Former director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute and Doctor of Historical Sciences, Hayk Demoyan, expressed strong criticism of the institution’s current director, Edita Gzoyan, especially regarding the unusual format of a recent press briefing.

“I am simply stunned, and that might be the mildest reaction. Why would Edita Gzoyan, the director of the Genocide Museum, organize such a sterile press conference in a different location, when it’s always been hosted at the museum? It’s clear both Gzoyan and Harutyun Marutyan are afraid of journalists’ questions,” he told Aravot.am .

Demoyan warned that there are legitimate concerns renovation works at the museum might serve as a pretext to suspend its operations and sideline international ceremonial visits.

“There is a fear that these construction works will be prolonged to send signals for political appeasement, and ultimately be used to quietly remove the museum from official state ceremonies. Gzoyan has done nothing to dispel the fear that the museum might be frozen or halted under the guise of renovation,” he said.

He also noted the symbolic date of the press conference, criticizing the absence of any mention of the museum’s permanent exhibition—open for ten years and visited by millions. Demoyan stressed that both Gzoyan and Marutyan gained their positions through involvement in that exhibit. He emphasized the personal and unpaid contributions he and his wife made to its design and content, while raising concerns over suspicious financial transactions tied to the project.

He alleged that funds brought into Armenia under the exhibition’s name were used to carry out programs with the involvement of non-museum experts. According to Demoyan, this involved Gzoyan, Marutyan, and several other officials mentioned in criminal cases.

“It was precisely that exhibition that brought her there. She and Marutyan were appointed as directors through a money-laundering operation under its name… The criminal investigations are now stalled because they involve current government officials,” he said.

Demoyan also accused Gzoyan of remaining silent amid what he called the authorities' policy of denial toward the Armenian Genocide.

“She should have been the first to speak up, yet she made no public statement… They were chosen to be neutral and obedient,” he added.

He further questioned Gzoyan’s recent announcement about organizing an exhibition in Moscow, stating that no such museum currently exists there.

“Gzoyan doesn’t realize some people know the backstory of that museum and what really happened… The Genocide Museum, as an established institution, shouldn’t be compared with vague initiatives,” he asserted.

Demoyan also addressed Gzoyan’s statement that researchers should turn their focus westward, calling it a flawed geographic approach to science. He added that he had personally provided rare materials to the museum’s archive over the years—often without proper receipts.

Finally, he stressed the importance of the museum’s new legal department not only addressing the legal justification for international genocide recognition but also tackling internal issues such as potential book theft, corruption, and involvement of past and current officials. He once again accused Gzoyan and Marutyan of collaboration and covering up questionable operations related to the museum.

On the occasion of the 110th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, the museum will open a special exhibition titled “Documenting the Crime: Eyewitness Recorders of the Armenian Genocide.” Gzoyan explained that the word “crime” was intentionally emphasized to reflect the gravity of the events between 1915–1923, citing the vocabulary of eyewitnesses describing the extermination of a nation.