Andranik Kocharyan Crosses Boundaries of Decency with Journalists

The Union of Journalists of Armenia has issued a statement regarding the recent behavior of Andranik Kocharyan, a member of the ruling 'My Step' faction and chairman of the National Assembly Defense and Security Committee. The statement highlights a distressing exchange where Kocharyan asked a journalist, 'Do you have kids?,' and upon receiving an affirmative response, followed up with, 'What about your husband?' He further inquired, 'Where was your husband during this war, what was he doing, should we have brought him along?' In response to the journalist’s remark of 'you should have brought him,' he retorted, 'Say that you want to get a divorce.'

The Union condemned Kocharyan's disrespectful and unethical conduct, calling for the authorities to take action against him. Such behavior has been characterized as crossing even the most basic limits of decency, with Kocharyan exhibiting a demeanor akin to that of a street thug within the Parliament.

The journalist involved, Ripsimé Jebejyan of the 'Aravot' newspaper, had drawn a comparison about the situation in Syunik, stating, 'There are young boys in the yards who are bullied, and when they are beaten, they say, “Don’t hit us anymore, we are in that boy's status — as underprivileged.” To this, Kocharyan's reaction has been deemed inappropriate and indicative of a broader issue.

The Union of Journalists has strongly condemned the immoral conduct of the ruling faction's deputy, demanding the authorities restrain him in the most literal sense of the word. Otherwise, they say, the journalistic community and beyond will be compelled to recognize that Kocharyan's behavior reflects not only his personal psychological complexities but also acts as a manifestation of a coordinated smear campaign against the press initiated at the highest levels of power.

The statement concludes: 'Reprimand your members who assert themselves at the expense of women and journalists.'