Activists considered Pashinyan's dispute with a refugee to be discrimination against Karabakh residents.

Nikol Pashinyan, in expressing complaints to a refugee from Nagorno-Karabakh, behaved in a manner unacceptable for a government official. Politicians at all levels should not legitimize violence and discrimination, NGO representatives and activists said.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan apologized to a Karabakh refugee after raising his voice in a conversation with her on the Yerevan metro, saying that "those who fled" should not say that he "gave up Karabakh."

The organizations called on the Armenian authorities, including the Prime Minister, to "refrain from rhetoric containing elements of discrimination and insults, as well as to ensure respect for the rights and dignity" of refugees and demanded "a response to manifestations of hate speech in the public space and on social media, as well as to comply with ethical and responsible standards."

About twenty public organizations signed the statement: the public organizations "Protection of Rights Without Borders", "New Culture of Justice", "Armenian Progressive Youth", "Public Journalism Club", Yerevan Press Club, Institute of Multidisciplinary Information, Regional Center for Democracy and Security, "Center for Public Consolidation and Support", "Helsinki Association", Armenian Committee of the Helsinki Citizens' Assembly, "Asparez" Journalists' Club, "For Equal Rights", and the Center for Media Initiatives. The Ecolur Information NGO, the Foundation for the Development and Protection of Law, Journalists for Human Rights, and MediaStep. Nagorno-Karabakh Ombudsman Gegham Stepanyan noted that "the metro incident was a complete expose of the Armenian government's rhetoric: on the one hand, they create a veneer of care, while on the other, they systematically attack and stigmatize forcibly displaced people." For hundreds of thousands of people living in Armenia, displaced people from Artsakh (Karabakh) are truly sisters and brothers, and they demonstrate this not by repeating it several times a day according to a set agenda, but by their attitude. The map of Armenia should not be turned into a tool of manipulation. But in the hearts and aspirations of people, there is another map, which is not an illusion, but a natural and justified desire to return there, to the homeland where they were born, lived, and created." - he told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

12:20 12/12/2025

Pashinyan's position on returning to Karabakh coincided with the opinion of Azerbaijani social media users

Azerbaijani social media users, commenting on the statement of Karabakh deputies about the struggle to return to their homeland, called it unrealistic. The Prime Minister of Armenia expressed a similar opinion, also proposing that Baku close the issue of Western Azerbaijan.

Chairman of the NGO "Union Artsakh", human rights activist Artak Beglaryan noted that "history is still "He will evaluate the actions of the people of Artsakh and how they were left alone and fought for their dignity."

It is necessary to "carefully record cases of public calls for hatred, discrimination, intolerance, and hostility against the people of Artsakh, as well as the use of violence, and to report crimes to law enforcement agencies," he told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Journalist Liana Petrosyan believes that "both human rights activists and international organizations tasked with protecting the rights of refugees and forcibly displaced persons should pay attention to the metro incident."

"The highest political authority of the state is also considered a role model for the general public. The head of state's statements will also be disseminated at the everyday level, which will have a negative impact on the emotional and moral-psychological state of refugees. Work must be done to prevent the further spread of hate speech towards forcibly displaced persons. “It’s no secret that we didn’t flee, but were forcibly displaced, with no guarantee of physical existence or safety,” Petrosyan noted.

Activist Arus Bakunts noted that “for a politician, conducting a campaign on public transport implies the status of a ‘guest,’ while a citizen in the metro is in his personal space, for which he has paid, and he is not obliged to participate in a political dialogue.”

According to her, “when a citizen asks not to talk to him, any continuation is perceived as aggression and a lack of respect for the voter.”

Political analyst Arman Abovyan called the incident in the metro “a shameful incident,” and added that “the woman expressed what millions of Armenians think and feel.”

The young woman “showed that national dignity is not empty words, and became "A symbol of the restoration of our trampled honor and dignity," he wrote on his Facebook page*.

Armenian public figure Karpis Pashoyan wrote on his social media page that "by calling the people of Artsakh 'fleeing,' Nikol Pashinyan questions their right to protection and survival."

French-Armenian human rights activist Franz Papayan wrote on his social media page that "Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's despicable and cruel behavior toward Armine Mosyan, a refugee from Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), and her child has turned against Nikol Pashinyan himself. This story has caused a huge stir in Armenia and throughout the diaspora. It's worth remembering that Pashinyan's government refused to defend the Armenians of Artsakh, who, frankly, had no other choice," he pointed out.