The
Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Armenia, Ms. Anahit Manasyan, condemns
the widespread use of hate speech, discrimination, and intolerance by public
figures and officials based on ethnicity or national origin.
Monitoring
of mass media and social media platforms by the Human Rights Defender’s Office
indicates that such speech has been widely disseminated in recent days.
The
use of such hate speech is particularly evident within the activities of local
government bodies, as well as within the framework of the current local
government election processes.
The
Defender recalls that the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance
has also addressed the hate speech based on ethnic or national origin in
Armenia, noting the problems in that area in Armenia and the need to take
concrete steps to eliminate hate speech, including emphasizing the need of
fostering respect for diversity in society through education, as well as steps
to prevent discrimination against any person or group of persons based on
ethnic or national origin.
The
Human Rights Defender considers that in a number of cases, specific ethnic or
national origin is used as an insult by officials and public figures. Moreover,
such hate speech is also widely disseminated by the mass media.
The
Defender emphasizes that both representatives of public authority, public
figures, and the mass media must play an active role not only in excluding such
speech from their side, but also in counteracting such speech.
The
Human Rights Defender calls for refraining from hate speech and discrimination,
emphasizing the importance of fostering respect for diversity in society, as
well as taking necessary and sufficient steps to prevent discrimination against
any individuals or groups based on ethnic or national origin.
The
Defender also emphasizes the importance of eliminating manifestations of
discrimination against national minorities in the Republic of Armenia.
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