UN Special Rapporteurs: Armenia must stop intimidating the  founder  of the Yezidi Center for Human Rights 

ArmInfo. Armenia must stop intimidating human rights defender Sashik Sultanyan, founder of the Yezidi Center for Human Rights, who faces criminal charges for  speaking out in support of minority rights,  UN human rights experts  stated.

In a message published on the website of UN Human Rights Office of  The High Commissioner, it is noted that, the experts called on  Armenia to drop charges against Mr. Sultanyan, who is accused of  criminal incitement of hatred and violence in connection with an  online interview he gave last year.

"It is not incitement to hatred or violence to raise human rights  concerns about the treatment of minorities," the experts said. "On  the contrary, it is protected speech under the right to freedom of  expression.

"Nor are minorities such as the Yezidis a threat to national  security,"  they added. "We call on Armenia to drop these criminal  charges, which appear designed simply to intimidate Mr. Sultanyan and  others who stand up for minority rights. They may also have a  chilling effect on other human rights defenders, especially young  people."

The  experts said the human rights defender is being targeted for  raising minority issues in Armenia and advocating for the human  rights of Yezidis, an ethnic group in the country whose ancestors  settled there in the 19th and early 20th century after fleeing  religious persecution in the Ottoman Empire.

Mr. Sultanyan is a prominent youth activist and a former minority  fellow at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights  (OHCHR). Armenia's National Security Service  began a criminal  investigation against him last November, but he was only informed in  May this year. At issue is an interview he gave to the website  Yezidinews.am about the problems of Yezidis in Armenia. The case has  come to court on the 4th of August, and  if convicted he  could face  three to six years in prison.

"People like Mr. Sultanyan and his organisation perform a valuable  role by bringing human rights issues to the attention of the Armenian  authorities,"  they said. "The government should discuss grievances  about their participation in society directly with the Yezidis and  other minorities, not use spurious criminal charges to try to silence  them."

The three experts are in  dialogue with the Government of Armenia on  this issue.  

Yezidis moved to Armenia in the late 19th and early 20th centuries,  fleeing persecution in the Ottoman Empire. Yezidis also live in  Russia and a number of European countries.

Most of the Yezidis live in Iraq. This ethnic community was attacked  by ISIS in 2014. Experts of the special UN Investigation Group  believe that the massacres of Yezidis by ISIS in Iraq fall under the  definition of "genocide".

An appeal to the Armenian authorities made by: UN Mr. Fernand de  Varennes , Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues; Ms. Mary Lawlor,  Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders; Ms.  Irene Khan, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the  right to freedom of expression .

Special Rapporteurs are appointed by the UN Human Rights Council,  they are not UN employees and are not paid for their work.