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Real human rights issues have been overshadowed by topics of power dispute in Armenia, Human Rights Defender (Ombudsman) Arman Tatoyan said in a statement on Monday, urging all to “sober up”. The full text of Tatoyan’s statement is below. 

"Recently, our public discourse has been almost completely filled with topics of power dispute, which have overshadowed the real human rights issues in the country, ignoring the real priorities of the people.

The political system of the state is not meant to be usurped for a power dispute.

The political system with government and opposition parties and forces must serve the people, to bring about solutions to their problems. Its real priorities are meant to be service for the protection of the rights and predictable for people. It is necessary to identify these priorities correctly, to direct public discourse in that direction, regardless of political developments or perspectives.

Both government and opposition, as state institutions, must base their initiatives and actions on urgent human rights issues, that are of public concern, each within its own capacity. By such a focus, the public debate will too, in turn, move in that direction.

By such a manifest objective, the government demonstrates to the public at large the steps it undertakes to tackle real issues, and the opposition ensures proper oversight over the government based on the same principles.

Finally, the society sees that both the government and the opposition are busy with their daily efforts, addressing real problems, and not preoccupied with the narrow topics of the power dispute, that the issues germane to the preservation of the public’s rights are at the center of everyone's real attention, and are not being neglected, but rather are on the forefront of public debate.

Therefore, I urge everyone to sober up.

Our country is facing serious challenges. vital rights of the border residents are violated or seriously endangered; there is no manifest predictability of solutions to the issues concerning them; the Azerbaijani authorities threaten Armenia with a new war and speak about the population of our country in the language of threats; procedures for tackling the war crimes and crimes against humanity should be initiated; socio-economic rights of people should be guaranteed, etc.

These and other critical priorities must be at the heart of each party's initiative or program, regardless of political affiliation or status.

Finally, by adhering to these priorities, we will confirm and ensure that in our country everything is done for the benefit of a person and the rule of law and, that primary objectives take precedent over secondary ones."