Armenian National Assembly Commits to Commemorating the Yazidi Genocide Annually

During a special session held on 17 April 2024, the National Assembly of Armenia unanimously voted on a draft resolution to designate August 3rd every year as a day to commemorate and honour the victims of the Yazidi genocide. This atrocity was committed by the terrorist organisation known as Islamic State (ISIS) in Sinjar in 2014, resulting in widespread suffering and loss of life.

The bill was introduced by Rustam Bakoyan, a representative from the Civil Contract Party and the Deputy Chair of the Standing Committee on Protection of Human Rights and Public Affairs. It garnered approval with a majority of 88 votes during the initial reading.

Furthermore, Paruyr Hovhannisyan, Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister, stated that preventing genocide and crimes against humanity is one of the priorities of Armenia’s foreign policy.

In 2018, Armenia’s parliament unanimously passed a resolution recognising the 2014 mass killings of Yazidis in Iraq by ISIS as genocide. The resolution called on the international community to track down and prosecute those directly responsible for the killings.

The Yazidis are the largest religious and ethnic minority in Armenia and are recognised as a special ethnic component. According to statistics, the population of Yazidis in Armenia ranges from 35,000 to 50,000.

Department of Media and Information