«This is a highly dangerous and condemnable phenomenon»: Human Rights Defender

Arman Tatoyan, the Human Rights Defender of Armenia, wrote on his Facebook page: “The monitoring of the rally held on June 17, 2021, by the acting Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia has revealed that participants wielding hammers were present at the gathering and openly displayed their hammers. This is a highly dangerous, absolutely condemnable phenomenon. The presence of hammer-wielding individuals at yesterday's rally was broadcast widely, including on the official Facebook page of the acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, where they can be seen from the 1 hour 16 minute and 39 second mark. Furthermore, photographs of the participants with hammers have been widely circulated on social media yesterday and today. There have even been calls to replace hammers with quvalds.

It is evident that this is connected to the visual demonstrations of hammers and the related metaphors of hate and insults, as well as threatening rhetoric by the acting Prime Minister during campaign meetings. Therefore, the acting Prime Minister must cease displaying hammers at rallies and speaking in a rhetoric imbued with insults and threats. He must address his supporters and all citizens with a call to exclude such highly dangerous phenomena.

We urge everyone under any circumstances not to use any tools that are associated with bodily harm or violence, nor to make comparisons. Moreover, candidates for prime ministerial positions are particularly obliged to prevent this, rather than later justify such actions as demonstrations of construction plans.

The police of Armenia must be more vigilant and instead of formal interpretations of whether hammers constitute cold weapons, truly fulfill their duties in preventing and averting legal violations and thereby facilitate the peaceful conduct of all processes in the country.”