Minister Had No Right to Use Violence Against Citizen: Human Rights Defender

The Office of the Human Rights Defender has analyzed the circumstances surrounding the incident that occurred between Armenia's Minister of High-Tech Industry Hakob Arshakyan and journalist Paylak Fahradyan in a café today. This was reported by the Human Rights Defender on their Facebook page.

Additionally, a private conversation took place with journalist Paylak Fahradyan, who claimed that the minister spoke to him using profanity, issued threats, physically assaulted him, broke his computer, and damaged his phone. He informed the Defender's office that before the minister resorted to violence, he approached him and asked questions regarding what the minister was doing in a café during working hours.

The Defender's office also had a private conversation with journalist Tatev Aivazyan, who mentioned that she was present at the same café with Paylak Fahradyan and heard the minister's threats towards her colleague. Following the incident of violence, the minister also insulted her. According to both Fahradyan and Aivazyan, the minister was aware that they were journalists.

The Office of the Human Rights Defender has also reviewed the videos related to the incident and later publications regarding the journalist's behavior. The Human Rights Defender particularly emphasizes that the professional activities of journalists are protected by law. The minister had no right to use violence against a citizen under any circumstances.

The minister's behavior is even more condemnable given that he was aware that he was being questioned by a journalist and that he was resorting to violence against that journalist. As an important point, the Human Rights Defender highlights that the journalist approached a publicly recognized high-ranking official – the minister – in a public setting, rather than a private one, and it was in this very place that the incident of violence occurred.

Officials, especially high-ranking public officials, are obliged to exhibit tolerance in all cases when journalists ask them uncomfortable questions or express critical views towards them. Moreover, they should serve as examples in their public behavior, particularly in relation to the exclusion of violence.

Any person holding a public office has a defined scope of authority and is limited by the boundaries of their legal status. No reason can justify violence against a journalist exercising their professional activities by a public official. Any issue should be resolved exclusively within the framework of proper legal procedures by competent authorities.

In connection with the incident, the Office of the Human Rights Defender will send a relevant letter to the Prosecutor General's office. Currently, the Defender's office has recorded that the Armenian Prosecutor's Office has forwarded publications regarding the incident to the Special Investigative Service.