YEREVAN. – Armenian speaker’s decision to remove opposition MP Zaruhi Postanjyan from the delegation to PACE is acceptable, Justice Minister told reporters.

Hrayr Tovmasyan said he did not want to comment on the specific case, but the context in which the issue is viewed is important: “If we view the incident as defamation and insult, the decision of the speaker is acceptable.”

Earlier Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan decided to remove Zaruhi Postanjyan from the delegation.

“The expression of a political view is not an absolute right. The Constitution of Armenia envisions that an MP’s right to freely express his or her opinion is limited by the impermissibility of insult or libel. Also, the PACE Regulation contains a ban on using expressions that violate human dignity.

Given NA MP Zaruhi Postanjyan’s demeanor yesterday during the PACE session and based on Armenia’s law, I [hereby] declare that I have consulted with the National Assembly factions and I intend to make a change in Armenia’s delegation to PACE,” speaker Hovik Abrahamyan  said in a statement.