Human rights defender strongly condemns death penalty performance  during opposition rally

ArmInfo. The Office of the  Human Rights Defender monitors rallies organized by both the  government and the opposition. In this regard, the Ombudsman of  Armenia Arman Tatoyan made the following statement:

“One of the goals  of holding free peaceful assemblies is to provide a platform for  public discussion and the possibility of open protest, especially if   there are events of public importance, to which the population  considers it necessary to urgently respond.

However, the Office of the Human Rights Defender recorded  unacceptable phenomena, both at the rallies of the opposition and the  authorities, where there is a high level of insults and hatred, which  is even more pronounced in social networks. This causes serious  concern, primarily in the sense that it leads society to polarization   and radicalization>. In particular, Arman Tatoyan strongly condemned  the performance of the death penalty during an opposition rally on  Baghramyan Avenue. “It is especially condemnatory that the production  was shown during a mass gathering of people. Moreover, the event was   broadcast live in mass media aimed at the general public, including,  obviously, children could see the broadcast, ”he stressed.

In this context, the Ombudsman noted that the organizers of the   rallies, regardless of whether they are supporters of the   authorities or the opposition, must exercise maximum vigilance,   restraint, do everything to ensure the peaceful nature of the rally   and exclude any phenomena leading to increased tension.

“It should be borne in mind that the country is already in a   difficult post-war period, and society is in an understandable   emotional tense state.

All processes in our country should proceed exclusively in a   democratic manner, provided for by the Constitution and the laws of   the Republic of Armenia, in conditions of exceptional respect and   consent in relation to human rights, "Tatoyan emphasized.

At the same time, he expressed concern about the failed meeting in  the parliament, initiated by the opposition factions, as a result of  which the topical issues on the agenda were not discussed. "The  passivity of democratic institutions and, first of all, the   parliament negatively affects the peaceful resolution of the   situation and can increase tensions in the country," the Ombudsman  emphasized.  It should be noted that yesterday on Baghramyan Avenue,  opposition activist Narek Malyan played the performance "Ceausescu's   Shooting or the Death of a Traitor".