Opposition MP to be Removed from PACE Armenian Delegation, Implies Parliamentary Chair

"Considering MP Zaruhi Postanjyan's behavior at PACE [Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe] yesterday and based on the Rules of Procedure of the National Assembly, I declare that I consulted with National Assembly factions and I intend to make a change in the composition of Armenia's delegation to PACE," said National Assembly President Hovik Abrahamyan at the start of the parliamentary session.

Recall, after Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan's speech at PACE, Postanjyan asked him whether he lost 70 million euros at a European casino recently.

The parliamentary chair, in his announcement, opined that the guarantee to the right to freely express one's political views is one of the cornerstones of democracy; however, it is, by nature, not an absolute right.

"Article 66 of the RA Constitution provides that a parliamentary deputy's right to freely express her opinion is limited to the inadmissibility of insult and slander. That is, this right is limited when its application strays from its real purpose — that to free political debate. Also , Article 21.6 of the PACE rules of procedure prohibits the use of statements that violate human dignity," he said.