Armenia’s Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan, who since the war has emerged as one of the most outspoken critics of Azerbaijani violations of civilian and military rights, has become the target of a concerted smear campaign in Azerbaijani media reportedly guided by members of Azerbaijan’s parliament.

These attacks are accompanied by calls for Tatoyan to be fired, personal insults, and threats. In addition, the Human Rights Defender told Armenpress that he has also received threats through personal messages.

The attacks are connected with the Tatoyan’s warnings related to human rights violations in the process of determining the borders of the Republic of Armenia, the appearance of Azerbaijani soldiers (flags and signs) in Armenia’s Syunik Province and Azerbaijani provocations against civilians.

Tatoyan condemned these manipulative attacks by the Azerbaijani media, which are carried out with the participation of politicians, personal correspondence and distort his actual statements in an effort to provoke new hostility and hatred against Armenians.