The Human Rights Defender Appeals to Law Enforcement to Investigate the Illegal and Distorted Public Conduct of Certain Officials

The Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan has appealed to law enforcement agencies to investigate the illegal and distorted public conduct of certain officials. Tatoyan announced this on his Facebook page.

He specifically noted: “Firstly, I have filed a report to the Prosecutor's Office regarding the offenses aimed at insulting the Human Rights Defender in connection with the fulfillment of his duties and exhibiting blatant disrespect. This concerns initiating criminal proceedings against a member of the leading body of the political party that formed the government and parliamentary majority in Armenia under at least two articles of the Armenian Criminal Code, namely Article 226.2 and Article 332.2. Grounds necessary for the initiation of a criminal case have been submitted to the Prosecutor's Office.

In addition, I have raised the issue of officials who make posts on social media but do not remove the comments underneath that contain insults and hatred, justify violence, encourage it, or call for violence, through reports submitted to law enforcement agencies, including the Prosecutor's Office, the National Security Service, and the Police. I have also raised the question regarding the attitude of law enforcement towards those officials who support such posts or publicly share them by liking them (at least with a Like).

According to the Human Rights Defender’s position, the actions of such officials should also be considered under the criminal liability established by Article 226.2 of the Armenian Criminal Code. Unfortunately, there are officials in our country who have distorted perceptions of their status, lack public accountability for their official positions, and engage in illegal activities. This refers to those in office who spread hatred through their social media posts, insult people, and publicly justify or encourage violence.

The tension on social media has reached dangerous levels, especially considering the crisis situations following the war and the emotional strain. It is evident that in such a situation, the direct obligation of the state is to prevent all this and guarantee an atmosphere of solidarity and peace. However, the aforementioned officials only contribute to increasing this tension, and their illegal behavior leads to growing aggression in our society. Additionally, their posts are published on news or other types of pages with a large number of followers on social media, causing these posts to gain more widespread distribution and have a dangerous impact on the atmosphere of tension.

This is especially perilous because, when transitioning into real life, it can lead to incidents of violence. Article 226.2 of the Armenian Criminal Code stipulates criminal liability specifically for publicly justifying or propagating violence and calls for the application of violence.

The submission of these reports is also due to the fact that it concerns posts by officials that violate citizens' rights and undermine the human rights system in the country. I sternly warn officials engaged in such illegal conduct not to attempt to exacerbate the atmosphere of tension in our country with posts that justify or encourage hatred and violence. I will remain consistent on these issues.

Thus, questions have been directed to the Prosecutor's Office, the National Security Service, and the Police within the scope of their authority, considering their important functions in the implementation of criminal policy and the prevention of violations, including crimes. Persons holding positions within state and local self-governing bodies should set an example with their behavior for the establishment of public solidarity and peace; they must exclude any kind of speech related to violence or hatred, and even more so the justification or encouragement of these abhorrent phenomena.”