Taghuhy Tovmasyan on Resignation Rumors

National Assembly member Taghuhy Tovmasyan has stated that she will not resign from her position as chairperson of the Standing Committee on Human Rights Protection and Public Affairs. This was announced by the parliament member on her Facebook page.

“Today, the political authority made a decision to deprive opposition members of their administrative positions. As I announced yesterday, this was a political vendetta by Nikol Pashinyan against opposition figures, regarding which I will continue to raise international concerns,” Tovmasyan wrote.

In solidarity with Ishkhan Saghatelyan and Vahe Hakobyan, other colleagues also resigned from their administrative positions. “I weighed my decision carefully before making it. And I must make several observations: If it was about collegial solidarity, then we all should have collectively resigned from our parliamentary mandates after Arthur Vanetsyan. Last year, I had already stated that all opposition members should resign their mandates on the condition that no subsequent members would accept the mandates given to them. In other words, I have never been attached to the mandate,” she elaborated.

The mandate of an MP, like the status of committee chair, is a temporary power given by the people through elections to serve the citizen. The Standing Committee on Human Rights Protection and Public Affairs is not an administrative position but a mission, a tool for opposition MPs in their fight.

I believe that at this stage, especially when the fate of our compatriots in Artsakh is being determined, when serious issues regarding violations of the rights of citizens of the Artsakh Republic and the Republic of Armenia are being recorded, there is a need for action.

In the situation created, where I have repeatedly raised alerts about the signals that all sectors related to human rights protection in Armenia are essentially under the complete control of the ruling party (courts, investigative bodies, prosecutor's office, etc.), the chairmanship of the Standing Committee on Human Rights Protection and Public Affairs has remained one of the key links that addresses the rights violations of a significant portion of our society that does not share the viewpoints of the authorities on various issues. And it is not right to deprive that significant portion of society of this important link, which provides the opportunity to continuously and consistently address the protection of our compatriots' rights in this critical situation.

Therefore, agreeing with the concerns expressed by my opposition colleagues regarding the existing dangers, threats, and challenges facing our country, as well as the need to counter them, I have decided to continue my activities as the PROFESSIONAL INDEPENDENT CHAIRPERSON of the Standing Committee on Human Rights Protection and Public Affairs. Protecting human rights is a mission that transcends party lines,” she concluded.