CSO Anti-Corruption Coalition of Armenia condemns the incident that took place in the RA National Assembly on 8 May, 2020. The Velvet Revolution in the Republic of Armenia two years ago marked a new stage in the development of our country, where human rights and dignity should have been paramount, freedom of speech should be valued, and violence and hate speech should be condemned in all its forms. The Strategy for the Protection of Human Rights for 2020-2022” adopted by the Government of the Republic of Armenia is a proof of that.

The Coalition is convinced that calls for violence and hatred pose an even greater threat when they are addressed by officials delegated to prevent them, in this case the officials sent for their prevention, in this case by the NA deputies.

We believe that the representatives of all the political forces delegated to the National Assembly by the citizens of the Republic of Armenia should tolerate healthy criticism and solve the existing issues and problems exclusively in the context of constructive dialogue and compromises.

The Coalition calls:

To the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia to form an ethics committee to examine the behavior of all the deputies involved in the 8 May incident and the facts of violation of the rules of ethics by them, and to give an objective assessment of what happened.

Governing Board of the CSO Anti-Corruption Coalition of Armenia