Armenia: Navigating Complex Relationships with Organized Crime, Corruption, and Human Trafficking

A Country in Transition: Key Challenges and Progress

The report on Armenia highlights the country’s intricate relationships with organized crime, corruption, and human trafficking. This article explores these complex issues, highlighting both the challenges faced by Armenia and the progress made towards improving its state capacity.

Organized Crime: A Divided yet Persistent Threat

• While there is no evidence of mafia-style groups controlling significant territories in Armenian cities, reports suggest that an Armenian mafia divided into separate clans or brotherhoods (‘akhperutyuns’) control parts of the capital Yerevan.
• This organized crime presence poses a threat to law and order in Armenia.

Leadership and Governance: A Hybrid Regime

• Armenia is identified as a hybrid or transitional regime, with the country continuing to improve its state capacity despite political issues related to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
• Progress has been made through EU cooperation in areas such as democratic governance and transparency.

Criminal Justice and Security: A System in Need of Reform

• Armenia’s judicial system lacks independence, and corruption within the judicial system remains a major concern.
• Torture and ill-treatment in custody are problematic, and criminal subcultures allegedly rule Armenia’s prisons.

Economic and Financial Environment: Strengthening Anti-Money Laundering Measures

• Armenia has strengthened its anti-money laundering (AML) legal framework in recent years but still faces AML risks within the banking system.
• The country has cooperated with the EU on economic regulatory reforms within the Eastern Partnership scope.

Civil Society and Social Protection: Supporting Victims of Modern Slavery

• The Armenian government has a robust framework to support victims of modern slavery, but victim and witness support measures appear insufficient.
• Law enforcement officials lack training and sensitivity required to assist victims.

Border Control: A Threat to Safety and Livelihoods

• Armenia lost a large swathe of territory in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which threatens the safety and livelihoods of civilians in Nagorno-Karabakh and along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border.