Anna Hakobyan, wife of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, has ignited controversy by responding to critics with a series of Facebook posts in which she called them “fools”, “hedgehogs”, “donkeys” and other names. 

Starting on May 16, Hakobyan, who is also the executive director of the My Step Foundation, used social media to counter allegations of corruption and misuse of funds. These included claims that her foundation held $4mn in assets in the United States.

Other accusations levelled at the prime minister’s wife, according to her May 16 Facebook post, were that she owned the 88 Supermarket chain, had jointly bought a Beverly Hills mansion alongside Pashinyan and had demanded designer handbags in various colours. 

“This series [of accusations] is long. It is living proof of the supremacy of freedom of speech in our country, but at the same time it is proof of the boundlessness of the stupidity of some people,” Hakobyan wrote. 

She followed up on May 20 with a post directed at Hayeli.am journalists, calling them “not literate” and accusing them of speaking “from their remote village with their village accent”. 

In another post on May 20 Hakobyan addressed opposition media saying “if you suddenly want to meet and discuss our common problem, I am ready again”. But on a combative note, she accused the “so-called” opposition of being "those who have been blaspheming me, my family, and my children for years”

The backlash has been swift. Tatul Mkrtchyan of Oragir News criticised Hakobyan's approach, stating that such behaviour is unbecoming of someone in her position, OC Media reported. Opposition MP Christine Vardanyan shared screenshots of the posts, suggesting that an opposition figure engaging in similar conduct would likely face legal consequences.

Parliamentary speaker Alen Simonyan also commented on the matter, according to OC Media, noting that, in today's unregulated media landscape, public figures are free to respond as they see fit.