The monitoring implemented by the Committee to Protect Freedom of Expression directed at the detection of the publications against the European values has revealed interesting facts.
The online media outlet “Sputnik-Armenia” that creates and disseminates Armenian-language content decided to find out the attitude of a number of Armenian public figures to the statement of Putin, the President of the Russian Federation, according to which as long as he is the President of the State, there will be no “Parent no 1” and “Parent no 2” in Russia but only “father” and “mother” (see https://sptnkne.ws/BANb ).
The authors of the publication also spoke to Aram Gaspari Sargsyan, leader of the Democratic Party of Armenia. This politician, most likely with a clever expression on his face, stated that the representatives of the LGBT community are engaged in agressive propaganda and are trying to disseminate “immorality” in schools. He then added: “It is pointless to explain to them that it is destructive. Many countries (including in Europe) are obssessed with this. We are struggling against the ratification of the Istanbul Convention by the parliament given the fact that it will give a “green light” to the representatives of this community in Armenia.”
First, it is unclear (in fact quite clear) why a media outlet touches upon an issue (the formulation of the concept of “family”), which is not relevant in Armenia. Article 16 of the RA Constitution clearly stipulates: “Family, being the natural and basic unit of the society, the basis for the preservation and reproduction of the population, as well as motherhood and childhood, shall be under special protection and care of the State.” Besides, the process of constitutional amendments is just starting and so far there has been no word about any regulations in this field.
Aram Sargsyan’s comments are simply a masterpiece.
It is of course possible not to treat them seriously and tell him in the vein of one of the “classical” MPs from the RPA: “Dear Aram Gasparich, you are an educated man, a former journalist, someone who was able to fulfill one’s bright childhood dream in the wake of the collapse of the Soviet Union – becoming the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Armenian Communist Party and then establishing your own party and then acting as an MP at a certain point in time. Weren’t you ashamed of saying something without having checked the facts?”
If serious, this is a classical example of a manipulation.
It is a manipulation when Gasparich states that “they are trying to spread “immorality” in schools”. Someone who has worked as a journalist when young should have known that when you say something you need to have facts. Give us one such fact (no matter what propaganda, any propaganda is prohibited at schools) and demand that anyone who disseminates such propagand is punished, including the headmaster of the school and those responsible for the educational process. But no, what are you taking about? What facts? These guys are simply shooting in the air. The only thing that matters is the loud explosion and its echo.
It is a manipulation when in one statement Putin links it to the Istanbul Convention and adds that its ratification, which will give “a green light” for this community. The Istanbul Convention is directed at the prevention of domestic violence and protection of the victims thereof. It says nothing about sexes nor LGBT.
If we are guided by Aram Gasparich’ logic, or resort to manipulations like him, then we may say that his interpretation of Putin’s words testifies to the fact that he is for the loss of Armenia’s sovereignty in return for in becoming an autonomous unit within Russia. But we are not ‘manipulators’ to allow ourselves stating such negative things about a “prominent and broad-mainded” politician of such a calibre.
Mesrop Harutyunyan,
Media Expert
