Armenian MP urges to persecute Azeri leader over racism

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenian member of parliament Naira Zohrabyan urged to institute criminal proceedings against Azeri President Ilham Aliyev over his racist statements, Panorama.am reports.

At the winter session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), the Prosperous Armenia faction secretary called to take urgent measures to prevent the spread intolerance, racism and xenophobia across Europe.

In this context, Ms Zohrabyan reminded of the Azeri President’s statement, “a masterpiece of racism and intolerance,” at a Baku-hosted Euronest event two years ago.

“Aliyev called members of the PACE Armenian delegation as well as the people of Armenia fascists, throwing unfounded accusations against them. Yet no one, beside the members of the Armenian delegation, took care to explain to Aliyev that this is not the way the leader of the CoE member state should behave,” she stressed.

“As was earlier noted, the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) voiced a suggestion to criminalize racial crimes. I support it, and urge to persecute Aliyev whose remarks were a blatant display of Armenophobia and racism. It was the atmosphere of hatred that prompted the actions of the Azeri axe-killer Ramil Safarov, with every child in Azerbaijan brainwashed to view Armenia as an enemy,” the MP noted.

“I sent excerpts from Azeri textbooks, overtly promoting hatred towards Armenians, representing the latters as killers and thugs, to the newly-elected CoE Human Rights Commissioner. So far, I got no reply. A person elected to this responsible position, sees it unnecessary to fulfill his obligations or perhaps is reluctant to stir discontent among his Azeri colleagues,” the Armenian MP stressed.

On April 3, 2012, Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev called Armenians occupiers and fascists during a speech at the Euronest Plenary Session, angering the Armenian parliamentary delegation and shocking European officials gathered at the meeting.