Concerning that Opposition-initiated Meetings Have Not Been Held in Parliament for Days: Human Rights Defender

The Human Rights Defender of Armenia expresses a series of positions regarding recent events in the country:

1. Human rights and freedoms can only be guaranteed in conditions of democracy. Democracy and the system of human rights are also the foundations of the country's security.
2. It is the democratic processes that ensure the exclusion of intolerance, mitigate tensions, and guarantee the development of events in conditions of solidarity. Under no circumstances should extremist developments be allowed during these days.
3. Therefore, all democratic institutions should be active during these days, and any passivity or especially inaction should be ruled out.
4. Article 2 of our country’s Constitution establishes that power in the Republic of Armenia belongs to the people. This is a fundamental legal provision of direct democracy.
5. The same article of the Constitution states that the people exercise their power through free elections, referendums, as well as through state and local self-government bodies and officials as provided by the Constitution. This means that the Constitution proclaims representative democracy as a fundamental principle.
6. Parliamentarism is one of the foundations of representative democracy, the parliament in the country—especially in a country with a parliamentary governance system.
7. Particularly, the irreplaceable role of parliament in complex and crisis situations should be noted—as a balancing and restraining institution that provides solutions from existing possibilities.
8. It is concerning that opposition-initiated meetings in the parliament have not taken place for several days, and pressing agenda issues have not been discussed. In any case, they do not have visibility for the public.
9. The passivity of democratic institutions, primarily the parliament, negatively affects the peaceful resolution of the situation. This compels events to move outside of democratic institutions, which in turn can increase tension.
10. The Human Rights Defender's office is also monitoring gatherings organized by both the power and the opposition in recent days.
11. First, we must note that the freedom of peaceful gatherings is guaranteed by the Constitution of Armenia and the international obligations undertaken by Armenia. One of the purposes of the freedom of peaceful gatherings is to provide a platform for public discussion and an opportunity for the expression of protests, especially when such a public significance event necessitates an urgent public response.
12. I particularly emphasize that ensuring the fully and safely execution of the freedom of peaceful gatherings is a positive obligation of the state.
13. Despite this, the Human Rights Defender's office has recorded unacceptable phenomena—the high volume of insults and hate speech. This situation is even more pronounced on social networks. This is deeply concerning, primarily in that it leads society toward polarization and radicalization of approaches.
14. Specifically, insulting and intolerant expressions have been recorded during rallies and marches supporting the political power, particularly directed at participants of gatherings organized by the opposition.
15. The same unacceptable phenomena have also been recorded during opposition gatherings and marches, involving both participants and the certain speeches or organizers who used unacceptable language and actions that increased insults and intolerance.
16. In this regard, the staged demonstration of execution during the gathering held today on Baghramyan Avenue in Yerevan is highly condemnable. It is even more condemnable that this staging was showcased during a mass gathering and even broadcasted live by mass media outlets, targeting a wide audience, including children.
17. The organizers of the gathering should have considered that such phenomena are explicitly associated with violence, create the impression of justifying violence and do clearly not align with the peaceful objectives and subject of the gathering, thus cannot in any case be permissible, especially in these tense days, and only contribute to the increase of tension (the purpose of this statement is not to discuss the boundaries of freedom of creativity).
18. Therefore, gathering organizers—whether organized by the power or the opposition—must demonstrate utmost vigilance, show restraint, and do everything possible to ensure the peaceful nature of the gathering and exclude any phenomena that could lead to tension. It should be noted that the country is already in a post-war complex period, and society is understandably in an emotionally tense state.
19. All processes in our country must proceed exclusively along the democratic path envisaged by the Constitution of Armenia and laws—with exceptional respect for human rights and in conditions of solidarity.