Concerns Raised Over Potential Surveillance of Phones: Restart's New Initiative

We are launching our initiative in front of the National Security Service (NSS) building to declare that we are not afraid of the NSS. We are not afraid of all those individuals whose connection with this institution is not only questionable but also contains a number of facts.

This was stated today, on November 25, in front of the NSS building, by David Petrosyan, a member of the Restart initiative, announcing the start of the new initiative.

According to him, the NSS should take steps against the propagation of hate speech spreading through social networks. "The NSS is obliged to know who is behind those fake accounts, how those accounts operate, and why they appear only between 10 PM and 11 PM. If the NSS cannot ensure our internal security, then it is engaging in inactivity. There is no atmosphere of trust towards this body among the people, and if there is no trust, then the revolution in Armenia is not over," said David Petrosyan.

He pointed out that the story of the Azerbaijani blogger demonstrated that there is a habit among the KGB to maintain video bloggers, and it is no coincidence that sensational news appears from them. "Since they know that the police will not come after them because hate speech is not criminalized in Armenia, it leads to their impunity, and it is beyond doubt that these video bloggers operate under the protection of specific individuals and structures," he added.

The members of the initiative brought along a blank piece of paper, which they handed over to the NSS's correspondence division. "We are giving this paper to the NSS, so they can write down the names of the video bloggers that operate in Armenia inciting hate speech and impunity," they explained.

David Petrosyan noted that after the revolution, there continues to exist a concern among everyone that their phones are being tapped. "From ordinary citizens to state officials, there is a fear that our phones are being listened to. Can someone answer my question of what right and for what purpose my or someone else's phone conversation should be listened to?"

Petrosyan also highlighted that the identities of the two individuals who filmed them during their criminal case remain unknown. "On March 4, we wanted to throw a video blogger into a trash can who publicly claimed that we are the children of immoral people and expressed a desire to do harm to my mother, and since then, there has been no response regarding the incitement of hate by that individual," he stated.

The members of the initiative indicated that they plan to meet with the temporary acting head of the Police of the Republic of Armenia tomorrow and have a discussion.