LGBTI+ people violently attacked in Armenian village of Shurnukh

Reports have emerged that a group of LGBTI+ people were attacked in Armenia earlier this week.

Gay Star News have reported that thirty people gathered in the village of Shurnukh to attack local LGBTI+ advocate and Rainbow Armenia Initiative founder Hayk Oprah Hakobyan – following social media reports from activist Remy Bonny.

🏳️‍🌈🇦🇲 9 LGBTI People got attacked by 30 villagers in a small Armenian village. 2 of them are seriously injured. This is something that should not be happening in the 21st century. Fortunately, this people can still tell what happened. Let’s commemorate all those who can’t! pic.twitter.com/AeKhAAxEga

— Rémy Bonny (@RemyBonny) August 4, 2018

Hayk says he refused a strangers request to talk, after being approached at his front door in the evening on August 3rd. The attacker then allegedly jumped over the fence to attack Hayk and his eight guests.

“We had to leave our house immediately because they were gathering villagers to lynch us,” Hayk said, explaining that approximately 30 people had assembled outside his home.

“In the beginning, they were just shouting that homosexuals can’t live in this village, but it became violent very fast. We started running for our lives.”

Hayk adds that he believes one of the attackers to be Shurnukh’s former mayor, Hakob Arshakyan.

“My dad recently filed a complaint for corruption against our former mayor. I think this might have been the direct motive for the attack.”

Remy Bonny explains that LGBTI+ rights in Armenia are not making the same progress as other communities in the region.

“Anti-discrimination legislation which would exclude LGBTI people explicitly is still not off the table and nobody knows what’s going to happen with it.”

“It is important that the EU and Western embassies put pressure on the Armenian government to include the LGBTI community in this legislation.”

“I fear the same will happen to them as in other Caucasus regions, such as Chechnya and Azerbaijan.”

Image:- Twitter