My Students Have Never Heard Opposition Speeches in the Classroom: Arayik Harutyunyan

When a Spanish MP visits and expresses such a stance in the territory of the Republic of Armenia, it indicates that this state and our government is aimed at developing democratic processes, not shying away from what we consider unjust criticism, but rather listening to it and taking it into account. This was stated by the Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister Arayik Harutyunyan during a briefing with reporters in the National Assembly, responding to the fact that during the parliamentary assembly of the Eastern Partnership, European MP Nacho Sanchez reprimanded the Armenian authorities, saying that they send 20-40 police officers after people for speaking out, throw them in prison, and reminded that such actions are not taken in democratic states.

Addressing the situation where the child of a ruling party member filmed an opposition lecturer at Yerevan State University and submitted it to the rector, resulting in the lecturer's dismissal, and a question about why no child of an RPA member filmed any of his opposition lectures while he was teaching, Harutyunyan stated, “My students have never heard opposition speeches or comments in the classroom. My lectures have been exclusively within the framework of the subjects. The rector of Yerevan State University decided to dismiss me on April 22, 2018, but on April 23, that order disappeared. Before that, there had been attempts to exert pressure and restrict my activities, but I believe that the same leadership of Yerevan State University, including rector Aram Simonian, had very serious concerns that any potential restrictions would have much worse consequences for YSU than my restrictions.”