Hate speech against inadmissible - RA Human Rights Defender 

ArmInfo. The Human Rights Defender's Office considers manifestations of discrimination and incitement to hatred, including against the Armenians of Artsakh, to be extremely unacceptable from the point of view of strengthening  public solidarity and preventing the polarization of society.

As noted in the message received by ArmInfo from the Armenian  Ombudsman's Office, this statement was made as a result of monitoring  the media and social platforms. In this regard, the Armenian  Ombudsman Anahit Manasyan emphasized that officials, public and  political figures, as well as the media, must be responsible in their  public statements. As noted in the Human Rights Defender's Office,  she called for preventing the dissemination of statements inciting  hatred and actively countering such manifestations.

"Human Rights Defender Anahit Manasyan considers any discriminatory  statements that may incite intolerance and hatred in Armenia,  including statements based on a person's place of birth or residence,  to be extremely reprehensible. Every Armenian, regardless of his or  her origin, as well as every representative of national minorities  living in the country, must have equal rights and be free from any  form of discrimination," the Ombudsman's Office said in a statement.

In addition, the importance of equal integration of all citizens into  public life is emphasized as a necessary condition for the successful  implementation of related processes.

"Public solidarity can only be ensured through a tolerant, delicate  and sensitive attitude towards others and through respectful  dialogue. In this regard, the Human Rights Defender once again draws  attention to the fact that any manifestations of incitement to hatred  and discrimination should be excluded from public speeches and calls  for refraining from using expressions that promote hatred,  intolerance and discrimination," the Armenian Ombudsman's Office  summarized.

Attacks on Artsakh residents have recently become more frequent in  social networks and the media.  Moreover, as independent experts  note, Artsakhphobia is mostly fueled by representatives of the ruling  party or the media controlled by them, as well as supporters of the  current Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan.