Mediamax, Armenia
May 25 2012
US embassy urges Armenian officials to adopt “zero tolerance” against
hate crimes
Yerevan, 24 May: The US embassy issued a statement today condemning
the firebombing of Yerevan’s D.I.Y. Club on 8 May 2012, and the
“continued acts of vandalism against the club”.
“The crime appears to have targeted a sexual minority group. Armenia’s
own constitution prohibits the incitement and use of violence. Using
violence against any minority – racial, religious, ethnic or sexual –
is unpardonable. Acts of hate should never be condoned by public
officials, let alone praised. Regardless of their minority
affiliation, all citizens and foreign guests in Armenia enjoy equal
protection under Armenia’s constitution and law, so violence against
them should be swiftly and firmly prosecuted and the offenders
punished. We urge Armenian officials to adopt a zero tolerance policy
against all hate crimes and violence directed at minorities in
Armenia, and to fulfil their responsibility for according all citizens
protection under the law.”