The Timeline
DOCUMENTED -- OC MEDIA, CIVILNET
| DATE | EVENT | WHAT IT MEANS |
|---|---|---|
| July 2020 | Public TV commissions documentary for 30th anniversary of Declaration of Independence | State-funded project, 4.24M AMD ($11K) |
| Nov 2020 | Director Tigran Paskevichyan delivers completed film | Two-episode documentary |
| 2020-2025 | Public TV NEVER airs the film. 5.5 years. Zero broadcasts. | "Dozens of opportunities to broadcast" -- ignored |
| March 2023 | Director writes to Public TV requesting discussion about the film | No response |
| May 2, 2025 | Director screens the film himself at Armenian National Congress HQ | Opposition party headquarters |
| June 2025 | Public TV sues the director | Copyright infringement claim |
| March 27, 2026 | Court bans ALL screenings, distribution, translation, performance | 66 days before June 7 elections |
What the Court Banned
COURT RULING
The court didn't just ban the screening. It banned everything:
- Distribution of the film
- Rental of originals
- Modification of the original or copies
- Translation, adaptation, rearrangement
- Public communication and public performance
- Cable transmission, broadcasting, and rebroadcasting
A documentary about Armenia's independence -- paid for by Armenian taxpayers -- and Armenians are not allowed to see it.
Why This Film Is Dangerous to Pashinyan
THE REAL REASON
The film covers the 1988 Karabakh movement through the Declaration of Independence of 1990. This is dangerous because Pashinyan is actively working to erase the Declaration of Independence from the Constitution.
"The Declaration of Independence is a declaration of conflict and dependence."
"If you base your Declaration of Independence on a logic of conflict with all your neighbors, you make one thing impossible: living in your environment without external assistance."
The government is drafting a new constitution that removes all references to the Declaration of Independence -- the document that established Armenia as a sovereign state. Azerbaijan's President Aliyev demanded this as a condition for the peace deal.
A film celebrating the Declaration -- showing the popular uprising, the founding story -- directly undermines the narrative that the Declaration is a "declaration of conflict."
The Director's Response
FACEBOOK / CIVILNET
"How much must one hate the history and achievements of one's own country to take such a petty step?"
Paskevichyan told CivilNet: "They say, we paid for it, so we bought it." He added that he would accept such a claim from a private company -- but not from a public broadcaster funded by the people.
He vowed to continue: "This film will also soon go on air, very soon, once we have sent the petty and hypocritical authorities to their appointed place, together with you."
Public TV's Defense
Public TV Director Hovhannes Movsisyan denied censorship: "This is not about censorship, but about failing to fulfill contractual obligations."
The "contractual obligation": they paid for a film, hid it for 5.5 years, ignored the director's requests, and only sued when he showed it to the public.
The Pattern: Pre-Election Media Suppression
66 DAYS BEFORE JUNE 7
| EVENT | DATE | SOURCE |
|---|---|---|
| Independence documentary banned by court | March 27 | OC Media, CivilNet |
| Hraparak newspaper editor interrogated under Article 422 | March 19 | OCCRP |
| 5 opposition activists arrested | March 30-31 | OC Media |
| Karapetyan's house arrest extended | April 1 | ARKA |
| Pashinyan: war if opposition wins | March 19-25 | Multiple |
| USAID media program suspended ($15M) | 2025 | HRW |
| 61 incidents of pressure against media (H1 2025) | 2025 | HRW |
| 29 new defamation lawsuits against media | 2025 | HRW |
The government that came to power through a popular movement now bans a film about the original popular movement. The man who stood on a stage in 2018 demanding freedom now calls the Declaration of Independence "a declaration of conflict." Taxpayers paid $11,000 for a documentary they are not allowed to see. This is not a copyright dispute. This is a government trying to erase the story of how Armenia was born -- 66 days before asking for your vote.
Sources: OC Media (April 1, 2026), CivilNet (March 31, 2026), Asbarez (March 31, 2026), OCCRP (March 19, 2026), HRW World Report 2026.