This article was originally published by the International Observatory for Democracy in Armenia (IODA)

Compiled from news sources

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan was campaigning today in Yerevan’s Arabkir district, where a heated argument broke out with one of the citizens present, causing tensions to escalate.

A woman who approached Nikol Pashinyan said, “I am Armenian,” and continued: “I thank God for giving me the opportunity to look into your eyes from this close distance and tell you that you stole my homeland and continue to steal my homeland. You destroyed an entire young generation of my nation. You stole my brother, my children, my joy. You tried to humiliate us, but it is you who have been humiliated. Do you know how many high-ranking officers we still have missing? In eight years, you should at least have done one good thing — even the health insurance you created was paid for with my money.”

Pashinyan replied: “We created health insurance, we created a state…” The woman interrupted him and again said: “You tried to humiliate us…”

Nikol Pashinyan cited the number of missing persons, to which the woman responded: “You are lying.” This angered Pashinyan, who told her to “speak properly.”

At this point, tensions further escalated. “If you are Rob, I’m going to bring Rob to his knees, Rob is going to go to prison, I’m going to kill Rob,” Pashinyan shouted back, referring to former President Robert Kocharyan. “I’m also going to bring the Kaluga man (Russian-Armenian billionaire Samvel Karapetyan) to his knees and kill him. Serzh [Sargsyan] and Gago [Tsarukyan] as well.” In making the threat, Pashinyan used the derogatory Armenian verb «սատկացնել» (satkatsnel), a term normally reserved for killing animals.

After saying what she wanted to say, the woman attempted to leave, but Nikol Pashinyan, pulling her by the arm, told her: “One minute, don’t go, you have to stay and listen.” The woman accused Pashinyan of “destroying the country.” The Prime Minister responded: “You are the ones who destroyed it, you looted it through Karabakh. And I say this to those masked people with the Karabakh accent spreading videos — you are runaway punks, take off your masks, you scoundrels, you cowards. They spread videos wearing masks and speaking with a Karabakh accent, and we say you are cowards and servants who ran from the battlefield. Take off your masks — Rob’s punks, Serzh’s punks, Gago’s punks, the the Kaluga man’s… I’m going to bring all of you to your knees, one by one I’ll shove those masks where they belong,” Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said angrily.

It should be noted that the female doctor who confronted Nikol Pashinyan is the sister of missing military doctor Lieutenant Colonel Hrant Papikyan, who disappeared during the 44-day war. During the war, he served as head of the medical service of a military unit deployed in the Hadrut direction.

Arpine Sogoyan Urged to Submit a Resignation Letter

Arpine Sogoyan, who argued with Nikol Pashinyan earlier today, was urged to submit a resignation letter, her daughter, attorney Tatevik Sogoyan, told Azatutyun. Her daughter said that her mother is a physician who works at a polyclinic as head of the women’s consultation department and also at a private hospital as an obstetrician-gynecologist. Sogoyan did not specify which institution was involved or who had issued such instructions.

“There was a request conveyed through the appropriate channels for her to submit a resignation letter and leave her position, but my mother did not comply. At this point, we do not know what decision will be made,” she said.

Meanwhile, Hraparak wrote: “The woman who argued with Pashinyan today in Arabkir has been an employee of Yerevan Polyclinic No. 16 for 20 years. Information circulated that following the incident she would be dismissed from her job. According to our information, the director of the polyclinic called the opposition-minded woman and told her to submit a resignation letter, but the woman responded that she would not do so.”

Avinyan Rules It Out

Earlier, Mayor Tigran Avinyan insisted that “it is out of the question for any person to lose their job because of their political views.” “Especially given that we are speaking about a woman who lost her brother and may express her emotions in this way or that way,” the mayor said.

Attempt at Damage Control?

“Since representatives of the opposition are obvious participants in specific crimes, I am saying that, in accordance with the legislation of the Republic of Armenia and as a person vested with the people’s mandate, I am threatening specific individuals that they are going to prison and that they must go to prison,” Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said during a brief exchange with journalists while campaigning in Arabkir, responding to a question about whether statements such as “I’m going to crush them,” “bring them to their knees,” and “shove the masks where they belong” constituted threats directed at the opposition.

