For the first time in the history of the Armenian parliament, a transgender person held a speech during a public session. On April 5, the Armenian parliament held public hearings on the theme "National Agenda on the UN-Human Rights Monitoring". The day after, Lilit Martirosyan, a transgender woman and chair of the public organization "Party of Law" made a speech on the human rights situation in Armenia.

In her speech, Martirosyan publicly declared that she is transgender and asked to be perceived as "a representative for the LGBT community and as a symbol for the problems that the community faces in the country". She continued her speech on the topic of sexual minorities and noted that "until 2018 there were 283 cases of violence against members of the LGBT community". The speech was met with mixed reactions in the parliament. The head of the Human Rights Commission and deputy of the "Prosperous Armenia" faction, Naira Zohrabyan, was the first to express her dissatisfaction with the content of the speech. Zohrabyan allowed Martirosyan to finish her speech, but then she was indignant as to why she was present in the hall on a topic that had nothing to do with the theme of the session, which has been the judicial reform and the protection of children and disabled people.

Martirosyan’s speech provoked various different reactions on social media. Some users criticized the organizers of the public hearings, who provided Lilit Martirosyan with the public stage of the parliament.

On April 8 a protest action in front of the Armenian National Assembly was organized as a reaction to the speech. The action was organized by the "Artsiv-30. Ararat", the Union of Veterans of the Karabakh War and by the NGO "Volya". One of the protest leaders, Vaagn Chakhlyan, said that the speech was in opposition to Article 42 of the Armenian constitution, which states that the "freedom of self-expression may be restricted by law if it threatens the state security, morality, and violates the rights and freedom of others".

The EU delegation to Armenia, as well as the embassies of the EU member states, expressed their concerns about the context of the public debatte, which arose after Martirosyan’s speech. "Hate speech, including death threats directed at Ms. Lilit Martirosyan, her colleagues and the LGBTIQ community as a whole represent a worrying trend. These kind of discriminations are prohibited under the European Convention of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms to which Armenia is a signatory party. This is also reflected in the Constitution of Armenia. The EU calls on all in Armenia who promote and believe in the universality of human rights to condemn hate speech and demand from law enforcement agencies to take urgent steps to guarantee the physical safety of Armenian citizens and to investigate allegations against those suspected of perpetrating hate crimes", reads the official statement of the EU delegation.

The Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) replied to the statements made by the EU delegation. Spokesperson Anna Naghdalyan stated that the MFA was "aware of these statements, which express concern over the discussions taking place in Armenia's public sphere, while referring to the international commitments of Armenia". "The Government of the Republic of Armenia fully adheres to its commitments to protect and promote human rights. The nonviolent democratic revolution, which took place in Armenia, is the best evidence that human rights, generally, are effectively protected if they become part of a social consensus and are perceived as universal social and moral values. Therefore, in this context, our international partners should demonstrate more respect and sensitivity towards the Armenian society and refrain from undue engagement in the public debate, even if they disagree with its tonality. We would like to remind that the principle of public morality is a part of international commitments on human rights and cannot be ignored", concluded Naghdalyan.

Martirosyan’s speech also sparked internal tensions within the ruling alliance "My Step" and the "Prosperous Armenia" party. Pashinyan weighed in on the controversy on April 5, accusing Zohrabyan of staging a "political provocation" against the parliament majority loyal to him. He said a security agency protecting the parliament building shared with him a list of individuals, including Lilit Martirosyan, invited to the hearings, which was signed by Zohrabyan. The prime minister went on to challenge the "Prosperous Armenia" party to consider recalling Zohrabian and to nominate another head of the parliament committee.

Zohrabyan claimed that Martirosyan was invited to the hearings by Maria Karapetian, a parliament deputy from Pashinyan’s "My Step" alliance. Zohrabian’s party fellows issued a public statement in reponse to Pashinyan’s accusation. "Our faction believes that Naira Zohrabyan did not violate any rules of ethical parliamentary conduct or provisions of the parliament statues or any other legal norm", reads the statement.

Pashinyan’s bloc was also attacked by Eduard Sharmazanov, the spokesman for the former ruling  Republican Party of Armenia (HHK). "Yes, something has changed in our country. Under the HHK, a transgender person would not have delivered a speech in the National Assembly", Sharmazanov said in a video statement posted on Facebook.

Pashinyan countered the allegations of the HHK and added, that Martirosyan had legally changed her previous, male first name, Vagharshak, during Serzh Sargsyan’s rule. He said that the transgender activist’s current passport issued in 2015 identifies her as a male even though she carries the female name "Lilit". "I seemed to be right when I assumed that the members of the HKK are LGBT activists." said Pashinyan ironically.

Some human rights defenders in Armenia react sceptically when asked if the Armenian society is ready to accept the LGBT community. Nina Karapetyants, the head of the "Helsinki Association of Armenia", said that "at present, it is still not safe to talk about the rights of the LGBT community" in the country. On the other side, Arthur Sakunts, the head of the "Helsinki Citizens Assembly's" Vanadzor Office, did not share the same view and said that the Armenian society is more tolerant than some people try to characterize it. Under the new government, the problems of LGBT people has become a subject of discussion. The nature of the debatte indicates a problem of recognition and knowledge. There is still a trend in society to perceive everything unknown as dangerous. However, the taboo is being slowly removed", believes Sakunts.


Meanwhile, the Armenian government is working on drafting a National Strategy for Gender Equality, reports News.am. On April 8, the 10th round of Human Rights Dialogue between the EU and the government of Armenia was held in Brussels. The EU and Armenia discussed the preparation of the draft for the National Strategy on Gender Equality between 2019-2023. Both sides highlighted the importance of raising public awareness and promoting gender equality, especially through education, and reiterated its support to this end. In line with its policy, the EU met and consulted representatives of the Armenian and international civil society prior to the Human Rights Dialogue. The Dialogue meeting resulted in operational conclusions with a proposal for concrete actions that will be monitored and followed up over the next year.