‘If Aliyev Stops for a Month, Will Hatred Disappear? Don’t Say That’ - Tatoyan's Call to Officials

Hatred and animosity toward not only Armenia and Artsakh but also anything related to Armenian identity is being perpetuated by Azerbaijan. This was stated today by Armenia’s Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan during a meeting with journalists, presenting a new urgent report based on evidence regarding the new developments and dangers of Azerbaijani anti-Armenian policies in the post-war period.

“It is particularly important to note that the Azerbaijani authorities are targeting ordinary people. For example, statements such as ‘Armenians are a barbaric nation that exhumed corpses to melt gold teeth and sell them' are made. Comparisons aimed at instigating hatred among people are also being drawn, such as calling us ‘dogs, jackals, and people with sick psyches,’” the defender quoted statements from the Azerbaijani president.

Tatoyan emphasized that they have tried to understand the source of such expressions: “We found a special dictionary by Popov from 1919, which explains that the term ‘gavur’, known to all of us as ‘infidel’, was also used to refer to ‘dog’. This term was used by the Turkish people as an insult against all those who were considered ‘infidels’. Thus, it has been used in this context during and after the war, becoming a slogan.”

According to Arman Tatoyan, Azerbaijani propaganda seeks to instill the notion that if you are Armenian, you possess negative traits: “Recently, the president of Azerbaijan stated that ‘Armenians are poisoned, and that poison comes from the diaspora.’”

Tatoyan noted that our officials often discuss the hate speech of the Azerbaijani president: “I want to emphasize that this is not merely rhetoric, but a policy implemented over the years, starting from education. It is wrong to say that Azerbaijani authorities or the president should stop this rhetoric. And then what? Imagine if rhetoric ceased for a month, would hatred disappear? We must understand what real politics entails.”

The Human Rights Defender also pointed out that after the war, people in Azerbaijan calling for peace have faced such severe attacks that they were forced to leave the country. “The owner of the ‘Anderson’ cafe called for peace between the two countries but was subjected to attacks, forcing him to close his business and leave,” he said.