The Council of the SINJAR NGO has issued a statement on ethnically motivated attacks against journalist Boris Murazi.

“Yesterday, we learned from the social media page of Harutyun Mkrtchyan, a supporter of the Armenian authorities, that an incident had occurred between journalist Boris Murazi and Harutyun Mkrtchyan during a broadcast on Armenia's Public Television.

It is both surprising and deeply concerning that, in the comments under Harutyun Mkrtchyan's video statement about this political dispute, many of his supporters have targeted Boris Murazi on the basis of his ethnic background. Moreover, one of his followers openly stated that Harutyun Mkrtchyan had treated Boris Murazi differently precisely because of his ethnicity.

The behavior of this individual, who enjoys the support of the authorities, and that of his followers gives us serious grounds to suspect that the incident may have been an organized provocation against Boris Murazi, potentially motivated by his ethnic background.

Boris Murazi led our organization for many years and has been a devoted citizen of the Republic of Armenia. We strongly condemn any attempt to target the Yazidi community because of his journalistic activities.

Targeting citizens of the Republic of Armenia who belong to ethnic minorities on the basis of their ethnicity in public spaces is not only unacceptable but also dangerous, as it risks fueling interethnic intolerance within society.

We call on the authorities to refrain from such provocations and to ensure that ethnic identity is not turned into an instrument of political retaliation through their supporters and propagandists.

We will regard any potential unlawful persecution of Boris Murazi as evidence that the authorities support discrimination on ethnic grounds.

In the Republic of Armenia, no citizen's ethnic identity should ever become grounds for political attacks or persecution,” the statement reads.