Former Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan stated on Facebook that recent comments by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, his wife Anna Hakobyan, and representatives of the ruling Civil Contract party toward the Armenian Apostolic Church and its clergy constitute “hate speech, which is destructive.”

Tatoyan criticized the Prime Minister for misusing his position and accused him of openly discussing unconstitutional government interference in the election of the Catholicos, calling it an illegal attempt to take over the Armenian Church.

“I believe such behavior stems from panic over their approval ratings,” Tatoyan wrote. “It’s not easy for a populist leader to accept that he has squandered the public’s trust gained in 2018, failed in governance, turned people against one another, and pushed the nation to the edge of survival — while getting entangled in numerous corruption scandals, all under the banner of fighting theft, and propping up only an army of fake accounts.”

Tatoyan further accused the current leadership of lacking a sense of statehood despite attaining high office and of acting in sync with Azerbaijani interests to erode national identity, memory, and core values.

He warned that their actions include gross violations of the Constitution and laws, potentially amounting to criminal conduct. “The Civil Contract leader, abusing the authority of the Prime Minister’s office, speaks about unconstitutional interference in the Catholicos election and an unlawful plan to seize the Armenian Church,” he reiterated.

Tatoyan concluded by urging the public not to become passive observers in this “political theater,” but instead defend national values by rejecting both state-sponsored and individual hate campaigns.