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Yazidi Supporters To Rally In Armenia, Georgia

Members and supporters of the Yazidi communities in Armenia and Georgia are due to rally in their respective capitals on August 13.

The demonstrators will express support for the thousands of Yazidis in Iraq, who were given an ultimatum by advancing Islamic State (IS) militants to convert to Islam, leave, or be killed.

Earlier, a Yazidi delegation met with Armenia's Deputy Prime Minister Armen Gevorgian, who reiterated Yerevan's financial support for thousands of Yazidis stranded on Iraq's Sinjar Mountain.

Armenia has allocated $50,000 for humanitarian aid to be sent to the Yazidis, who fled IS attacks.

The delegation asked Yerevan to recognize IS attacks on the Iraqi Yazidi community as genocide and to grant visas to those Yazidis willing to seek asylum in Armenia.

Armenia is home to some 40,000 Yazidis, while neighboring Georgia has a nearly 20,000-strong Yazidi community.

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    RFE/RL's Armenian Service

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    RFE/RL's Georgian Service

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