Tigran Grigoryan In Democracy Watch’s previous report my colleague Karena Avedissian and I referred to remarks by Gagik Melkonyan, a ruling party lawmaker, who said, “The people of Karabakh should conduct themselves as guests in Armenia.” Melkonyan’s statement, which has not been condemned by the ruling party, is not just a case of an irresponsible official making a statement, but rather part of a political pattern and deliberate policy, which aims to gain political dividends by instrumentalizing ‘Karabakhophobia’ and legitimizing anti-Karabakh narratives. Stereotypes and hate speech about Artsakh people have existed in Armenian society for at least the last two […]