Talin community head threatens Artsakh refugee who refuses to listen  to ruling party`s campaign platform

ArmInfo.  The head of the Talin community, Tavros Sapeyan, threatened an Artsakh refugee, a mother of nine, who had refused to hear out the ruling Civil Contract party's election platform. A video widely circulated across Armenian social media shows a group of ruling party activists, led by Sapeyan, entering the courtyard of the home where the displaced Artsakh family resides, as part of their election campaign.

Sapeyan and his supporters ignored the woman's request not to enter  her home, as she was not interested in politics. Instead of  respecting the woman's request and leaving, Sapeyan and his team  began ascending the stairs to the woman's house. Furthermore, the  head of Talin began issuing threats against the woman, accusing her  and other displaced persons of fleeing Artsakh instead of staying  behind to defend it. He then rebuked the woman over the social  assistance the state provides to her as a mother of nine, attributing  this state aid as a personal merit of the ruling party led by Nikol  Pashinyan. "We and Nikol Pashinyan (the Prime Minister of Armenia -  ed.) are at the head of the state. Who helped you and your children?  Whose house are you living in now? With this kind of behavior, you  won't live in Armenia for long, and you'll have to buy a ticket to  Russia," Sapeyan began to threaten.

In response, the woman agreed that under current circumstances, no  one would be able to live in Armenia for long. "Why [should I have to  buy a ticket to Russia]? What, does this belong to the enemy too? I  prefer to die with dignity than to perish in humiliation. We lived  [on our land], we fought until the very last minute. To those who  think we should have died there—know that this fate awaits you too.  Do not politicize this; we already told you we are not interested in  any political force. What are you threatening me with? I do not  accept you, that's it. You go into every village and threaten its  residents, enough is enough," the woman shouted after the departing  head of the Talin community.

Political activist Manuel Manukyan has already commented on this  incident, calling on Armenian law enforcement agencies, independent  observers, and all relevant agencies to assess the incident. "This is  outright blackmail: they're claiming state programs for themselves  and making political demands on our compatriots living in villages.  They're threatening people that if their forces aren't elected,  they'll have to 'buy a ticket to Russia.' They're even blackmailing a  mother of nine. This is unacceptable behavior, especially toward  people with social problems and war survivors," Manukyan wrote.