After the DIY club was burned, there has been a broad public discussion through press and television recently – by the way, representatives of different political forces have also made their assessments. How will you assess that arson and the fact that afterwards a set of members of the opposition Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) and the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) encouraged the persons who performed that deed?
* The arson of the DIY club is an unlawful deed – terrorism or hooliganism (let the court decide that) – and should be punished in accordance with the legislation of the Republic of Armenia. I will not talk about the response of the ARF, since it is controversial and contradictory. As to the RPA, it is strange for me that high-ranking officials of this party explicitly or implicitly encourage the people who performed that act, adding xenophobic phrases against a part of the Armenian society. On one hand, there is much desire to distract the society’s attention from the disgraceful election and many other issues, for which the ruling coalition is directly
responsible, on the other hand, the RPA has shown many times that it doesn’t respect laws adopted by itself. What they say also contradicts the UN Declaration on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity submitted to the UN General Assembly in 2008 and signed also by the Armenian government representatives (that declaration reads, “We condemn the human rights violations based on sexual orientation or gender identity wherever they occur… We urge States to ensure that human rights violations based on sexual orientation or gender identity are investigated and perpetrators held accountable and brought to justice.” – Aravot). Discriminatory attitude toward citizens is banned also by the Armenian laws and the Constitution they proposed and that is in force today. On the other hand, I think that if they hadn’t been engaged in populism, but had honestly thought that these laws “distort the national image of us, Armenians,” they either would have been against such laws at the time or would have initiated amendments to the respective laws in the National Assembly that has been their puppet. They would have also initiated adequate amendments to the articles of association and other founding documents of the EPP, an observer-member of which the RPA became this February.
* In your opinion, what can the started discussion reach?
Read also
* I think the government should end unhealthy interest in others’ sexual life or religion and fulfill its direct duties. Every citizen of the Republic of Armenia, who respects the Constitution of the country, fulfills the duties provided for by the law, can fully exercise the rights provided for by those very laws, including right to privacy. And those who encourage unlawful deeds and any kind of xenophobia strike a direct blow not only to the constitutional liberties of the citizens of the Republic of Armenia, to the civil harmony and national unity, but also to our country’s international reputation and security.
