No Yezidi Mayor in Mixed Communities

Yezidi Center for Human Rights raises an alarm that Yezidi participation in local governance is very low in Armenia.

The human rights NGO focused on minority rights (Yezidi) in Armenia has found out that ethnically Yezidi community members in mixed communities have no representation in their community governance bodies. There are Yezidi mayors and Council members only in a few Yezidi populated villages in Armavir (Ferik community), Aragatsotn (Alagyaz community) and Kotayq marzes.

The Yezidi Center for Human rights reminds that Armenia has commitments to ensure the effective participation of ethnic minorities in decisions affecting their lives. The state has not taken substantive measures in carrying out this commitment, including OSCE recommendations on instituting effective mechanisms to ensure the effective participation of ethnic minorities in the country’s social political life.