YEZIDI COMMUNITY OF ARMENIA EXPECTS BUSINESSMAN TO RESTORE OLD CEMETERY
SOCIETY | 15.01.14 | 14:47
NAZIK ARMENAKYAN
ArmeniaNow
Yezidis National Union “Sinjar” issued a statement accusing businessman
Seryozha Grigoryan of destroying the old Yezidis cemetery in the
Myasnikyan community of Armavir province. The Union says Grigoryan
(who is a relative of MP Hrant Grigoryan from the Republican Party)
destroyed the cemetery to make the site for the vineyard for his
winery.
“What happened to the old cemetery is sacrilege, since a person who
does not respect the memory of other people’s deceased cannot respect
own deceased (relatives). If this happened in Azerbaijan, we wouldn’t
be so surprised and anger would not be so strong. A few years ago
we witnessed how the old Armenian cemetery in Nakhichevan, which was
sacred to us and was considered a cultural value for the world, was
destroyed in the result of state policy of Azerbaijan. By this step
the businessman Seryozha Grigoryan not only offends people, but plays
with an international reputation in Armenia,” reads the statement.
Yezidis are the largest ethnic minority in Armenia, with an estimated
population of about 40,000. Most of Yezidis live in rural areas. The
Yezidi community publishes three newspapers; the Public Radio of
Armenia broadcast programs in Yezidi every day.
The Sinjar Union’s chairman Boris Tamoyan told ArmeniaNow that the
Yezidis of Myasnikyan noticed the half of the tombstones on the small
cemetery were fallen down (or broken) and the territory was smoothed
down yet six month ago. (According to residents, there were about 20-25
graves.) They informed the village’s head about it and asked him to
fence the cemetery, which is adjacent to the winery and demanded that
businessman Grigoryan restores them. However, only a few tombstones
were put on their places the residents applied to the union.
“There are some assumptions that Yezidi participants of the Sardarabad
battle (1918) are also buried in that cemetery. We hope we can draw
authorities’ attention to the incident, which is now in the spotlight
of mass media,” says Tamoyan.
Grigoryan has not yet answered the accusation.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Disclaimer: This article was contributed and translated into English by Emil Lazarian. While we strive for quality, the views and accuracy of the content remain the responsibility of the contributor. Please verify all facts independently before reposting or citing.
Direct link to this article: https://www.armenianclub.com/2014/01/16/yezidi-community-of-armenia-expects-businessman-to-restore-old-cemet/
