Oh, you wretched ones, you had absolute power in Armenia with your oligarchic thick necks, killing people in bathrooms: Simonyan

The President of the National Assembly of Armenia, Alen Simonyan, wrote on his Telegram page: “Recently, several representatives of the former regime and their sycophants were grinding their teeth and speaking about me, claiming that I cannot walk in the streets without security. They assume, as if anyone who sees me would attack, beat, or even kill me. This claim is so ridiculous, so meaningless, and so indicative of those who say such things that it hardly deserves comment.

First of all, yes, it is quite possible that some people may indeed attack me, they may beat me, they may even attempt to kill me, as has happened with the presidents of the National Assembly of Armenia, and so on. I want to understand why these Kocharian-Serj sycophants and rejected agents, who drown their past sorrows in wine to keep living, are so rattled. They cannot articulate their substance, so they threaten with physical retribution? They say that I spend the entire night worrying about not being able to sleep? In what country does the President of the National Assembly operate without security staff, parliamentary or not?

I understand that I have been trampling both them and their leaders for years, and their words and minds are not sufficient to argue or respond, not even to be audible. Or do they want to bring me into a ‘thug’ arena, to say that I cannot even walk out onto the street? I am a public official, I have no ambitions of being a thug, and overall, it’s not like you are some kind of authority or could be.

Finally, oh, you wretched ones, you had absolute power in Armenia with your oligarchic thick necks, state bodies, courts, killing people in bathrooms and beating them in ‘meeting rooms.’ I and my friends brought the people out, you handed over the power with your heads bowed. Or, well, since you’re talking about security, I want to ask: which of your leaders goes to the store, to the cinema, or walks in the streets without security? Security cannot even leave the street with them.

Half-jokingly, half-seriously, I say: the issue of security and status is largely a constraint on me, rather than a protection from you. And remember, I have always been able to do a little more than you, or certainly, than your bosses,” wrote National Assembly President Alen Simonyan.