Pashinyan’s statement “There will be war if you don’t elect us” is not a crime, but a political assessment – minister

I am certain that expressing such thoughts is not a crime; it is a political assessment, stated Armenia’s Minister of Justice Srbuhi Galyan, responding to a question from Artsvik Minasyan, a deputy of the Armenia faction, about whether statements by government officials, including the Prime Minister – such as “there will be war if you don’t elect us” before the elections – constitute a crime.

“Why don’t we apply the same standard to the opposition and their statements, and consider the vocabulary they use? I won’t quote directly, but the Prime Minister said that opposition forces are pursuing a policy that revises the peace established between Armenia and Azerbaijan. This implies taking a path that could lead to war, and that is a political assessment,” Galyan explained.

Galyan emphasized that the people will decide who will hold power through free and fair elections, and proposed launching a joint initiative to inform citizens and political forces on what is prohibited – for example, that hate speech is not allowed and discrimination is prohibited.

“I am ready to join all such initiatives,” she added.