A lawsuit filed by Armenia’s largest mining company against its former workers has sparked alarm among civil society organisations and labour rights defenders. In May 2025, the Zangezur Copper-Molybdenum Combine (ZCMC) filed a lawsuit against eight workers it had previously dismissed for participating in a strike demanding fair wages, safer working conditions and environmental safeguards. The company is seeking AMD 4.7 billion (approx. EUR 10.8 million) in damages and has already obtained court approval to place liens on the workers’ assets. Civil society groups are concerned that this move aims to intimidate and deter future mobilisation and activism, particularly in Armenia’s extractive sector.
From strike to courtroom: how a labour dispute turned into legal repression
The workers, previously employed at the ZCMC plant in Syunik, began a peaceful strike on 31 January 2025, calling for improved pay and work conditions, including a reduction in environmental harm. The strike ended on 10 February after reaching a compromise between the strikers and company management. However, ZCMC did not reinstate the eight employees – organisers of the strike, who had been dismissed during the protest and accused of unlawful disruption and financial harm to the company.
In a move widely criticised as disproportionate and punitive, ZCMC further filed a lawsuit demanding AMD 4.7 billion in compensation from these eight workers. According to the representatives of the company, this clamed is based on the production losses during the strike. Courts have granted interim measures to freeze assets of the former employees, sparking serious concerns about the use of civil litigation to silence dissent and punish collective action.
Armenia’s Human Rights Defender investigated the case and publicly highlighted concerns over unsafe working conditions and unequal pay at ZCMC. As a result, the Health and Labour Inspection Body has initiated a formal case to examine potential violations of labour rights at the plant.
A broader trend of silencing public interest voices
The case fits a worrying pattern of SLAPP lawsuits in Armenia’s mining sector. ZCMC itself has been previously involved in defamation proceedings against environmental activists. Similarly, other mining companies, including Lydian International during the Amulsar mine protests, have sought to suppress intimidatory legal actions, public activism and environmental advocacy.
This latest case sends a chilling signal to workers, journalists, and civil society actors that speaking up against powerful entities may come with crippling financial consequences.
This case is alarming, particularly taking into account that ZCMC is not only Armenia’s largest taxpayer but also partially state-owned, with a 21.8% government stake, raising further questions about state complicity or silence in the face of suppressing civic activism. The eight dismissed workers now face years of litigation and financial distress. This is not only a personal crisis for them but a warning to others who may seek to exercise their rights to organise, protest or demand accountability from powerful entities.
The legal case has triggered widespread concern among civil society groups. The civil society constituency of Armenia’s Multistakeholder Group under the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) was among the first to express their concern that the lawsuit resembles a SLAPP case, warning that the excessive compensation demands could bankrupt the targeted individuals and set a dangerous precedent for silencing critical voices and dissent. Further, in early June, over 25 CSOs have issued a joint statement condemning the lawsuit as a SLAPP and calling for the immediate withdrawal of the claims. International civil society actors and human rights organisations also expressed concern over the case, warning that it could severely undermine freedom of association, the right to strike, and public participation in environmental governance.
Comprehensive anti-SLAPP protections are needed
This case calls for action from Armenian government to safeguard workers’ rights and prevent the misuse of civil litigation against public interest defenders. It also highlights the need for comprehensive anti-SLAPP protections, drawing on European standards and comparative practice. If unaddressed, the ZCMC lawsuit risks becoming a precedent for silencing civic actors across Armenia and undermines the enabling environment of civic activism. This case underscores the urgent need to implement the CSO Meter Armenia 2024 Country report’s key recommendation on preventing SLAPPs, including aligning national measures with the Council of Europe’s 2024 Recommendations on countering SLAPPs.