Armenian opposition MP demoted for 'offensive' post about PM, calling public 'trash'
Armenian opposition MP Naira Zohrabyan has been stripped of her post as the head of the permanent parliamentary commission for the protection of human rights following her posts on Facebook that she “hates the garbage that brought Pashinyan to power.”
84 out of 132 MP took part in the closed vote on Zohrabyan’s position, 78 of voted for, four abstained, 2 ballots were declared invalid.
Naira Zohrabyan believes that the ruling faction took this step at the request of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan himself.
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On her Facebook page, Zohrabyan wrote:
“I hate you, rubbish [the electorate of the prime minister] for bringing your own kind to power, the one who is gradually closing the page of our statehood.”
She also wrote that “the first problem of the country is ignorance and after” ‘nicholism’ – “it is necessary to forcefully educate the people so that they do not choose the same again”.
After that, MPs of the ruling faction came up with a project to dismiss Zohrabyan from the post of chairman of the parliamentary commission on human rights for making xenophobic statements about the citizens of Armenia.
Ruling party‘s comments
“The head of the commission for the protection of human rights cannot represent the interests of society, a part of which she calls rubbish,” MP Suren Grigoryan said, explaining the decision of the ruling bloc.
Neither opposition faction of the parliament participated in the discussion of the issue.
The ruling faction also stated that it does not intend to take away the post of the head of the commission from the opposition, and that Zohrabyan may be replaced by another representative of the same Prosperous Armenia party.
What MP Naira Zohrabyan says
She believes that Pashinyan’s “authoritarian junta”, which set his “Soros” MPs against her, is being dealt with.
Zohrabyan also stated that the head of the government himself “more than once or twice expressed hatred and contempt for those around him,” even to the priests:
“Since he [Pashinyan] is very petty, it seems to him that this will be a tragedy for me. He decided to punish me before his resignation.”
The MP also commented on the use of the word “trash”. She once again stated that she considers everyone who justifies the death of 5,000 soldiers in the war in Karabakh, and now also the surrender of the territories of Armenia itself in Syunik, the southern region of the country bordering Azerbaijan, as “rubbish”.
