Armenian PM’s office slams ex-ombudsman, says he is trapped in "mental cage"

A war of words has erupted in Armenia after the head of the Armenian Prime Minister’s Office, Araik Harutyunyan, sharply criticised former human rights ombudsman Arman Tatoyan over comments attributed to him on behalf of ex-president Serzh Sargsyan.

According to Harutyunyan's post on Facebook, Tatoyan claimed that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had “built a cage” and must now dismantle it himself. Responding to the remarks, Harutyunyan said it was striking that such criticism came from Tatoyan, who, he argued, had been able to “escape a physical cage in 2018 only due to Pashinyan” and the revolution that brought the current government to power, Caliber.Az reports.

Harutyunyan further remarked that while a person can physically step out of a literal cage, a “mental cage” is far more difficult to overcome, adding that even Pashinyan would be unable to help in such a case.

By Sabina Mammadli