"Would These Girls Let a Man Avoid Sin?": Rampant Hate Speech in Gyumri Elections

By Zhanna Avagyan

"Would these girls let a man avoid sin? Beautifully dressed, legs uncovered... they are the cause of temptation for men." This statement comes from Vardan Ghukasyan, former mayor who finished second in the March 30 Gyumri City Council elections.

During and after the campaign for Gyumri's early local elections, several candidates and political figures distinguished themselves through personal insults, targeting specific groups, and hate speech. Election observation missions monitoring the elections documented these concerning trends.

According to the Akanates observation mission, this behavior was initiated by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Before the campaign, Pashinyan said during his speech in Gyumri: "Some people have come out like rats in the streets conducting political campaigns... we must send them back to their rat cellars."

Emma Palyan, a Gyumri City Council candidate from the Civil Contract party, continued with similar rhetoric: "On March 30, the people of Gyumri will send the rats to appropriate places."

The hate speech and insults weren't limited to speeches. The "My Powerful Community" party's campaign also contained similar formulations: "Civil Contract members are liars." The same party's mayoral candidate, Ruben Mkhitaryan, claimed in an interview about the Civil Contract party: "Azerbaijanis and Turks are on their side."

Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) was also inadvertently targeted. During a televised debate on March 28, Acting Mayor Sarik Minasyan, a member of the ruling Civil Contract party, declared that "Karabakh was such a bad place that people from Gyumri paid money to avoid military service there." This was widely interpreted as targeting the people of Artsakh, who are already in a difficult social situation following the ethnic cleansing of 2023.

Vardan Ghukasyan, heading the Communist Party's list, was particularly notable for targeting opponents and spreading insults. "The country is ruled by Anglo-Turkish dogs," he stated.

During a press conference following the elections, Ghukasyan targeted the LGBT community. When asked about his attitude toward LGBT community members in Gyumri, he answered: "If you also despise LGBT people, stand by me and see what I'll do to them." Ghukasyan then assured that he would shoot any priest in a church who performed same-sex marriages.

When asked why the Prelate of the Shirak Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church Archbishop Mikayel Ajapahyan says that Vardan Ghukasyan might sin again the moment after he receives forgiveness, Ghukasyan said: "There's no person in this world who lives without sinning... And besides, would these girls let a man avoid sin? Beautifully dressed, legs uncovered... they are the cause of temptation for men."

According to Ani Kojoyan, a gender and women's rights researcher, aggressive statements characteristic of patriarchal discourse were prevalent throughout the campaign and political debates. Kojoyan believes these narratives serve as manipulation tools for various political forces.

"There need to be mechanisms and various platforms that monitor and hold people accountable. We shouldn't rely on individual expert opinions, as they remain merely opinions. Due to impunity, such discourse and seemingly innocent stereotypes will continue in a chain reaction," asserts Kojoyan.

The Women's Resource Center condemned such statements: "Discourse targeting women, LGBT+ people, or any other social group is unacceptable, especially from those holding public offices. Such statements contribute to an atmosphere of tolerance toward violence in Armenia, encouraging deepening discrimination and violence against systematically ignored groups," the statement notes.

Article 329 of the Republic of Armenia's Criminal Code provides for liability for public speech aimed at promoting hatred, discrimination, intolerance, or enmity, as well as for distributing materials for this purpose. The Gyumri local elections demonstrated that this law is not being enforced, and no one has yet been held accountable for their statements.