Should We Burn Transgender Individuals? Pashinyan Comments on Ghukasian's Call

During a meeting with representatives of the Armenian community in Strasbourg, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan addressed the events that unfolded after the speech of transgender individual Lilit Martirosyan in the National Assembly.

“However, there is one thing that we cannot dispute: all citizens of the Republic of Armenia have rights. If we deprive anyone of their rights, in the end, it will turn out that only the authorities have rights, making the revolution pointless,” he stated.

Speaking about MP Vardan Ghukasian's remark that transgender individuals should be burned, Pashinyan said: “If we are going to burn someone, should we burn the corrupt individuals, or those who rigged elections? I think no one should be burned. The death penalty has been abolished in Armenia; this decision was made within the framework of our membership in the Council of Europe. Therefore, our political discourse should be accurate. I can only say one thing: if anyone attempts to burn another, they will find themselves in prison very quickly.”

Pashinyan recalled that there was an assassination attempt on Vardan Ghukasian in the past and emphasized that the perpetrator should be identified and held accountable: “The MP speaks, and then the question arises: does that MP understand what they are saying? There has been an assassination attempt against that very MP in the past. Someone said that he should be burned; is it right according to his logic? Of course not. We will now try to find out who carried out the assassination attempt against that MP and condemn it.”