Court rulings create impression of double justice in Armenia – Human Rights Defender

Criminal liability for speech should only arise in the most extreme cases, Human Rights Defender Anahit Manasyan told journalists, commenting on the question of why Narek Samsonyan and Vazgen Saghatelyan are under arrest for using insults.

“It is not excluded that there can be criminal liability for speech, but the state must clearly show how this type of speech crossed the line and why the person was subjected to criminal liability.

Competent authorities must demonstrate where the boundary was crossed, which led us to consider it subject to criminal liability, and they must clearly show the criteria. Otherwise, we may face collective irresponsibility. This is also my demand—to eliminate discretionary standards and to show these criteria, so that it is also clear in terms of public communication,” she said.

In her remarks, the Human Rights Defender emphasized that while the judiciary addresses issues through court rulings, the overall impression among people is that Armenia operates under a system of double justice.