Seven Years of Delayed Justice: The System Fails Lara Aharonian and All Women’s Rights Defenders

Today, we received yet another disappointing confirmation of how deeply broken our judicial system is. For seven years, women’s rights defender Lara Aharonian has been fighting a defamation case in first instance court against an individual who falsely and maliciously accused her of “perverting children” and “spreading pedophilia”—a common attack used against those who advocate for gender equality and human rights.

Instead of swift and fair justice, the case has been trapped in a cycle of endless postponements, bureaucratic inefficiencies, and deliberate delays. And now, after all these years, the process is set to be postponed yet again, awaiting the appointment of yet another judge. This is not just an administrative failure—it is a denial of justice.

Lara Aharonian’s case is not an isolated incident. It is part of a larger pattern where women’s rights defenders in Armenia are left unprotected, targeted by smear campaigns, and forced to fight exhausting legal battles with little hope of resolution. A justice system that does not function is a justice system that enables impunity.

When human rights defenders are attacked when false accusations go unpunished, and when courts fail to act, the message is clear: those who stand for equality are on their own. This is how fear is weaponized. This is how defenders are silenced.

Seven years is too long to wait for justice. Every delay further emboldens those who seek to suppress human rights and equality.

For media inquiries, contact us at womenofarmenia@gmail.com or call +374 (94) 56 56 26.