On October 4-5, in cooperation with the Human Rights
Defender and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, a two-day discussion on
"Raising Awareness of Hate Speech" was organized in Tsaghkadzor.
The purpose of the event was to discuss the problems of
hate speech, in particular, manifestations of hatred spread through social
media and mass media, their causes, international standards for combating them,
as well as to address the most frequently targeted groups. The event was
attended by deputies of the National Assembly, representatives of the National
Assembly, the judiciary, the Prosecutor's Office, the Television and Radio
Commission, as well as the Human Rights Defender’s Office.
In her opening speech, the Human Rights Defender of the
Republic of Armenia, Ms. Anahit Manasyan
highlighted the importance of consistent efforts aimed at preventing hate
speech, emphasizing that such speech not only undermines social solidarity, but
also endangers the strengthening of democratic values.
“In Armenia, hate speech has alarming scale and is used
almost on a daily basis. It is widely spread both by professional and academic
communities, as well as by public and political figures. This is a highly
dangerous trend that can lead to profound negative consequences. Therefore, it
is necessary to combat this phenomenon through joint, solidary and consistent
efforts. In this context, both the National Assembly and public and political
figures bear a special responsibility in the formation and implementation of
effective tools for the prevention of hate speech and the fight against it. It
is vital that all actors clearly realize that hate speech is unacceptable under
any circumstances,” stated Ms. Anahit Manasyan.
Continuing her speech, the Human Rights Defender also
highlighted the role of the media, emphasizing that the informational
environment should not serve as a platform for spreading hate speech but rather
for raising public awareness about lawful expression and strengthening social
solidarity.
Opening remarks were also made by Mr. Jakob Wöllenstein,
Head of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation's Political Dialogue South Caucasus
Regional Program, and Mr. Rustam Bakoyan, Acting Chair of the Standing
Committee on Human Rights Protection and Public Affairs of the National
Assembly of the Republic of Armenia.
During the discussion, international experience, legal
approaches and media responsibility issues were presented. The event also
included group work and panel discussions, during which the participants
discussed practical situations, trying to jointly develop effective mechanisms
to combat hate speech and raise awareness.
The main discussions were moderated by national expert
Mr. Ara Ghazaryan and international expert, human rights defender Mr. Adnan
Kadribasic. Issues related to the jurisdiction and cooperation of various
actors were presented by the Human Rights Defender Ms. Anahit Manasyan, members
of the National Assembly, Judge of the Criminal Court of Appeal of the Republic
of Armenia Mr. Arsen Nikoghosyan, member of the Television and Radio Commission
Ms. Gohar Mamikonyan, and representative of the Prosecutor General’s Office Mr.
Hayk Hovhannisyan.
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