“WHO IS GAGIK BUNIATYAN TO SPEAK FOR YEZIDIS?” – COUNTER STATEMENT
02.27.2015 11:57 epress.am
A representative of Armenia’s Yezidi Community Rustam Bakoyan has
expressed his dissatisfaction with National Commission on Television
and Radio (NCTR) President Gagik Buniatyan’s (pictured) statement
made yesterday in the National Assembly. In a counter response,
Bakoyan stressed that Buniatyan did not have the right to speak for
the Yezidi community. Yesterday, responding to HAK faction MP Nikol
Pashinyan’s remark as to why Armenian television stations show films
in Russian but not in the languages of other national minorities,
Buniatyan stated the latter absence was due to the lack of demand.
“I don’t understand, who is Gagik Buniatyan to speak on behalf of
Yezidis and other national minorities living in Armenia and make
spineless statements such as there is no demand for programs in these
languages. Honorable NCTR President, let me inform you that there
are 60,000 Yezidis in Armenia, when have you ever asked the opinion
of those 60,000 people to have come to such a conclusion?
I say this on behalf of myself and all Yezidis, that we, as residents
of the Republic of Armenia, as Armenian citizens, have always wished
and in some ways, we demand, that Armenian television stations provide
time for Yezidi broadcasts, so in case of an opportunity, you don’t
state that there is no demand.
Let me inform you that according to article 28 of the Law on Television
and Radio Broadcasting, public television stations could provide time
in the languages of the Republic of Armenia’s national minorities
with special programs or broadcasts. The general number of hours for
such broadcasts should not exceed one hour per week for television,
and one hour per day for radio broadcasts,” writes Bakoyan.