There Will Be Insults and Offenses; I Will Respond in Kind – Pashinyan

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan shared his thoughts about the harsh words aimed at him and his family on his Facebook page.

“When the most vulgar language is used against me, my family members, and my supporters, I am not the leader of the country. But when I retaliate, I am already the leader of the country who should not allow such things. Yet everything can be permitted against me, my family members, and my supporters. I understand that the leader of the country has greater restrictions than the opposition. However, the opposition also has its limits. If the opposition has no limits whatsoever, how can the leader of the country defend himself, his family members, and his supporters who are targeted in the same way?”

Pashinyan further explained, “Should we resort to illegal methods? That is unacceptable and intolerable. Should we impose punishments for severe offenses? We tried that, but the noise was the same, that freedom of speech is being restricted in Armenia. Should we file political lawsuits to the court? The uproar will be the same, claiming that freedom of speech is under pressure. Besides, with whose money and how much will we go to court? After all, it is an expense. Who will fund those expenses? With personal, family, or party budgets, it's not possible. With the state budget, the same noise will occur.”

Pashinyan emphasized that he can no longer tolerate insults directed at his family and supporters, stating, “Therefore, my position is clear. If there are sharp criticisms in a regular vocabulary, I will behave in the same way. If there are insults and offenses, I will respond in kind. If there is respect, I will respond with respect. Expect nothing else.”

He called upon all his supporters to behave similarly, asserting, “There is no alternative. Either there will be a public consensus on this issue and we will have a civilized debate no matter how sharp it is, or it will be either a blow for blow, perhaps not one for one, but ten for one, or even twenty for one; it will definitely happen and it will be very strong. Expect nothing else. I myself am in favor of civilized debate. But this is not an issue that I decide; let it be decided by those in the opposing political camp.”

In conclusion, Pashinyan suggested that civil society and the public demand the criminalization of severe insults, adding, “And let us form a public consensus around this.”