The Armenian parliament on April 16 voted to designate August 3 as the commemoration day for the victims of the Yezidi genocide.
The bill was submitted by Yezidi Member of Parliament Rustam Bakoyan from the ruling Civil Contract party, reported the Public Radio of Armenia.
“The genocide is a crime against humanity, and it is the biggest crime. This is a direct result and a direct consequence of incorrect and improper condemnation of the Armenian Genocide in 1915,” Bakoyan said as he presented the bill.
“The destinies of Armenians and Yezidis are quite similar, and our destinies have always crossed paths. We have often found ourselves in the same situations in different stages of history,” he added.
In a post on Instagram on April 14, Bakoyan also said that April 16 will be a historic day for the Yezidis, as the Republic of Armenia will be the first country to in the world to officially designate a commemoration day for the Yezidi genocide.
“A commemoration day by Armenia is significant, especially as it comes from a country and a people who know firsthand what genocide is,” Murad Ismail, President and Co-founder of Sinjar Academy, told Kurdistan Chronicle.
“This is about honoring victims of the Yezidi genocide and the Yezidi struggle in general. We hope that this step will further raise awareness about this human story that deserves to be acknowledged and honored.”
L'Assemblée nationale arménienne a inscrit la commémoration du génocide des Yézidis au calendrier national armenien.
— Olivier Decottignies (@O_Decottignies) April 16, 2024
➡️ À un siècle d'écart, le martyre des Yézidis fait écho à celui des Arméniens en 1915.
➡️ Fier d'avoir représenté la France dans l'hémicycle ce jour historique. pic.twitter.com/dbJRnfTF37
Ambassador of France in Armenia Olivier Decottignies, who served as the French Consul General in Erbil between 2019 and 2023, was a guest at the vote in the Armenian parliament. He posted on X that he was proud to represent France on this “historic day.”
“A century apart, the martyrdom of the Yazidis echoes that of the Armenians in 1915,” he wrote.
On August 7, 2019, the Kurdistan Region Parliament also designated August 3 as the commemoration day for the victims of the Yezidi genocide.
