Human rights activist Artur Sakunts does not consider the mass killings of homosexuals in the “Pulse” nightclub in the US city of Orlando as a result of the growth of intolerance towards homosexuals. “One person is accused of the crime who truly is a US citizen but still has not perceived the principles and the content of the civic culture of this country. Better to say, I attribute the possible causes of this crime by the situation in the home country of this person – Afghanistan – for many years. Afghanistan is at a war for about 40 years, in the claws of totalitarian culture and violence.
Despite the huge efforts made by the international peacekeeping mission, the violence in that country has not yet been managed to overcome as the only means to solve the problems. Peace is not established, the routine living conditions are not yet established. This crime is an evident proof of the fact on how the public morals and manners and personal atmosphere existing in the culture of violence affect the everyday life,” – said the human rights activist. The incidents in Orlandi reminded him of the blowing up the DIY nightclub of homosexuals in Yerevan years ago, “But what is the essential difference between these two cases? The obvious condemning attitude by the authorities in the US towards the crime, and obvious support attitude by separate representatives of the RA authorities towards blowing up the DIY nightclub in Yerevan. For me, the political is placed on this dimension: what is the attitude of the authorities towards such crimes. There is eventually one main problem: the deterioration of general attitude to human rights in different countries throughout the world. The human civilization, the democratic countries bearing its basic values have to withstand a full bunch of new challenges: rapid growth of migration, and a huge uncontrolled flow of migrants and refugees to their countries, restrictions on human freedoms and rights in separate countries, regress in these countries in the fulfillment of the commitments assumed by them. And in such conditions, the supporters to solve problems are few, so as the resources than those who generate these problems, the instigators, moreover the promoters who generate these problems. And in the atmosphere of general regression of such human rights, the rights of more vulnerable groups become more vulnerable. I think it should be obvious for us – the citizens of the Republic of Armenia – that encouraging violence, the encroachment on human rights both domestic and foreign are serious challenges for the development of the country. And this development can be guaranteed only in the event of democratic and legitimate state when everyone’s right to self-expression is respected, also pluralism and diversity is ensured. We are not so rich in resources and time to allow us to get engrossed in medieval inquisition claws and then spend and waste many years and try hard to come out of this nightmare.”
Arpine SIMONYAN
