Holding hate accountable: Artsakh residents take legal action

ArmInfo.  A protest by residents of Artsakh took place outside the Prosecutor General's Office of Armenia in Yerevan, signaling further instances of  incitement to hatred against them in the country.

In an interview with journalists, Anastas Israelyan, founder of the  "Reviving Artsakh" movement, said they had come to submit a complaint  to the Prosecutor General's Office regarding a new case of incitement  to hatred against the Artsakh population. Specifically, he pointed  out that an offensive post about Artsakh mothers and women had been  circulating on social media. Israelyan did not disclose the identity  of the person who disseminated the recording, but he expressed his  belief that such incidents are not random and are intended to deep  divisions within society.

"This situation is not new; it has been ongoing  for quite some time.  We cannot say for certain which forces or specific representatives  are orchestrating this, but we are convinced that if such incidents  remain unaddressed by the Armenian authorities, then someone is  behind it. We cannot rule out the possibility that the incitement of  hatred against the people of Artsakh is being carried out at the  state level. The inaction of the Armenian authorities indicates to  their  signature behind these actions ," Israelyan asserted.

During the protest, Anastas Israelyan, along with Erik Beglaryan,  Chairman of the Artsakh Chamber of Advocates, submitted a statement  demanding that the Prosecutor General of Armenia pay attention to  this incident, take appropriate action, and punish those responsible.  "The people of Artsakh are in a vulnerable position today, as they  still cannot come to terms with what happened to them, and their pain  is doubled by situations like these. It is hardly surprising, given  that even cases of incitement to hatred by high-ranking officials go  unnoticed. This is precisely why we are facing this situation today.  But we will be consistent in our actions and continue to seek  accountability for these cases," the founder of the "Reviving  Artsakh" movement noted.

Beglaryan recalled the incident between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol  Pashinyan and Armine Mosiyan, the daughter of field commander  Meruzhan Mosiyan, who died in the Artsakh Liberation War in 1993, in  the Yerevan metro. He believes that the lack of an appropriate  response to such situations by law enforcement agencies is what leads  to the spread of hate speech against the people of Artsakh. 

It should be noted that, in the wake of the upcoming parliamentary  elections in Armenia on June 7, 2026, attacks against the people of  Artsakh have recently increased. Moreover, Artsakhphobia is in most  cases fueled by representatives of the ruling party or media outlets  controlled by them, as well as supporters of current Armenian Prime  Minister Nikol Pashinyan.