Armenian Ombudsperson calls on political forces to rule out hate speech in public discourse

The Human Rights Defender of Armenia, Anahit Manasyan, called on all political forces to avoid hate speech, discrimination, incitement to violence, and any other forms of expression that exceed the limits of freedom of speech. Manasyan made the remarks in parliament while presenting her 2025 annual report to lawmakers, in reference to challenges in the field of freedom of expression.

The Ombudsperson emphasized that in Armenia, freedom of expression is sometimes perceived as an unlimited right, which leads to the spread of hate, discrimination, and speech inciting violence.

Manasyan stressed that freedom of expression has clear limits and that everyone plays a key role in fostering a culture of responsibility in society.

At the same time, she expressed concern over the inconsistent application of accountability mechanisms in cases of violations of freedom of expression, particularly criminal liability, noting that differentiated approaches often create a perception of arbitrariness.

Manasyan highlighted the importance of establishing a unified practice in the application of criminal liability and using this tool only in cases that pose sufficient public danger.

She also found it problematic that such forms of speech, which constitute violations of conduct rules, rarely result in disciplinary accountability measures.

Especially in the context of the pre-election period, Manasyan called on all political forces to exclude from their political discourse any discriminatory language, hate speech, incitement to violence, and any other forms of expression that violate the limits of freedom of expression.