Concerned People Call for Removal of Stepan Safaryan by Prime Minister Pashinyan: Ani Samsonyan

The deputy of the 'Enlightened Armenia' faction, Ani Samsonyan, stated that it is pointless to appeal to the government regarding the removal of the chairman of the Public Council, Stepan Safaryan, as he is a mirror of Prime Minister Pashinyan's authority.

In the statement, it is particularly noted: 'The Public Council, as an institution, has not had objectivity and trust in its legally assigned functions due to objective and subjective reasons since its formation. In December 2019, Stepan Safaryan replaced Vazgen Manukyan as the chairman of the Public Council, appointed unanimously at a Government session.'

According to Article 2 of the Law on the Public Council, this body is tasked with fostering mutual trust, dialogue, and partnership relations between the government, the bodies of the state administration system, and civil society institutions, as well as revealing public opinion on socially significant issues, including laws and other normative legal acts, state programs, strategies, concepts, and their drafts, as well as supporting social dialogue among social partners (trade unions, employers, and the government).

Based on the content and essence of the functions of the Public Council, a member, and especially the president, must have sufficient authority, credibility, decency, and deserved respect from various segments of society. Stepan Safaryan has demonstrated severe bias and anti-social behavior both before and after being appointed as the chairman of the Public Council.

In particular, his posts and comments on social platforms are accompanied by insults, offensive remarks, defamations, and various labeling, creating an atmosphere of hatred and intolerance. He contributes to the spread of misinformation and media illiteracy. He shows disrespectful attitudes and spreads hatred towards ideas, proposals, and alternative opinions represented by parliamentary and non-parliamentary political forces, as well as towards political figures.

He targets women who have shown activity in the socio-political sphere, insulting them based on gender. He exhibits intolerance and discrimination against media outlets operating in Armenia, harming the freedom of thought, conscience, and speech.

He encourages the dissemination of hate speech through fake accounts on Facebook. He has shown disrespect towards the judiciary and individual representatives. He has been disrespectful towards the Human Rights Defender, attempting to politicize their activities and jeopardizing the independence and objective work of the Human Rights Defender's institution.

He promotes the activities of various hooligan groups engaged in vigilantism. He fails to recognize the dangerous consequences of his publicly dangerous behavior. Reviewing the activities of the chairman of the Public Council, we note that he stands out as an anti-social, intolerant subject spreading hatred and insults, who cannot fulfill the legally defined tasks and functions of the Public Council and cannot be a respected mediator between the public and the government.

His behavior is dangerous for a democratic Armenia of love and solidarity. Additionally, his conduct negatively impacts the activities of other members of the Public Council. Many concerned people approach us to demand that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan remove Stepan Safaryan from his position as chairman of the Public Council. We find it pointless to address the government on this issue, as Stepan Safaryan, as the chairman of the Public Council, is a mirror of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's power. As for whether the morality of the Public Council's chairman is acceptable to the other members of the Council, I believe they should make this a serious subject of discussion.'