Armenia grants refugee status to Iraqi Yazidis
Nineteen of the Yazidis, who came to Armenia from the Iraqi province of Shingal, were granted refugee status. This has been announced today by Gamlet Smoyan, a member of the Board of the Yazidi National Union "Sinjar".
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that three families of Yazidis, a total of 19 persons, including six children, have found refuge in Armenia, fleeing from the "Islamic State" recognized as a terrorist organization. They appealed to the Armenian authorities to grant them refugee status.
Iraqi Yazidis are regularly attacked by radical groupings. Prior to militants' attacks, about 500,000 Yazidis lived in Shingal; then, most of them were forced to leave their homeland. About 450,000 Yazidis found shelter in refugee camps in Syria, Turkey and Kurdistan. Actions demanding to help Iraqi Yazidis were held in Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh and Georgia.
The Migration Service of Armenia has granted refugee status to all 19 members of the families, including six children. This was told to the "Caucasian Knot" by Gamlet Smoyan, who did not specify the date when the refugee status had been granted.
According to Gamlet Smoyan, the refugee status will allow the Iraqi Yazidis receive financial and material assistance from the state and international organizations on issues of internally displaced persons (IDPs), in particular, from the United Nations.
Let us remind you that in this May, Fakhir Kamal, the spiritual leader of the Yazidi of the city of Mosul, addressed the Armenian authorities with the request to protect the Yazidis in Iraq. He compared the events taking place there with the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire.