In Armenia, the planned visit of blogger Arsen Margaryan to Yerevan has been canceled. He was scheduled to give a joint speech with Russian businessman, economist, and analyst Dmitry Potapenko. The event was supposed to take place on September 7 at the Marriott Hotel in Yerevan, and the participation fee started from 25,000 drams.

On September 2, the organizing party announced that the meeting was canceled due to increased public pressure.

The blogger’s earlier statements triggered the public pressure. For instance, Arsen Margaryan claimed that Armenia would become part of Azerbaijan, referring to Armenia as a vassal or “the province of Volgograd.” He is also known for making sexist remarks and adopting a mocking attitude towards women.

During one of the broadcasts, he said: “To be honest, my friend Major, don’t be upset; I slept with 12-13-year-old girls when I was 18-19 years old, with those who wanted to f**k with me” he mentioned on another occasion that “One hundred percent of women show zero resistance if they feel that the rapist is going all the way. In general, this is a useful experience, rape, to understand how the human psyche works.”

The noise turned into a petition with the following reasoning: “These views are not only offensive but also dangerous. They promote hatred and discrimination and undermine social stability. We believe that providing a platform for such ideas in our country is unacceptable.”

The event was cancelled.

In one day, my video about Arsen Margaryan received a million views, causing more attention than expected and leading to the event’s cancellation.

There was also the realization that the man has an ambiguous reputation. He has been repeatedly accused of being involved in questionable business practices, made reprehensible statements, and then tried to justify them in a very foolish way.

It’s difficult to believe that the organizers were unaware of all this.

No matter how much Arsen Margaryan claims that he is not the author of such thoughts or that he was joking, the internet has a way of remembering everything. Everything is posted, and everything is there. Perhaps he tries to speak more discreetly in interviews and podcasts, but live broadcasts and the closed Telegram channel are different. Some claim that his words are taken out of context; others say he was being sarcastic or joking. However, there are videos that clearly show him saying such things. Perhaps they thought they could try it, and if it worked out, great, and if not, then no harm was done.

I don’t understand the correlation between canceling the event and restricting freedom of speech. The idea that freedom of speech implies that such people can express their thoughts has nothing to do with freedom of speech.

Freedom of speech and calls for violence and hatred are very different and have nothing to do with each other, just like talking about something that is criminally punishable—for example, discussing sexual contact with a minor, which is explicitly stated in his speech. Humiliating and calling for the humiliation of women is not freedom of speech. Just because something doesn’t work out with women for some people, or if someone is offended by a woman, it doesn’t mean that you should despise and hate all women in the world, call for violence, diminish the role of women in society, and satisfy your ego at the expense of women, deciding what they can and cannot do.

Is calling Armenia a “vassal” also freedom of speech?

If anyone expresses these views within the bounds of free speech, I also exercise my right to freedom of speech to share my perspective and make my voice heard. I do so respectfully, without resorting to insults, labels, or humiliation, even when disagreeing with the opposing side.

Like all our other freedoms, freedom of speech ends where someone else’s freedom, dignity, and rights begin.

This will set a good example for companies organizing public events to carefully consider who they invite and the values they promote.

Zara Ghazaryan
journalist, blogger

The views expressed in the column are those of the author's and do not necessarily reflect the views of Media.am.