The court has accepted for consideration the lawsuit filed by Mamikon Hovsepyan against the Ministry of Health
14-01-2026
On November 7, 2025, the Civil Court of General Jurisdiction of the First Instance of Yerevan, Republic of Armenia, accepted for consideration the lawsuit filed by human rights defender Mamikon Hovsepyan against the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Armenia. The claim seeks to annul the decision of August 4, 2025 adopted by the Country Coordinating Mechanism against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (CCM), a body operating under the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Armenia, by which a reprimand was imposed on him and his membership in the CCM was suspended.
The court’s decision to accept the claim for consideration confirms that the submitted demands are subject to judicial review and that the issues raised cannot be regarded as unfounded or as matters of a purely internal disciplinary nature.
It should be recalled that the sanctions imposed on Mamikon Hovsepyan are linked to concerns he repeatedly raised regarding possible financial mismanagement and corruption risks in the healthcare sector. Instead of providing an appropriate response to these concerns, an ethics procedure was initiated, during which the fundamental principles of due process, impartiality, and the right to defense were violated.1
This case is important not only from the perspective of protecting the rights of one individual, but also for safeguarding the rights to civic oversight, freedom of expression, and the protection of the public interest. It further raises concerns as to whether engaging in human rights advocacy and speaking out on issues of public importance can trigger administrative pressure framed as ethics proceedings.
The judicial review may set an important precedent for defining genuine standards of protection for civil society representatives and human rights defenders.
