Armenia ombudsman: Acting PM’s constant display of hammer, figurative comparisons are inadmissible

News.am, Armenia
June 16 2021

This statement refers to a number of problematic issues from the point of view of human rights, which were recorded during yesterday's campaign in Syunik Province. The Human Rights Defender (Ombudsman) of the Republic of Armenia (RA), Arman Tatoyan, on Wednesday wrote this on Facebook, and in connection with Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s election campaign Tuesday in Syunik.

“1. The constant display of a hammer and the figurative comparisons, which can make people think of solving problems with a hammer, are inadmissible. (…).

Threatening—with law enforcement agencies (…)—other political forces participating in the election campaign is inadmissible.

The context in which the term ‘steel mandate’ is constantly used associated with human rights violations is worrying.

After speeches with such rhetoric by the acting Prime Minister, other high-ranking officials also start—with the same principle—making statements with a vocabulary of hatred and violence, threatening with the intervention of the Police (…).

2. The status of the RA Prime Minister does not include making threats against local self-government bodies, in particular, community leaders.

The matter is that community leaders are officials elected by a primary mandate, by secret ballot of the RA citizen, whereas such an assessment by the Acting Prime Minister is first of all problematic in terms of guaranteeing the citizens' political rights, first of all the right to elect.

3. The speech of the RA Acting Prime Minister about mass dismissals is connected with mass violations of labor rights and arbitrary interventions.

The need to address the mentioned issues is also conditioned by the fact that the RA Acting Prime Minister is perceived by the people as the RA Prime Minister, and not as the acting, during the election campaign rallies,” Tatoyan added, in particular.

Emil Lazarian

“I should like to see any power of the world destroy this race, this small tribe of unimportant people, whose wars have all been fought and lost, whose structures have crumbled, literature is unread, music is unheard, and prayers are no more answered. Go ahead, destroy Armenia . See if you can do it. Send them into the desert without bread or water. Burn their homes and churches. Then see if they will not laugh, sing and pray again. For when two of them meet anywhere in the world, see if they will not create a New Armenia.” - WS