Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly-Vanadzor

Recently, continuing the campaign against the organization associated with Open Society foundations, Narek Malyan, founder of “VETO” movement, has been taking provocative and targeted actions against the Yezidi Center for Human Rights and Sashik Sultanyan, chairman of the NGO.

Human rights defender and public figure Sashik Sultanyan and the Yezidi Center for Human Rights always draw public attention to the issues of the Yezidi community of Armenia thus aiming to contribute to the building of a more democratic and inclusive Armenia by raising and solving those issues.  N. Malyan writes posts in social platforms against the rare and principled non-governmental organization dealing with the issues of national minorities and human rights, and states that Sashik Sultanyan “incites national enmity between the Yazidis and Armenians for a special purpose”. This is an attempt to silence those who raise the issues of national minorities, which we qualify as an encroachment against the protection of the rights of national minorities.  

Non-Discrimination and Equality Coalition strongly condemns the provocative actions of “VETO” movement and calls on the Armenian authorities to

‼️ take effective steps to protect the rights of national minorities’ representatives,

‼️ pursuing the elimination of any discrimination, to prevent and properly respond to hate calls,

‼️ not to allow the threats to suppress the freedom of the speech and activity of human rights activists.