The court has rejected the lawsuit filed by Samvel Shahramanyan, the fifth president of Artsakh, against Nzhdeh Hovsepyan, co-author of the History of Armenia school textbook, and Armenia’s Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports.
Shahramanyan argued that the statement in the 9th-grade textbook claiming the “President of the Republic of Artsakh signed a decree dissolving the Republic” was false, defamatory, and insulting, according to Radar Armenia.
However, Hovsepyan, a historian and co-author, repeatedly said that the statement was a citation from an official announcement by the Artsakh Information Headquarters.
In its ruling, the court noted that the defendants objected to the claim, arguing that the material did not contain defamatory statements and that the author relied on publicly released information from official sources.
The court concluded that Shahramanyan’s honor, dignity, or business reputation was not proven to be harmed by the publication of the statement.
The verdict also stated that no intent to defame was established based on the written evidence, and the plaintiff’s reputation had not been deliberately undermined.
Shahramanyan’s legal representative, Roman Yeritsyan, commented that the court not only rejected the claim but also provided detailed reasoning. He said he would address the full content of the ruling at a later time, Panorama.am reports.
In September 2025, Yeritsyan had announced that a legal claim was filed on Shahramanyan’s behalf against the ministry and textbook author. The plaintiff proposed that a retraction be made within the education system, stating that the line “The President of the Republic of Artsakh signed the order to dissolve the Republic” is false and inaccurate.
