Armenian actor addresses Prime Minister after being persecuted for signing petition for Robert Kocharyan

Actor Sargis Grigoryan, who recently caused uproar after becoming one of the signatories of a petition to change the pre-trial measure for second President of the Republic of Armenia Robert Kocharyan, has addressed Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Instagram.

“Mr. Prime Minister, I am addressing you as Sargis Grigoryan, citizen of the Republic of Armenia.

Over the past few days, my family and about 60 other artists and cultural figures have been literally persecuted for expressing our opinions, and we are still being persecuted and threatened…

It is very difficult to see and feel this, and this can lead to very serious consequences…Citizens of the Republic of Armenia must have their own opinions and express them freely, and it is not mandatory for their opinions to coincide with the opinion of the government…We are not living in a totalitarian country, or are we?

I regret to mention the fact that the prevalence of members of society and intelligentsia who express their protests, emotions and desires by cursing, flattering and threatening, are leading the country to perdition…

Armenians have stopped respecting each other and listening to each other, and we only interact with each other on social networks…Mr. Prime Minister, we Armenians hate each other…

This is the contingent that may cause serious harm to our national values and centuries-old mindset, and I don’t even want to mention the big risk of division…

We can’t rely on the mass of people who express themselves this way. We need to fight against this mass and educate these people…Today they support you, but I am certain that they will be the ones who will eat you alive in the future (I apologize for being coarse, but I am sincere).

Get rid of the black and white before it is too late. There is no old or new Armenia — this is Armenia, period. We are one people, and together we can solve all of our issues by respecting each other’s opinions, listening to healthy criticism and simply interacting without emotions.

Those who somewhat know me, know that I am the kind of person who has never done, never does and will never do anything for political reasons…I am merely concerned and have a heartfelt attitude.

With respect to you and each and every Armenian,

Sargis Grigoryan”