When journalists remarked, “Isn’t your rhetoric a physical threat?”, Pashinyan responded: “There may indeed be a physical threat toward those appearing in masks, because we are going to beat them with sticks and kill them. Those who appear wearing masks and carrying automatic weapons on their shoulders — I’m going to find them one by one and kill them. Our law enforcement bodies are going to drag them away while making them eat asphalt and throw them into penitentiary institutions.” In making the threat, Pashinyan used the derogatory Armenian verb «սատկացնել» (satkatsnel), a term normally reserved for killing animals.

Asked whether such rhetoric was appropriate for political discourse or whether it was fitting for the head of government to speak to a woman in such threatening terms, Pashinyan replied: “I did not threaten the woman, I threatened Robik [Robert Kocharyan], and I am saying again now that I am threatening him. If the woman does not realize that she is speaking to the elected representative of the Armenian people, then I speak to her masters in the same way. I did not spare my own family. Anyone who thinks they have given more is deeply mistaken. I did not decide that my family would not suffer losses; the man who was in the same trench as my son was killed, and I did not decide that my son should not die. Those who come and issue threats with a Karabakh accent are all fugitives and cowardly scoundrels, regardless of whatever rank insignia they may have. Some of them are already on trial, and the others should be tried as well. There is a judicial mafia that constantly releases them — the very people who surrendered heights and military positions — so that they can accuse me and carry out a change of power. That is why we say the Constitution must be changed and the status of all judges must be changed.”

Journalists reminded Pashinyan of an earlier incident involving a woman from Artsakh in the Yerevan metro. He said that he had apologized to that woman and added: “I apologize to all women.”

Responding to a question from Azatutyun, Pashinyan showed journalists the video he had referred to and claimed that his political rivals were behind it. “I am threatening the masked individuals with concrete forceful actions, with severe forceful actions — I am going to kill them. I am also threatening my rivals through the legislation and justice system of the Republic of Armenia. I am threatening them over the claims about 5,000 casualties. Specifically, I am threatening Robik, the Kaluga man, Serzh, Gago — I am threatening all of you,” the Prime Minister said.

Asked whether he had evidence that his rivals were behind the video, the Prime Minister responded: “Yes, the evidence is that it corresponds to their rhetoric. And to those speaking in masks, I say: take off your masks, and when they do, you will see that these are the people who fled the battlefield in the very first hours of the war — these are the fugitives I was referring to in the metro incident. I am going to find them one by one, take off their masks, and I already said what I am going to do.”

Narek Karapetyan, nephew of Samvel Karapetyan and head of the “Strong Armenia” electoral list, said today that he suspects the authorities themselves may be behind the video in question.

“He Didn’t Even Say Enough — I Join What Nikol Pashinyan Said”: Alen Simonyan

“I am amazed by the Prime Minister’s nerves; I think they are made of concrete, of iron. I am amazed that he endures everything we are going through — I often cannot endure it myself. It was the opposition that brought this rhetoric and hatred into the political field,” Armenian National Assembly Speaker Alen Simonyan told journalists in response to remarks that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan was using language unfit for political debate.

He added that Nikol Pashinyan had, if anything, not gone far enough in his remarks.

Alen Simonyan then began criticizing journalists, asking why they do not condemn colleagues who, according to him, behave improperly. In response, journalists cited the example of a correspondent from a pro-government media outlet whose conduct, they noted, is ignored by the National Assembly speaker, who frequently targets journalists himself.

When journalists asked whether it was normal for Nikol Pashinyan to use the word «կզացնել» (kzatsnel, force to kneel), and whether such language constituted hate speech, Alen Simonyan responded: “It seems to me that it was Robert Kocharyan who first introduced the word ‘kzatsats’ into circulation. When he says ‘kzatsats,’ what does he mean by it?”

Asked whether it was normal for Nikol Pashinyan to threaten citizens of the Republic of Armenia, Alen Simonyan replied: “I join the Prime Minister’s statements, and I am going to ‘kzatsnel’ Robert Kocharyan and the others politically, legally, and in every other way for what they did against our people. Nothing threatens their supporters — I will speak with them and explain that they are being misled.”

The Armenian slang verb «կզացնել» (kzatsnel) is a vulgar and derogatory expression conveying humiliation, domination, or subjugation, and has no precise equivalent in English.

