US Ambassador Responds to Tughrul Tovmasyan's Urgent Letter in Armenia

Chairwoman of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Human Rights and Public Affairs, Tughrul Tovmasyan, writes on her social media page:

“We expect political factions to operate within their available democratic processes in parliament. The US Ambassador to Armenia, Lynne Tracy, has responded to my urgent letter regarding the recall of Ishkhan Saghatelyan from the position of Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly and the termination of Vahe Hakobyan’s powers as the head of the Standing Committee on Economic Affairs, following the ruling faction's circulation of draft decisions in the National Assembly. In a timely manner, I prepared and sent letters to international organizations and ambassadors accredited to Armenia, drawing my colleagues' urgent attention to the mentioned drafts, indicating that, as becomes clear from their justifications, the ruling faction has taken such initiatives due to the parliamentary work boycott by opposition lawmakers (non-participation in votes, absences from National Assembly council and standing committee meetings), and due to opinions expressed during protests and marches.

Regarding the boycott, I noted that according to the European Court of Human Rights, a boycott is a form of expressing dissenting opinion and is protected under Article 10 of the Convention, and that especially parliamentary boycotts are widespread in all democratic states.

As for the opinions and calls expressed by the opposition during protests and marches, these are also protected by Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights (freedom of expression). If government lawmakers believe they contain violations of criminal law, they should be subject to criminal legal evaluation; otherwise, they are fully protected under domestic and international norms regarding freedom of expression, and thus, lawmakers cannot be penalized for them.

In this matter, I asked my colleagues to publicly address the behavior of the ruling faction, which goes against democratic principles.

In response, US Ambassador Lynne Tracy states: “The United States is inclined to partner with Armenia to strengthen democratic institutions that reflect our common values. We expect political factions to work within their available democratic processes in parliament, as established by Armenian legislation.

We leave the legality of the decisions adopted on July 1 in parliament regarding the removal of opposition members from their positions to the relevant Armenian authorities. We also emphasize that a constructive opposition plays an important role in every democracy. The United States is inclined to support the Armenian people as they continue to pursue a democratic agenda. I appreciate your constructive efforts in this regard,” concludes Ambassador Tracy.