‘Dukh’ Is Not Enough to Blame All the Failures Solely on Arsen Torosyan and Dismiss Him, Vanetsyan

Being ‘dukh’ is not about putting on a hat, hiding behind security forces, or ruining relations with all neighbors and allies, wrote Arthur Vanetsyan, former head of the National Security Service and president of the Homeland Party, on his Instagram page.

“The number of deaths from the coronavirus in Armenia has exceeded 1000. 1000 human destinies, 1000 orphaned families, 1000 extinguished lives. The coronavirus has harmed many countries, but what happened in Armenia was simply a disgrace and a crime on a state level.”

“Being ‘dukh’ means making courageous decisions that protect your people and ensure their lives. Countless unforgivable mistakes have cost an enormous number of lives. Right now, the lives of over 1000 of our citizens are at stake, which far exceeds the statistics of similar countries even when accounting for a population of one million.”

“And today, ‘dukh’ will simply be used to shift the blame for all incompetence solely onto Minister Arsen Torosyan and to dismiss him, with the covert expectation of smoothing relations with certain circles.”

“Blaming citizens for falling ill, for not receiving treatment, for dying—this is state-level cynicism. I don’t think even the 1000th death will play a sobering role. Unfortunately,” Vanetsyan wrote.