Turning a Person into an 'Outcast' Due to Political or Personal Contacts is a Moral Degradation: Ruben Hayrapetyan

Regardless of the intensity of political developments or the sharp nature of personal positions, a society that possesses honor and dignity has no right to stone its dignitaries. This was stated today, May 7, by the former president of the Football Federation, Ruben Hayrapetyan, on his Facebook page.

He particularly noted, “It is the pinnacle of cowardice to stone or label those who have raised the flag of the Republic of Armenia on international and global platforms. Triple world and five-time European champion Arthur Aleksanyan is a sports phenomenon. Thanks to him, we had an Olympic champion after a twenty-year absence. Athletes like Arthur are honored and respected by all civilized nations, whereas we are again faced with a skewed mirror effect here, dragging the champion into political intrigues.”

“Turning a person into an 'outcast' due to political or personal contacts is not only a moral degradation but also contradicts the national character and temperament of Armenians. It is not in line with our Armenian mentality that a film is made with state funding about a transgender athlete while a male athlete with pronounced masculine traits is targeted. It is absurd when those lacking caliber want to demean those above them; this is a disgusting phenomenon that brings no honor to our nation. I strongly condemn the smear campaign against Arthur and call for a sobering acknowledgment of the Armenian, masculine, and traditional values, and to uphold the honor and dignity of Armenians.”