VIDEO: Yandex Director Apologizes on Behalf of Driver for Insulting Artsakh Women

Human rights defender Ruben Melikyan spoke today during a Facebook live session about the negative treatment of Artsakh residents by Armenians. He specifically referred to an incident that occurred a few days ago, where a taxi driver had dropped off two Artsakh women and told them, "Go back to your Karabakh." According to Ruben Melikyan, today there is an internal national racism that must be prevented.

“We have approached the police, and they are conducting a very normal procedure; we are aware that they are carrying out the necessary actions. A report of the crime has been filed under Article 143 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia. This article is seldom used, but it must be applied so that people understand that such actions are punishable. We are still waiting for a response on whether a criminal case will be initiated,” he said.

“Such issues must be taken seriously. I spoke with the girls, and they do not have any demands from Yandex Taxi, as they received an appropriate response from the company in a timely manner,” he added, noting that the company's director apologized for the incident and dismissed the driver involved.

The human rights defender emphasized that this matter should have been publicized, as there are often similar incidents that go unreported, which is why the situation is so acute today. “Hiding the problem is a great opportunity to amplify its severity. We have been taught since childhood that we are good and the enemy has broken us, but the last war gave us food for thought; we have deceived ourselves for many years, which has not yielded positive results but rather the opposite. We looked in the mirror and saw a completely different reality, as demonstrated by the consequences of the 'Ardzrunhovhannisyan lie' during the 44-day war,” he asserted. He insisted that we must be vigilant regarding cases of internal discrimination to prevent its escalation and the need to address the issue further.