All Political Forces Must Exclude Insults and Abuses During Election Campaign, Ombudsman Says

In the process of parliamentary snap elections, it is fundamentally important that all political forces involved in the electoral process exclude insults and abuses, as well as any speech related to hatred and violence. This was reported by the Office of the Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Armenia.

This will serve as a guarantee for the free and unobstructed exercise of electoral rights. The more this is ensured, the greater the trust in the newly formed body that results from the public expression of citizens' will.

During the pre-election campaign, mutual respect towards each other must be ensured, and any tension must be excluded. The elections should serve to restore solidarity in society.

We call on all political forces and public figures to refrain from actions that polarize society and increase tensions, as well as from language that spreads insults or hatred. Public figures are especially obligated to serve as an example in this regard through their actions and words.

It should be noted that any tension also spreads among supporters and increases the overall tension, even exacerbating the atmosphere.

All individuals holding official positions and state status, regardless of their position, must take into account that they do not cease to be officials and hold state status during the pre-election campaign. This means that they are limited by their jurisdiction and must not allow violations by exceeding these boundaries.

All state bodies and their officials must recognize that it is their direct responsibility to exclude any phenomena that lead to tension through their words and behavior—including insults and hatred, the direct or indirect justification or encouragement of violence.

The main responsibility for ensuring an atmosphere of solidarity, respect for human rights, and respect for everyone's opinion lies with the state.

For these purposes, the electoral process must be unconditionally based on the rule of law. Any initiative must be grounded in human rights.

Observations show that various parties also have active fake pages and accounts on social networks. These accounts make posts containing insults, aggressive language, and even encourage or justify violence. These harmful phenomena increase the already existing tension.

The Human Rights Defender considers the prompt response of law enforcement agencies to issues that fall within their jurisdiction to be crucial. In this regard, the Ombudsman’s office will ensure necessary cooperation and communication with them.

It should be noted that the Ombudsman does not handle the resolution of disputes or complaints related to specific cases directed against private individuals or aimed at protecting specific officials from private individuals.

The rights of journalists and observers will be closely monitored under the direct attention of the Human Rights Defender, and a working group will operate within the office to conduct independent constant monitoring during the pre-election and post-election phases, as well as on voting day.

Complaints or alerts related to the exercise of electoral rights can be directed to the Ombudsman’s office via the hotline numbers 116 or (096) 116 100.

The processes related to the snap parliamentary elections in the Republic of Armenia are under the direct attention of the Human Rights Defender.