Free Motherland abbreviated as ԱՀԿ or AHK is a political party in Artsakh. The party was formed on 29 January 2005. Initially, the party consisted of four co-presidents: Arayik Harutyunyan, Arthur Tovmasyan, Rudik Hyusnunts and Arpat Avanesyan.
The Artsakh Defence Army was the defence force of the breakaway Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh). Established in 1992, it united previously disorganized self-defence units which were formed in the early 1990s with the goal of protecting the ethnic Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh from attacks by Soviet and Azerbaijani armed forces. It was disbanded on 21 September 2023 under the terms of Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement following the 2023 Azerbaijani military offensive.
Samvel Andraniki Babayan is an Armenian military commander and politician from Nagorno-Karabakh. He was one of the founders and main commanders of the Artsakh Defence Army during the First Nagorno-Karabakh War and became a hero among Armenians for the military victories achieved under his command.
The president of the Republic of Artsakh is the head of state and head of government of the de facto Republic of Artsakh.
Arayik Vladimiri Harutyunyan is an Artsakhi politician who served as the fourth president of the de facto-independent Republic of Artsakh from May 2020 to September 2023. Under his predecessor Bako Sahakyan, he served as the sixth and last Prime Minister from 2007 until the abolishment of that position in 2017 and as the first State Minister of the Republic of Artsakh from 2017 until his resignation in 2018. Harutyunyan led Artsakh through the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War with Azerbaijan, during which the republic lost most of the territory under its control. He resigned on 1 September 2023 in the midst of the Azerbaijani blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Hero of Artsakh is the highest title of the self-proclaimed Republic of Artsakh. According to the official website of the President of Artsakh, the title Hero of Artsakh "is awarded for exceptional services in the defense of the state, strengthening its economic might, and for creating significant national values."
General elections were held in the Republic of Artsakh on 31 March 2020, with a second round of the presidential election on 14 April. Voters elected the President and 33 members of the National Assembly. It was the first time the President and National Assembly were elected at the same time.
United Motherland, also known as United Homeland is a political party in the Republic of Artsakh. It was founded on 22 September 2019. Samvel Babayan is the party's founder and leader.
The Free Motherland - UCA Alliance is a political alliance in Artsakh formed by the Free Motherland and United Civic Alliance parties. The alliance was formed in January 2020, prior to the 2020 Artsakhian general election. The leader of the alliance is Arayik Harutyunyan.
Masis Samveli Mayilyan is an Artsakhi politician, diplomat and former presidential candidate. He is currently serving as ambassador-at-large of the Republic of Artsakh. From September 2017 until January 2021, he served as the Foreign Minister of Artsakh.
Jalal Anatolii Harutyunyan is an Armenian general from the Republic of Artsakh who formerly served as Commander of the Artsakh Defense Army and Minister of Defense of Artsakh. He commanded the Artsakh Defense Army during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War until his dismissal on 27 October 2020 after being wounded in action. He was appointed Head of the Military Control Service of the Ministry of Defense of Armenia in February 2021. Harutyunyan was suspended from this role in connection with a criminal case opened against him in September 2022.
2014 Kalbajar incident refers to the crossing of a small group of Azerbaijanis into Kalbajar district, their subsequent capture and conviction for murder and sabotage by the Republic of Artsakh. In July 2014, three ethnic Azerbaijanis crossed Nagorno-Karabakh Line of Contact in to Kalbajar District, then controlled by breakaway Republic of Artsakh forces. This was followed by disappearance of 17-year-old local Smbat Tsakanyan who was later found dead from gunshot wounds and who was last seen walking with the Azerbaijanis in a video used as evidence in the trial. The Azerbaijanis were detained for "reconnaissance operations in the area on orders from Azerbaijan’s intelligence service," as well as kidnapping and killing of Tsakanyan. One of the Azerbaijanis named Hasanov attacked Major Sargis Abrahamyan and his companion Karine Davtyan on the road from Vardenis to Kalbajar, killing the first and wounding the latter, himself subsequently killed in firefight with Artsakh Defence Army servicemen. The Artsakh forces detained and convicted Asgarov and Guliyev for murdering Tsakanyan while Hasanov was posthumously convicted for killing Abrahamyan and wounding Davtyan. Asgarov and Guliyev pleaded not guilty, claiming they had crossed to Kalbajar "to visit their relatives' graves". The incident may have been a trigger of the 2014 Armenian–Azerbaijani clashes in late July and early August that year. After ceasefire agreement ended the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, Armenia returned Asgarov and Guliyev to Azerbaijan, as part of a prisoner exchange.
Sergey Slavik Shakaryan was an Artsakhian military, Colonel of the Artsakh Defense Army. He was recipient of the Hero of Artsakh military award and one of the commanders of 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. He was killed during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war.
Mikael Alberti Arzumanyan is a Lieutenant General from the Republic of Artsakh, who formerly served as the Commander of the Artsakh Defence Army and Minister of Defence. He was born on 12 June 1973 in Stepanakert in the Nagorno Karabakh Autonomous Oblast.
Karen Grigory Sargsyan is the Minister of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Artsakh also known as the Ministry of the Interior is an official government agency of the partially recognized Republic of Artsakh, serving as the executive law enforcement body in the state. It follows an organization similar to that of the Police of Armenia.
David Ghazaryan was an Armenian Lieutenant-Colonel, who participated and fell during the Second Nagorno-Karabakh war. In 2020, he was posthumously awarded the military award of Hero of Artsakh.
Suren Barseghyan is an Armenian military personnel, participant of the Second Nagorno-Karabakh war, commander of the World Volunteer Detachment. In 2020 he was awarded the Hero of Artsakh military award, which is the highest honorary title of the self-proclaimed Republic of Artsakh.
Snap indirect presidential elections were held on 9 September 2023, in the unrecognized Republic of Artsakh. The President of the National Assembly of Artsakh acted as president until the election. The sole candidate, Samvel Shahramanyan, was elected in a 22–1 vote out of 23 deputies present. Several countries and supranational organizations, including the Council of Europe and the European Union, declared the elections as unlawful.
Samvel Sergeyi Shahramanyan is an Artsakhi politician, currently serving as the president of the de facto-independent Republic of Artsakh since 10 September 2023. He was also State Minister from August to September 2023. He also served as Minister of Military Patriotic Upbringing, Youth, Sports and Tourism, Secretary of the Security Council of Artsakh and a Major General in the Artsakh Defence Army.
