint Joseph University of Beirut Prof. Houri Berberian, professor of history, Meghrouni Family Presidential Chair in Armenian Studies University of California, Irvine Prof. Henry Theriault, Ph.D., Vice-Chair, Board of Directors, National Association for Armenian Studies and Research, and Co-Editor, Genocide Studies International Prof. Ronald Grigor Suny, William H. Sewell Jr. Distinguished University professor of history emeritus, The University of Michigan; Professor of Political Science and History emeritus, The University of Chicago Prof. Barlow Der Mugrdechian, Haig and Isabel Berberian Coordinator of Armenian Studies, California State University, Fresno Prof. Lori Khatchadourian, associate professor, Departments of Near Eastern Studies & Anthropology, Cornell University Dr. Hilmar Kaiser, Universität Bern Michael Bobelian, adjunct professor at Columbia University and Baruch College Prof. A. Dirk Moses, Anne and Bernard Spitzer Professor of International Relations at the City College of New York Prof. Hervè Georgelin, assistant professor, National University of Athens, Greece Gregory Aftandilian, Senior Professorial Lecture, American University, Washington, D.C. Prof. Julien Zarifian, professor of U.S. history, University of Poitiers, France Prof. Fatma Müge Göçek, professor of sociology, University of Michigan Prof. David Gaunt, emeritus professor of history, Södertörn University, Stockholm, Sweden Prof. Tessa Hofmann, formerly Freie Universität Berlin, Germany, Institute for Eastern European Studies Dr. Talar Chahinian, Continuing Lecturer in Armenian Studies, University of California, Irvine Prof. Samuel Totten, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville