Electoral Manipulations and the Armenian Community in Abkhazia, by Diana Kerselyan
Armenians in Abkhazia celebrating the Hamshen festival.
An unfortunate aspect of the current electoral process has been the use of ethnic factors, manipulation of public opinion through portraying certain political forces as allegedly targeting discrimination against national communities. Black PR tactics have been actively employed to amplify a negative informational background, particularly using the Armenian community as a focal point.
We have witnessed such manipulations firsthand: our channel [OKNO], along with several other independent platforms, has been targeted by bots aiming to create the illusion of the existence of "pro-Turkish" political forces in Abkhazia.
Given that such actions could lead to inter-ethnic tensions, we decided to clarify the situation surrounding one particular narrative being used to inflame discord. Civic activist Diana Kerselyan provided the following commentary:
“On 24 January, the information resource 'ArmInfo' published a report claiming that the Armenian Community of Abkhazia, via the Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs of the Republic of Armenia, Zare Sinanyan, had appealed to the Armenian government, requesting an official demand for the Abkhaz authorities to take additional measures to protect the Armenian population.
Based on the information I have, no such appeal has been made by the Armenian Community of Abkhazia. It is difficult to imagine how such an appeal could even emerge. The so-called 'Turkish factor,' which has been exaggerated by various online platforms, served as the entirely fabricated and provocative pretext for this mythical ‘appeal.’ These platforms are spreading false claims about ties between some Abkhaz opposition politicians and Turkish nationalists or intelligence services, suggesting that these alleged connections pose a threat to the Armenian population in Abkhazia.
During the election campaign, social media has seen a significant volume of anonymous provocations, disinformation, and fake news. It is evident that these provocations are orchestrated by forces aiming to destabilise the situation in Abkhazia and sow inter-ethnic discord. They clearly have no concern for Abkhazia’s future.
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It is worth noting that, to this day, the leadership of the Armenian Community of Abkhazia has maintained a neutral stance regarding the elections. They do not express support for any candidate on behalf of the Community and refrain from commenting on various statements and incidents. I believe it is appropriate for the Armenian Community to uphold its neutrality, as every citizen has the right to free expression, and the public organisation representing the Armenian Community is not a participant in the electoral process and cannot impose preferences on citizens.
If any citizen, regardless of ethnicity, feels pressured or receives threats from participants in the electoral race, they should contact law enforcement authorities, inform the Central Election Commission (CEC) of such incidents, or reach out to human rights organisations.
I believe that the residents of Abkhazia understand perfectly well that, in this case, we are dealing with disinformation. However, it is unfortunate that such misinformation has gained traction in other countries, particularly in Armenia. It is therefore crucial to clarify the situation to prevent this disinformation from misleading people. I believe that, under the current circumstances, the leadership of the Armenian Community should issue a public response to this false information directly concerning its activities.”
This article was published by OKNO Telegram Channel and is translated from Russian.