Armenia Ombudsman: Citizens’ call to threaten or use violence against pastor in Sisian is absolutely

News.am, Armenia
Dec 21 2020
 
 
Armenia Ombudsman: Citizens' call to threaten or use violence against pastor in Sisian is absolutely inadmissible
15:19, 21.12.2020
Human Rights Defender of Armenia Arman Tatoyan has issued the following statement:
 
“The calls and news of a group of people about the threats and violence against pastor of the St. Gregory the Illuminator Church of Sisian are absolutely inadmissible.
 
The monitoring conducted by the Office of the Human Rights Defender attests to the fact that this dangerous phenomenon has been recorded a few times in the past.
 
These manifestations must be immediately prevented. This is first and foremost dangerous from the perspective of tolerance and solidarity in society.
 
The Armenian Holy Apostolic Church has had and still has an exceptional mission in the lives of the Armenian people and for preservation of national identity. The Armenian Holy Apostolic Church has always played a role in human rights protection and in the establishment of an atmosphere for solidarity in the country.
 
It is the duty of state bodies to take immediate steps to verify the news and rule out any tension and especially any potential act of violence.
 
A little while ago, I talked to the Chief of Police of Armenia who fully assured me that the Police will urgently take the necessary steps to prevent tension or violence.”