Alen Simonian Grossly Violated Parliamentary Ethics Rules: National Anti-Corruption Council

The Vice President of the National Assembly, Alen Simonian, has violated the legislative requirements for adhering to parliamentary ethics and made inappropriate remarks towards a citizen who does not share his political views. Instead of rectifying the situation later, the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly tried to deny his actions.

The National Anti-Corruption Council conducted an investigation in connection with a post by Facebook user Nane Arzumanyan and noted that Alen Simonian publicly insulted a citizen displaying intolerance towards individuals with differing political views. Specifically, under Nane Arzumanyan's post, where the citizen criticized Simonian and his behavior in the National Assembly, the latter responded in the comments section to his supporters, stating, “Don’t let the dogs take their place, our interlocutor is not one of them.”

Later, in response to journalists’ questions regarding this comment, Alen Simonian found himself in an even worse position. The Deputy Speaker mentioned that in his comments he had said, “Little birds shouldn’t be placed in dog spots,” and thus, according to Simonian, it is impossible to argue that these words were directed at Nane Arzumanyan or any individual at all. “If there are people who want to appeal regarding little birds, I said not to place them in dog spots; I’m not against it, they can also appeal to the UN and animal protection organizations,” this is the perspective of the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Armenia when it comes to accepting responsibility for expressions he made towards clearly identifiable individuals during a political debate.

The National Anti-Corruption Council states that Alen Simonian has violated the legislative requirements for maintaining the ethics of National Assembly deputies, specifically failing to demonstrate respectful treatment towards individuals he interacts with in the exercise of his powers or in everyday life. The Council also believes that it is inappropriate for a public official to rely on wordplay to evade responsibility and to choose such a futile method when summoned to accountability.

The Council has sent a relevant conclusion to all factions of the National Assembly of Armenia with a request to establish an ethics interim commission as provided for by the constitutional law “Rules of Procedure of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia.”