Opposition female lawmakers in Armenia’s National Assembly have issued a joint statement strongly condemning remarks made by Civil Contract faction secretary Artur Hovhannisyan on September 8, directed at fellow MP Taguhi Tovmasyan.
They are calling for a public apology from Hovhannisyan and a formal and direct condemnation by the National Assembly leadership.
“We find Artur Hovhannisyan’s comments made on September 8 toward MP Taguhi Tovmasyan unacceptable and strongly condemn them,” the statement reads.
The incident reportedly began when Hovhannisyan attempted to disrupt a press briefing by Tovmasyan, during which she criticized Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan for not doing enough to secure the release of Armenian prisoners held in Baku.
“This is not only another manifestation of the prevailing atmosphere of intolerance in the National Assembly, but also an act of gender-based discrimination and a direct attack on women’s political participation,” the MPs stated, urging both domestic and international rights organizations to respond.
The statement also notes a pattern of female professionals being regularly targeted by ruling party representatives and accuses the Civil Contract faction of eroding political discourse through insults and degrading language.
The MPs characterized Hovhannisyan’s behavior as part of a recurring pattern, recalling past court rulings that required him to publicly apologize for defamatory statements.
The lawmakers demanded:
a. A public apology from Artur Hovhannisyan for his comments,
b. A clear and public condemnation from the National Assembly leadership, and the formation of a temporary Ethics Committee to investigate Hovhannisyan’s actions.
The statement was signed by Agnessa Khamoyan, Anna Grigoryan, Anna Mkrtchyan, Aspram Krpeyan, Aregnaz Manukyan, Armine Kheranyan, Armenuhi Kyureghyan, Arpine Vardanyan, Zemfira Mirzoyeva, Elinar Vardanyan, Irina Gasparyan, Lilit Galstyan, and Kristine Vardanyan.
Tigran Abrahamyan, MP from the I Have Honor faction, also issued a public statement criticizing the behavior of Civil Contract members.
“Whether inside Armenia or abroad, Civil Contract is associated with surrender, inaction, and betrayal of national interests. But there is another alarming trend — their growing tendency to assert themselves at the expense of women, using vulgar language and extreme arrogance,” he said.
He accused the ruling party of targeting opposition women in particular and claimed this behavior reflects the psychological and political downfall of those who consider it acceptable.
In a formal letter to National Assembly President Alen Simonyan, MP Taguhi Tovmasyan reported that Hovhannisyan disrupted her briefing on the torture of Armenian prisoners in Baku. She demanded that Hovhannisyan undergo mandatory daily drug testing, with public disclosure of results.
In response, Hovhannisyan made a vulgar comment to reporters, saying: “If she allows herself to make such indecent proposals unfit for a woman, then I suggest she take a daily STD test, so we can figure out where those four houses of hers come from.”
