Zori Hayki Balayan (Armenian: Զորի Հայկի Բալայան, February 10, 1935 – April 5, 2026) was an Armenian novelist, journalist, sports doctor, traveler, and sports expert. He was awarded the "Renowned master of the Arts," an Armenian official title.
Life and career
Balayan was born on February 10, 1935, in Stepanakert, Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (Azerbaijan SSR). He completed his studies at the Ryazan State Medical University in 1963. Between 1971 and 1973, he traveled across the Kamchatka and Chokotskaya tundras using dog-sleds, reaching as far as the North Sea. In his essay "Hearth," written before the perestroika era, he argued that Nagorno-Karabakh has an Armenian identity and that Nakhichevan historically belonged to Armenia. He also believed that Turks, including Azerbaijanis, were enemies of both Russia and Armenia. Azerbaijani historian Isa Gambar criticized Balayan's work in an article titled "Old Songs and New Legends." Azerbaijani authorities destroyed remnants of Armenian ruins in Nakhchivan, such as the Armenian cemetery in Julfa.
In 1988, Balayan and Armenian poet Silva Kaputikyan met with Mikhail Gorbachev to discuss the lack of Armenian-language television and textbooks in Nagorno-Karabakh schools, as well as other issues affecting the region's Armenian population.
In October 1993, he signed the Letter of Forty-Two.
Balayan worked as a journalist for the Russian-language weekly publication Literaturnaya Gazeta.
He died on April 5, 2026, at the age of 91.
Book forgery
After the end of the First Nagorno-Karabakh War, some Azerbaijani and Turkish sources began to share a quote from a book supposedly written by Balayan titled Revival of Our Souls (sometimes called Revival of Our Spirits). In this quote, Balayan is said to admit to killing an Azerbaijani child during the war. Balayan and Armenia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs have denied that he ever wrote such a book. Ayşe Günaysu, a member of the Committee Against Racism and Discrimination in Turkey’s Human Rights Association (Istanbul branch), said the language used to describe the torture in the quote suggests it was fabricated. Onur Caymaz, a Turkish writer who initially supported the claim, later said he was mistaken and confirmed that Balayan never wrote the book.
Interpol refusing the arrest warrant
Azerbaijani officials claim that Balayan was involved in a bombing of the metro in Baku in 1994. In a letter to Balayan, the head of Interpol stated that the agency believed the complaint was politically motivated and that it had removed Balayan from its wanted list as a result.
Critics in Armenia
Some Armenian politicians, including Igor Muradyan and Levon Ter-Petrosian, criticized Balayan's opinions about Russia's takeover of Crimea and accusations of trying to influence decisions. In 2013, Balayan's letter to Russian President Putin, which suggested that both Armenia and Karabakh are part of Russian territory, faced strong criticism in Armenia.