Researcher Sues Director of the Matenadaran

Professor Artzruni Sahakyan, a researcher at the Matenadaran, has filed a lawsuit against the director of the Matenadaran, Vahan Ter-Gevondyan. This information was reported to NEWS.am by the judicial information system.

The lawsuit presented to the Administrative Court concerns the protection of honor, dignity, and business reputation.

In a conversation with NEWS.am, Sahakyan stated that Ter-Gevondyan tarnished his reputation during a meeting of the Board of Trustees held on April 6, 2019.

According to the plaintiff, Ter-Gevondyan claimed in his speech that Sahakyan allegedly created a research group on medieval folk culture manuscripts of the Matenadaran by pressuring the late director Hrachya Tamrazyan, through deception, blackmail, and slander.

“He is so far from science that he thinks scientific groups are formed through some sort of blackmail or pressure. He believes that this is a matter of opening some separate material and technical department based on trade. When a person who has worked at the Matenadaran for 40 years makes an agreement with his 40-year colleague as the director to create a scientific separate group, to consider this as something done through blackmail, citing the deceased, is a double crime,” he said, noting that Ter-Gevondyan’s statements are offensive to him.

It is noteworthy that in April of this year, Matenadaran director Vahan Ter-Gevondyan decided to close the research group led by Sahakyan. The group leader and staff members indicate that this is a consequence of personal vendetta.

Sahakyan's lawsuit was filed in court yesterday, June 5, and has been assigned to Judge Zarouhi Nakhshkaryan of the Yerevan City Court.