Armenian prime minister's wife launches campaign against domestic violence
Anna Hakobyan’s campaign against domestic violence
The wife of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Anna Hakobyan, has announced the launch of a campaign against domestic violence. She received death threats shortly after calling for a public discussion of the issue. However, she continues to actively promote her initiative.
“The first stage will involve drafting comprehensive and effective legislation and discussing it in the National Assembly,” she said.
According to Anna Hakobyan, the Criminal Code should define domestic violence separately as “a distinct and independent crime”. She plans to invite female MPs from the parliament’s two opposition factions to join her initiative. If they do, she believes there is a chance that “parliament will unanimously approve the bill”.
- Armenia approves new government as Pashinyan promises appointments based on merit
- ‘Don’t rush to judge’: Pashinyan’s wife denies allegations against her ‘My Step’ foundation
- Is Pashinyan rebranding ahead of elections? BBC looks at PM’s music videos on social media
Anna Hakobyan calls for a “family model with no place for violence”
The prime minister’s wife posted a video message on social media in which she said she intended to continue fighting domestic violence. According to Hakobyan, Armenia’s traditional family model, which hides various forms of violence, should give way to a model of a “family with no place for violence, based on mutual love and respect”. She proposes amending the Criminal Code to achieve this goal:
“An individual article should be added to the Code to establish criminal liability for all forms of domestic violence. Alternatively, different chapters of the Code could include provisions covering specific forms of domestic violence, including beatings, psychological abuse, economic abuse, bodily harm, sexual violence and others.”
According to Anna Hakobyan, eradicating violence requires clear, realistic and effective legal mechanisms.
Before presenting the bill to parliament, she initiated discussions with independent experts and female MPs. Together, they plan to examine gaps in the existing legislation. Once the law comes into force, she has promised to launch the initiative’s second stage. This will involve:
- organising an awareness campaign;
- improving the skills of staff at relevant agencies;
- ensuring the effective implementation of the new regulations.
“At the same time, a group of respected experts is preparing a nationwide study to collect the most accurate and comprehensive data possible on the prevalence of domestic violence against women in Armenia,” she said.
What preceded the campaign
This is not the prime minister’s wife’s first post about domestic violence. She has been actively raising the issue on her social media pages. At the end of July, she said she had received threats after a particular post, including threats to kill her.
“I hope the state authorities can prevent such a development, as it would seriously damage the country’s reputation if the prime minister’s wife became a victim of violence,” Hakobyan said.
At the same time, she urged women to overcome their fears and report cases of violence.
The Prosecutor General’s Office took note of her report. The Investigative Committee said it had opened a criminal case under the article on “hooliganism using information and communication technologies”.
“In addition, within the framework of another criminal case concerning public calls for violence, a warrant has been issued for the arrest of one person. The person has been placed on the wanted list,” Investigative Committee spokeswoman Kim Avdalyan said.
Statistics on domestic violence
The Investigative Committee said it opened 1,794 criminal cases related to domestic violence in the first half of 2026:
- 712 cases carried over from 2025;
- 1,082 cases opened in 2026.
Authorities sent 204 criminal cases to court and charged 213 people.
Of the 213 defendants in the cases sent to court, 150 were spouses of the victims, 20 were partners, 15 were parents or grandparents, five were brothers or sisters, 16 were children or grandchildren, one was the husband’s sister or brother, and six were sons- or daughters-in-law.
Of the 213 victims, 192 were over 18, while the rest were minors. Of those, 13 were under 12, three were aged 13-14, and five were aged 15-18.
Anna Hakobyan’s campaign against domestic violence
