Freedom House concerned about outbreak of violent and hateful rhetroic used by Armenian parties running in snap elections
YEREVAN, June 10. /ARKA/. The Freedom House said in a statement on June 9 that it shares Armenia's human rights defender Arman Tatoyan's concerns about deepening polarization in the country triggered by upcoming snap parliamentary elections scheduled to take place on June 20.
Tatoyan earlier urged all political parties and blocs contesting the polls to avoid calls for violence and hate speech.
The Freedom House said it was concerned with the disturbing outbreak of violent and hateful rhetoric used by Armenian politicians in the election period, saying 'these actions drive destructive polarization and hate speech in society as the country recovers from the Nagorno-Karabakh war and prepares for historic parliamentary elections.'
Campaigning in the town of Talin earlier this week acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said after the elections there would be vendettas against those heads of communities and enterprises who are making their employees participate in opposition's rallies.
He said the staff purges would target those officials who took advantage of the 2018 velvet revolution to huddle in the corridors of the people’s power and play the role of Trojan horses during all this time.
Ex-president Serzh Sargsyan in turn unveiled a 'smearing' audio recording against Pashinyan saying after listening to it all would spit on him. -0-
