Freedom House, a human rights organization, has expressed concern over the use of hate speech and violence by politicians during the pre-election period in Armenia. The organization has posted a statement on its official Facebook page, which was accompanied by a statement by Armenia's Ombudsman Arman Tatoyan, in which he condemned the use of violence and hate speech by politicians and called for refraining from such rhetoric.

The Freedom House statement notes that such actions contribute to the polarization of society and the spread of hate speech in a time when the country is in recovery from the war in Nagorno-Karabakh and is getting ready for historic parliamentary elections. 
"We urge all parties to refrain from such rhetoric and adhere to democratic norms of behavior during the election period," the statement notes.