Strongly Condemned: Tatoyan and the Ombudsman of Artsakh Issue Joint Statement

The former Human Rights Defender of Armenia, Arman Tatoyan, and the Human Rights Defender of Artsakh, Gegham Stepanyan, have issued a joint statement, which we present below.

“It is strongly condemned that the authorities of the Republic of Armenia have engaged in rhetoric of directed hatred against the people of Artsakh, which was also expressed in the statements made by the Prime Minister of Armenia in the National Assembly on June 12. Following that, the expressions of insults and hate speech against the people of Artsakh have intensified on various social media platforms, with manifestations of mocking them.

This deplorable phenomenon of blaming the people of Artsakh, who have fallen victim to ethnic cleansing, for everything and targeting them on every issue is becoming a reason for the generation and widespread distribution of hatred against them in society.

There are numerous examples where this campaign is being promoted and even directed by the Armenian Public Television, which, instead of contributing to the integration of forcibly displaced Artsakh residents into the Armenian society and fostering public solidarity, is becoming a participant in generating hatred against a segment of the Armenian population. The public television's policy, as a company established by the Government, clearly indicates that this is a deliberate policy of the authorities.

In addition to the above, there are numerous testimonies that prove the targeted behavior of police representatives towards Artsakh residents detained from gathering places, which is accompanied by degrading expressions. Representatives of the law enforcement agencies accuse the Artsakh residents of the loss of Artsakh, using offensive expressions such as having ‘no place’ in Armenia, being ‘guests’, and so on.

The criminal prosecutions against the community leaders of Artsakh, specifically the mayors of Stepanakert, Martakert, Askeran, and Haterk, are accompanied by obvious political sponsorship and have no legal basis. The authorities of Armenia have no jurisdiction over the obligations of community or state officials of Artsakh or the examination of their actions.

The Armenian authorities have themselves turned away from all legal, political, and even moral interactions with Artsakh. The prosecutions against the aforementioned mayors began, and they have been deprived of their freedom for participating in, or expressing support for, civil gatherings in Armenia.”