June 10, 2025

The Armenian National Platform of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum condemns the lawsuit filed by ZCMC in May 2025 with the Syunik Region Court of First Instance of the Republic of Armenia against 8 former strikers dismissed from the Zangezur Copper and Molybdenum  Combine (ZCMC) pursuant to which the company demands from them AMD 4,758,480,000 (four billion seven hundred fifty-eight million four hundred eighty thousand) as compensatory damages allegedly caused to the company. It is even more concerning that the decision of the court of general jurisdiction granted ZCMC’s motion to institute security for the claim, and on May 20, 2025, a lien was placed on the property of these citizens.

We concur with the statement by the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) civil society faction issued on May 29, 2025 and the statement by a group of civil society organizations issued on June 4, 2025 that such lawsuits have a negative impact on freedom of expression, rights, and raising issues and are deterrent and silencing mechanisms, which are defined by international democratic institutions as a strategic lawsuit against public participation (SLAPP). It is often used against the public, and in particular against employees, in order to prevent them from speaking out about violations of rights and issues arising in labor relations.

The Republic of Armenia, being committed to building a democratic country, must undertake processes to introduce legal mechanisms to protect the citizens of the Republic of Armenia from SLAPPs, in line with the standards and recommendations of its partner, the European Union and the Council of Europe (EU directives, Council of Europe recommendations). This stems from the logic of the Armenia-EU Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA). SLAPP processes against the activities of RA citizens, environmentalists, activists, human rights defenders and the media are an obstacle to the integration aspirations enshrined in the Law on Launching Accession Process of Republic of Armenia to the European Union. In recent years, there have been more than 30 such cases, which have mainly manifested themselves in lawsuits filed against citizens by mining companies.

From January 31 to February 10, 2025, the employees of the Zangezur Copper and Molybdenum Combine CJSC (ZCMC) who went on strike spoke out about their rights, problems, and demands for social justice. The right to strike is a fundamental and inalienable right in civilized and democratic societies.

Considering the fact that the Armenian Government is a co-owner of the company that filed the lawsuit, the Armenian National Platform of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum demands from the Armenian Government to:

• intervene and mediate so that the lawsuit filed by ZCMK against former ZCMK employees is withdrawn;
• fully resolve the issues raised by the ZCMC strikers and that caused the strike and to issue a public report on this matter;
• reinstate the dismissed citizens in their former positions;
• initiate activities to develop and introduce legislation to protect citizens from SLAPP processes in the Republic of Armenia;
• introduce amendments to the labor legislation to make the right to strike accessible and enforceable aligning it with ILO Convention No. 87 and the Revised European Social Charter, as well as to eliminate excessively complex and lengthy procedures that hinder its implementation.
• ensure real safeguards enabling trade unions to exercise their powers and the right to collective bargaining without impediments.