Concerns Rise Over Display of Hammer by Acting Prime Minister During Electoral Speeches: Human Rights Defender

The Human Rights Defender of Armenia, Arman Tatoyan, has made a post on his Facebook page stating: “During the electoral campaign, the figures occupying the first place on the party lists of each political force play a crucial role. They are considered and perceived as candidates for Prime Minister, meaning individuals who aspire to become the head of the executive branch in Armenia.

The behavior and rhetoric of the Prime Ministerial candidates are under the direct attention of the Human Rights Defender, especially given that the campaign is taking place in a tense atmosphere with high levels of intolerance. Therefore, this statement is specifically addressed to them.

The role of the acting Prime Minister is objectively special, as besides being political and a Prime Ministerial candidate, he continues to maintain the current status of the head of the executive branch, regardless of whether he is on vacation or not. For this reason, he bears responsibility for the exclusion of tension and violence in the country and for ensuring solidarity. By virtue of this fact, he falls directly under the jurisdiction of the Human Rights Defender.

In this context, it is highly concerning that for several days now, the acting Prime Minister has been displaying a hammer during electoral speeches, making references to violence and drawing comparisons that illustrate the use of the hammer in his rhetoric.

The ongoing monitoring by the Human Rights Defender’s office indicates that these displays and comparisons provoke dangerous discussions; after the hammer was showcased, various citizens, including supporters of the opposition, have published images of hammers on their social network pages, comparing them to the hammer presented by the acting Prime Minister, even suggesting that what they published is the real hammer after actual use or how that hammer would be put to real use.

Expressions directed towards an undefined circle of individuals, such as “lying down on the asphalt,” “hitting against the walls,” and “not trying to resist,” must be stopped as they are extremely dangerous from a human rights perspective. This unacceptable rhetoric is associated with massive violations of human rights. It is evident that the acting Prime Minister primarily implies such acts performed by law enforcement agencies; however, law enforcement agencies are guided by entirely different rules and have no right to act based on categories of “lying down on the asphalt,” “hitting against the walls,” or “not resisting.”

Individuals aspiring to the position of Prime Minister should be especially cautious about the words they use, taking into account all their metaphorical meanings.