I Have Addressed the Anti-Corruption Committee Regarding the Behavior of Certain Officials on Social Media: Arman Tatoyan

I have addressed the Anti-Corruption Committee of Armenia regarding the behavior of certain officials on social media. This was announced by Armenia's Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan on his Facebook page.

He specifically noted: "This concerns officials who: 1) write public insults or make posts that justify or encourage violence on social media. 2) do not remove posts under their pages that contain such content. 3) support such posts by liking them (at least) or publicly sharing them. 4) justify (including publicly) insults or other humiliating remarks or posts that justify or encourage violence made by their subordinates, arguing that what matters is they are satisfied with their work performance or that dealing with such matters is not their job.

Examples of specific officials' actions have also been sent to the Anti-Corruption Committee. The tension on social media has reached dangerous levels, especially considering the emotional strain following the war. It is obvious that in such a situation, the direct obligation of the state is to prevent this, guaranteeing an atmosphere of solidarity and peace.

However, the behavior of these officials hinders the state's ability to resolve this issue, only contributing to the escalation of tensions; their illegal behavior increases aggression in society. Moreover, their posts are shared on news or other types of pages with a large following on social media, resulting in these posts having a wider reach and a dangerous impact on the atmosphere of tension.

This is particularly hazardous, as it can lead to incidents of violence when transferred into real life. The reports being sent by the Human Rights Defender to the Anti-Corruption Committee are especially warranted as they relate to actions by officials that violate citizens' rights, undermining the human rights system in the country.

Officials exhibiting such illegal behavior damage the reputation of our state's authorities. Recently, I also addressed the law enforcement agencies of Armenia, including the Prosecutor's Office, the National Security Service, and the Police, related to their important functions in combating, preventing, and anticipating crimes.

People occupying positions in state and local self-government bodies must exemplify solidarity through their behavior; they have an obligation to exclude any speech that insults human dignity or relates to violence, particularly the justification or encouragement of such detrimental phenomena.