Solidarity statement
A group of over 25 human rights and workers’ rights organizations from across the world has signed a joint statement to strongly condemn the retaliation against eight employees of the Zangezur Copper and Molybdenum Combine CJSC (ZCMC), a mining company in Armenia.
The workers were dismissed after going on strike to demand better working, ecological, health and social conditions. They now face an exorbitant fine of over $12 million (4.7 billion AMD) and a court has issued a lien on their properties (excluding monetary funds and bank accounts).
ZCMC is the largest mining company and the biggest tax-payer in the country, with the Armenian government owning 21.8% of its total shares. On January 31, 2025, its workers went on strike for 11 days, demanding improved working conditions, environmental protections, health insurance, and salary increases. Some miners have described the labour conditions as “inhumane,” and there are serious concerns about pollution in the area and risks of toxic leaks.
During the strike, mine operations were halted. They resumed on February 10, after workers and company representatives reached a compromise.
On the same day, one of the dismissed workers announced on Facebook that the agreement with ZCMC management also included the “exclusion of persecution against protest participants” and the “review of the orders for the dismissal of eight protest participants.” However, despite repeated appeals, the company has refused to reinstate the workers, who have now taken legal actions to challenge their dismissals.
During the strike, the company and ZCMC LLC Trade Union — a union close to the company which cannot be considered independent — also issued a joint statement, claiming that the employees had ‘sabotaged the working process’ by initiating the strike and that their actions had resulted in “significant material damage”. The Union of Miners and Metallurgists of Armenia — which also lacks independence — issued a similar statement, calling on the strikers “to present their demands legally, without disrupting the normal operation of the company.”
Additionally, according to a report by OC Media, the mine’s general director — speaking in an interview with a local TV channel — claimed that an unnamed group of people had planned the “illegal” strike and had been “misleading and using the combine’s staff to achieve their personal goals” and “to gain control of the combine and all material flows.” He also claimed that the eight dismissed workers were being used by “third-party forces”.
These statements from the mine management and the unions are particularly concerning, as they constitute an attempt to delegitimize and stigmatize workers who were exercising their legitimate right to freedom of expression and their right to protest.
To stifle dissent, mining companies in Armenia have often criminalized and threatened critical voices through the use of so-called “strategic litigation against public participation” (SLAPP). For example, in February 2024, Oleg Dulgaryan — eco-activist and human rights defender — received a letter in which ZCMC accused him of defamation. They demanded compensation of six million Armenian drams (approximately $15.700), as well as a public retraction of the statements allegedly defaming ZCMC. These types of attacks are widespread. Since 2018, Lydian — the mining company behind the Amulsar mine — has filed a series of lawsuits against community members, journalists, and environmental and human rights defenders.
We are deeply concerned about this latest attack on freedom of expression and the retaliation against ZCMC workers, as well as about the broader attacks on civic space in the country. We call on ZCMC and the relevant authorities to:
- Immediately reinstate the dismissed workers and withdraw the $12 million fine.
- Uphold the right to freedom of expression and the workers’ right to strike.
- Proactively support public participation, ensuring community members, journalists, human rights defenders and workers can safely express their opinion and raise their concerns in the context of mining operations in the country.
Signatories
- Alyansa Tigil Mina (ATM) – Philippines
- Asia Pacific Network of Environmental Defenders (APNED) – Asia Pacific
- Buliisa Initiative for Rural Development Organisation (BIRUDO) – Uganda
- CEE Bankwatch Network – Czech Republic
- Centre for community mobilization and support (CCMS) – Armenia
- Centre for Research and Advocacy, Manipur (CRA) – South Asia
- Conseil Régional des Organisations Non Gouvernementales de Développement – DRC
- Global Labor Justice (GLJ) – US
- Green Advocates International (GAI) – Liberia
- Green Alternative – Georgia
- ICCN – Georgia
- Indigenous women Legal Awareness Group (INWOLAG) – Nepal
- Inisiasi Masyarakat Adat (IMA) Indonesia
- International Accountability Project (IAP) – Global
- Jamaa Resource Initiatives – Kenya
- JUHUDI Community Support Center – Kenya
- Lawyers’ Association for Human Rights of Nepalese Indigenous Peoples (LAHURNIP) Nepal
- Mines minerals & People – India
- Oyu Tolgoi Watch – Mongolia
- Bir Duino-Kyrgyzstan – Kyrgyzstan
- Latinoamerica Sustentable – Latin America
- Phenix Center – Jordan
- Rivers without Boundaries – Mongolia
- Samata – India
- Social Justice Center – Georgia
- Terranusa – Indonesia
- Uzbek Forum for Human Rights – Germany/Uzbekistan
