We Have Found Ourselves in a Hostage Situation: Residents of Sari Tag Illuminate Their Fear

For several years now, residents of 21st Street in Sari Tag, Yerevan, have been living in what they describe as extraordinary conditions.

In a conversation with Shamshyan.com, residents expressed, "For more than 7 years, Lida Shahinyan and her family have settled in our street under suspicious circumstances and from the very first day became a true curse for the neighborhood. Not only is she a problem, but she has 2 huge dogs that are aggressive. There have even been cases where the dogs have attacked people, including children, and the injured have received treatment in hospitals in the capital for extended periods of time. All of this has been documented in the records opened at the hospitals. Reports have been compiled at the Erebuni police department regarding the dog attack incidents.

We also know that Lida has been subject to administrative penalties, but that hasn’t helped either. When we warn her that the dogs pose a danger to the neighborhood, she erupts into hysteria and intimidates us all with the police. Our patience has run out. Who has seen such filth in the 21st century? We have been asking our neighbors to replace the damaged sewer pipe with our own resources to eliminate the stench in the area, but the so-called Lida not only prohibits it but also unleashes her dogs on us.

Our poor neighborhood’s Simon has probably worn out several pairs of shoes, yet he cannot confront Lida. We don’t know who to turn to anymore. We reach out to the Erebuni municipality, and they tell us to contact the city hall; we go to the city hall, and they direct us to the Hot Line. When we call the Hot Line, they tell us to contact the police. We contact the police, and Simon comes. It feels like we’re in a completely familiar film—Simon takes, Simon brings. It’s interesting to ponder if this unsanitary condition existed near the homes of the officials from the Yerevan city hall and the Erebuni municipality, would they still be playing this child’s game of tossing blame to one another, or would they demonstrate a special approach and resolve the issue promptly?

The issue truly needs to be resolved quickly, and if the Yerevan city hall and the Erebuni municipality officials have even a slight pang of conscience and think about the residents, the matter will be resolved within an hour. This isn’t a situation where we need to contact the Prime Minister or the Chief of Police; we simply want Mr. Pashinyan and Mr. Osipyan to understand that due to Lida’s illegal actions and the poor performance of certain officials, we have become captives. We hope that at least this time the issue will be resolved and that we, the residents numbering over 300, will believe that the situation has indeed changed.”