“His Remaining in Office Is Dangerous for Our Country”: Samvel Karapetyan

Samvel Karapetyan, leader of the “Strong Armenia” party, issued an urgent statement regarding Nikol Pashinyan’s actions and remarks earlier today.

“Today is one of the disgraceful and shameful days for our people. The man who still occupies the office of prime minister displayed an extremely insolent — I would even say unstable — attitude toward the citizens of our country. The man who once said that there are three million prime ministers in our country has lost self-control and his sense of reality. Today, during his campaign event, instead of presenting his electoral program to the people, Pashinyan gave free rein to his hands and attacked the sister of our missing hero,” Samvel Karapetyan said.

He added that even another 20 days of Pashinyan remaining as the country’s leader would be dangerous for Armenia.

“All our adversaries can see the psychological instability of our country’s temporary leader. Every additional day he remains in the office of prime minister weakens our country. We will not allow this — on June 7 our people will put an end to this national disgrace,” Karapetyan stated.

“The Goal Is to Divert Public Discussion Away from Real Problems”: Gagik Tsarukyan

“Two days ago as well, I did not allow myself to lower my class or descend from my level. Basically, he insults others because he has nothing to say, he has no program. For eight years he has deceived the people from the very first day. He deceived us too, he deceived me too,” Gagik Tsarukyan, leader of the “Proposal to Armenia” alliance and chairman of the “Prosperous Armenia” party, declared today in Syunik.

Journalists asked him about the conduct of Prime Minister and Civil Contract’s candidate for prime minister, Nikol Pashinyan.

“If he had a program, he would calmly present it to the people. During various meetings, even when Civil Contract supporters — men or women — approach me, I have said that if the criticism is fair, I will accept it; there is no shame in that. But you should not shout or become aggressive. I have said, ‘Dear Civil Contract supporter, dear sister,’ and explained things very properly, and people have left thanking me and apologizing,” Gagik Tsarukyan said, adding that the main reason behind the shouting and insults is the absence of a program.

The Prosperous Armenia leader believes that such behavior by the authorities also serves another purpose: diverting public discussion away from real issues and transforming political reality into personal insults and scandals.

“The main goal is to drag us into that kind of discourse because he has nothing to say. That is his approach, that is the style of our leader — the same way he negotiated both with our allies and with our enemies, and as a result we have reached the situation we are in today: we have suffered casualties and lost territories.”

“Listen, Nikol, Our People Need You Alive and Well — We Will Do Everything to Ensure Your Safety”: Ishkhan Saghatelyan

“This man has not changed in any way. Since this morning, Pashinyan has been referring to some video which, most likely, he himself produced, allegedly showing a group of Artsakh Armenians in masks threatening to eliminate Pashinyan or take revenge on him. He has taken this video and gone around the streets using it to issue threats left and right, while accusing the opposition of being connected to it. Nothing has changed with this man. It is the same old script, a worn-out script. He did the same thing after the war, during the Resistance Movement, and during the ‘Holy Movement.’ Whenever he finds himself cornered, he stages an assassination or terrorist plot against himself — first to instill fear among the people, and then to justify his illegal actions against the opposition, arrests, and the overthrow of the country’s constitutional order,” Ishkhan Saghatelyan, parliamentary candidate of the “Armenia” alliance and representative of the ARF Armenia Supreme Body, said in a live broadcast responding to Nikol Pashinyan.

“Listen, Nikol, our people need you alive and well. We are going to do everything to ensure your safety, because our people need you alive so that you can explain in court why you surrendered Artsakh, how you became responsible for the deaths of nearly 5,000 people, and who your accomplices were. Why did you bring this betrayal upon our state and our people?” he said.

According to Saghatelyan, Pashinyan constantly portrays the Armenian people as weak and gullible. “Your team is also crying out that they (the masked men in the video) want to kill you. No one wants that — stop your theatrics. You will not succeed through this approach.”

Saghatelyan added that throughout Armenia, whenever people see Pashinyan, they openly tell him who he is. “You are someone who surrendered lands, and now you want to be re-elected in order to surrender more territories. We will not allow your attempts to turn the country into chaos through these elections.”

At the end of his remarks, Saghatelyan addressed Health Minister Anahit Avanesyan: “Instead of dancing in the streets, Anahit Avanesyan should deal with the mental health issues of a mentally ill person.”

