VIDEO: Cubans Seeking Asylum in Armenia Are Transgender, Says Narek Malayan

Today, a noteworthy statement circulated on social media, claiming that 14 individuals from Cuba, who are transgender and HIV positive, arrived in Armenia. Specifically, public figure Narek Malayan wrote on his Facebook page: “Since we do not have a state, I would like to inform Armenian citizens that the 14 transgender individuals arriving from Cuba are HIV positive. This information is from official sources; you may share it. In total, there are 16 individuals, 14 of whom are HIV positive. Moreover, one of them worked at a bakery.”

Tert.am inquired with the Armenian Migration Service to determine if any citizens from Cuba have applied for asylum in Armenia. “According to data from the last six months, 19 citizens from Cuba have applied for asylum,” said Nelli Davtyan, spokesperson for the Migration Service. “The statistics on asylum applications by country have not been updated; we have the data for the first six months. We received asylum applications from 19 individuals from Cuba, of which we have rejected 5; no application has been approved yet. That means no Cuban citizen has been granted refugee status, the rest are in process,” announced Davtyan.

She added that the data for the past nine months will soon be summarized. When asked how long it takes to respond to their asylum applications, Davtyan stated that the service will decide within three months whether to grant asylum or not. “In very rarely complicated cases, there is a possibility to extend the review period up to six months,” she informed.

Regarding the basis on which these Cuban citizens requested asylum in Armenia, Davtyan mentioned that she could not provide personal data but noted that any foreign citizen facing national, religious, or racial discrimination, persecuted for political opinions, or belonging to certain social groups can apply for asylum in Armenia.

It's worth mentioning that yesterday, Facebook user Narek Sargsyan posted a video showing a group of transgender individuals and sex workers gathered in front of the government building. They are seen conversing with Narek Sargsyan in a foreign language.