On December 18, 2017 members of the "For the Development of Science" Initiative, Davit Petrosyan and Yuri Avagyan, went on hunger strike and boycotted classes in protest against the ineffectiveness of the negotiations that have been ongoing for almost a month with the Minister of Education and Science, as well as the Minister of Defense and other high-ranking officials, who promised the protesters that certain concessions would be made to the draft deferment conditions after adopting the new RA Law on Conscription. However, they failed to take any practical steps in this regard.

In his interview on the same day to RFE/RL’s Armenian service (Azatutyun.am) on the hunger strike by the two members of the initiative, Yerevan State University (YSU) Rector Aram Simonyan arrogantly disseminated false information, stating that he thinks that the students on hunger strike “came from the famous Soros organization’s conference or a meeting in Poland the day before yesterday. Naturally, they seem to have undertaken some assignments there, and arrived in the morning, entered that classroom, the former classroom where they previously started their hunger strike last time, and resumed their hunger strike”.

Transparency International Anticorruption Center (TIAC) declares that Davit Petrosyan, as a district coordinator of the election observation mission from the TIAC delegation, took part in a five-day Winter Camp for election observers of the member organizations of the European Platform for Democratic Elections (EPDE) held in Poland from December 11 to 15. EPDE is an international coalition of 13 civil society organizations supporting or conducting citizen election observation missions in the states of the Eastern Partnership, the Russian Federation and the European Union. Davit Petrosyan received the invitation from the European Exchange, from the holder of the secretariat of EPDE. Yuri Avagyan was not invited, and consequently did not participate in the event. EPDE and the funding of its winter camp has no relation to the “Soros” foundation. It is assumed that by saying “Soros” foundation, YSU rector was referring to the “Open Society Foundations” organization (OSF).

TIAC considers that in the aforementioned interview, YSU Rector A. Simonyan disseminated premediated false information with a purpose of discrediting "For the Development of Science" Initiative and its members with the intention of fostering a negative attitude towards the initiative by using “international funding” or the name “Soros.” In any case, A. Simonyan’s behavior is dishonorable and is out of line with his position as the head of the university, and warrants condemnation by the body electing him, as well as the university faculty and students.

It should be noted, that false public information, slander and accusations against OSF and the NGOs funded by OSF have become more intense recently. The direct resources of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) have been particularly focused on discrediting them, for example, Ararat TV Station (registered at the same address of the central headquarters of RPA), Henaran.am (the head of which is the wife of the National Assembly Deputy, RPA member E. Sharmazanov), MP Hayk Babukhanyan (member of the "Republican Party of Armenia" Faction), as well as some other media outlets, for example “Hayots Ashkharh” and “Sputnik Armenia.” Moreover, the same media do not try to ensure the presence of different opinions and present other views. It is evident that this targeted and intensive campaign by various individuals and media outlets is no coincidence. It aims to attack the structures of civil society that actively promote the establishment of human rights and democratic values in Armenia.