Arman Tatoyan, You Have Exhausted Yourself, Brother. Eduard Aghajanyan Responds to the Ombudsman

Former Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister of Armenia, Eduard Aghajanyan, wrote on his Facebook page:

“Arman Tatoyan, you have exhausted yourself, brother. You are the defender of the ‘rights’ to insult a specific circle that refers to 687,000 citizens as ‘b*’s. Or haven’t you mentioned this because the commenter was not an official at that moment? But I’m not an official either, so why did you respond so extensively to my post? It’s clear, you are with our ‘beloved’ Ombudsman who distributes indulgences for insults, as they were on the list of your preferred political force. I think it would be good for you to deactivate for a while with the Malyans/Samsonyans.”

Let us recall that Ombudsman Arman Tatoyan made the following post on his Facebook page yesterday:

“It is condemnable to insult people by artificially dividing them into literate and illiterate based on the results of the vote. Since the parliamentary elections on June 21, 2021, new dangerous manifestations have emerged that foster division, insult, hatred, and intolerance among groups of people. This concerns artificial divisions deepening the polarization of society into ‘rural and urban residents’, ‘literate and illiterate’, ‘backward and developed,’ which is linked to the results of the elections. The foundation of this vicious discourse includes condemnable theses that insult people with expressions like ‘former and new’, ‘black and white’, ‘trash’, ‘zombie’, ‘sold,’ ‘traitor’ and so on. More specifically, certain opposition circles and their supporters state that urban residents, intellectuals, and educated individuals voted for them. Certain representatives and supporters of the government retaliate with insulting expressions towards the opposition and their supporters, leading to a back-and-forth of insults. As a result, all of society finds itself in a closed chain of tension due to insults, curses, and rebukes.

The situation is further inflamed by the fake accounts acting or directed by the circles supporting the government and opposition, which have not only continued but have become more aggressive on specific issues. It was commendable and important that the Prime Minister called to end the insults and stop the hatred during the gathering on June 21, especially as the call was directed at his own political associates and supporters. It is expected that the representatives of the government, especially those individuals who have held or occupy high-ranking positions and are perceived as senior representatives of the government in society, should follow this call first and foremost. Unfortunately, some of them have shown the opposite with their condemnable behavior.

The behavior exhibited by Eduard Aghajanyan, the former chief of staff of the Prime Minister, who is officially represented as a member of the ruling faction formed in the newly elected National Assembly based on the results of parliamentary snap elections, is an example of how representatives of the government, particularly high-ranking officials, should not conduct themselves. He, specifically, ignored the Prime Minister’s call and made a statement with openly insulting formulations directed at society or at least part of it, using condemnable vocabulary such as ‘intellectual fools,’ ‘the Armenian people been brought to their knees,’ ‘will always bring to their knees.’ This openly provocative post has sparked discussions filled with insults both under his own and other posts. It has gained wide circulation online and has become a subject of analysis in the media, further contributing to the increase of intolerance.

Moreover, the mentioned individual’s posts and comments reflect a sarcastic approach towards society or at least a part of it, juxtaposing his apparent advantages against society and irresponsibly allowing the deepening of division. The Ombudsman calls on all political forces, public figures, and clergy to refrain from actions that polarize society and increase tension, from words or phrases that contain insults or promote hatred. One must consider even the figurative meanings of words or expressions and their possible interpretations in society. Attacks from all forms of fake armies must be excluded. The role of journalists and media outlets is crucial, and they must be more attentive to the nature of the information they disseminate and the headlines of the materials. And individuals with political status or holding public positions must take into account that they, regardless of working days or hours, whether on vacation or not, do not stop being officials and are bound by the limits of their legal status; deviations from this are violations of law. A person should not be subjected to discrimination based on political views. Any process should be based on the rule of law, and any initiative should be grounded in human rights.”