“He Understands That He Is Not Winning the Elections”: Marukyan

Edmon Marukyan, chairman of the “Bright Armenia” party and former Armenian ambassador-at-large, said on social media:

“Pashinyan’s escalations today and his disgraceful statements have only one reason. He understands that he is not winning the elections — today this is already an established fact — and therefore he is trying to inflame the themes of Armenia residents versus Karabakh Armenians, former versus current authorities, war versus peace.

“If that terrorist group is real, then arrest them. But this is yet another propaganda trick. Once again, Azerbaijani narratives are being circulated — Karabakh Armenians, the Karabakh clan… You are lying. There is no terrorist group; you organized all of this yourselves in order to polarize the elections and drown them in hatred.”

“Recording Threats Against Nikol by Masked Individuals Appears More Like a Provocation Than a Real Threat”: Suren Sahakyan

Suren Sahakyan, former secretary of the executive body of the “Citizen’s Decision” party, wrote on Facebook:

“Can you imagine a criminal — especially a terrorist planning an assassination attempt against a high-ranking state official — publicly announcing his plans beforehand? In your understanding of the world, how would it fit if Nairi Hunanyan had called a press conference beforehand and revealed his plans? (Hunanyan was the leader of the terrorist attack on the Armenian parliament on 27 October 1999, during which the Prime Minister and Speaker of the National Assembly and six of their associates were killed.) When people want to do something, they do it. Especially considering that for the past month Nikol has been out in public every day, in locations announced beforehand with exact dates and times. And he will continue living in that mode for about another month. How exactly would announcing such a crime in advance help carry it out? This is not one of Gabriel García Márquez’s magical novels.

“It is obvious that recording threats against Nikol by masked individuals serves the purpose of provocation and has little to do with a real threat. Nikol used it to accuse his unwanted rivals and intensify his rhetoric against them. […] During election periods, all over the world, a failed assassination attempt or even a threat of one always benefits the supposed victim. Always. Always. ALWAYS. There is no example of someone being shot at or threatened during an election campaign and their ratings suffering as a result. In such cases, their ratings always rise. We do not have to look far — about a year and a half ago Trump became U.S. president in exactly that way.

“I saw comments saying that this is illogical. Supposedly, why would Nikol — who is running a campaign with barbecues, khashlama, and dancing — need to continue campaigning through such questionable methods? First of all, I envy the persistence of those people who still continue to search for deep logic in Nikol’s actions. Second, we do not yet have the full picture of reality; we will have it the day after the elections. It is entirely possible that a few additional percentage points are now of vital importance. And third, let us not forget the declassified materials about Russia’s proposal to former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to stage a failed assassination attempt against himself during an election campaign in order to raise his ratings — something Orbán reportedly refused. It is quite possible that this is yet another gift from Russia to its one and only preferred candidate for prime minister of Armenia — Nikol Pashinyan.”

“Can’t You See She’s Not Rob, She’s a Woman — Why Are You Dragging Her Around?”: Marutyan’s Lesson in Decorum to Pashinyan

Hayk Marutyan, leader of the “New Force” reformist party and former mayor of Yerevan, stated:

“What right do you have to drag that woman around? You are the country’s prime minister — who gave you the right to manhandle a woman? The people around you — your supporters and backers — who are also dragging people around are taking that example from you. This is already the umpteenth time we have seen that whenever someone says something oppositional to you or disagrees with you, you lash out at them. That is not normal, is it?

“You tell that person, ‘If you are Rob, I’ll do this to you, I’ll do that to you,’ but that person is not Rob, is she? Can’t you see she’s a woman, not a man? That woman lives in Arabkir; she did not come to protest outside the government building — you went into her courtyard shouting. You came into her courtyard, and she is expressing her opinion… yes, she is against you, she has her own opinion. Imagine that — such things do happen. Get used to the fact that in Yerevan and outside Yerevan people no longer love you or believe in you.”

“You Are Attacking Women — Work on Your Lexicon”: Citizen to Pashinyan

“Please, when speaking to the people, change your tone. You are attacking women,” a woman told Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan during today’s campaign in Arabkir.

Pashinyan responded: “There is no attack against women, I respect all citizens.”

The woman replied: “I do not see that respect, and those methods no longer work.”

The citizen then urged Pashinyan: “Please work on your lexicon — work on it seriously.”

Nikol Pashinyan responded: “I am working on it.”