Experts in Amulsar Were in Lydian Vehicles: Defenders Invited by Investigative Committee

Seven defenders of Amulsar are preparing to cooperate with the Investigative Committee of Armenia and will meet with members of the Committee on July 19. Shirak Buniatian mentioned this in a conversation with NEWS.am today, July 16.

“We have been invited by the investigators to cooperate. We have plenty of facts and complaints that have not been included in the framework of this investigative case. We were told that if we wished to cooperate and had data helpful for the case, we could come in, and we would discuss it. Afterwards, we will decide together with the residents of Jermuk whether to allow the experts in or not,” said Buniatian.

He reported that on July 13, local experts and employees of Lydian tried to enter the Amulsar territory with the help of police forces from Vayots Dzor. He also noted that the experts arrived in vehicles belonging to “Lydian Armenia,” which raised suspicions among the residents and defenders. “We said that we would allow entry if Lydian employees did not come. They justified their presence there as being people familiar with the territory. We expressed our distrust of Lydian and said that it was very likely they would lead us to the wrong place, and we wanted local residents to accompany them. That option was also not accepted, and they started to pull people and detain them,” he added.

Earlier, Shirak Buniatian had stated that the situation in Amulsar was “tense.” “Last year, around this time, during a supervisory inspection, it was discovered that there had been illegal extraction in the Amulsar area. For almost a year, there has been no accessible information regarding this case for broader interest groups. The Investigative Committee had invited local experts and Lydian employees, along with all police forces from Vayots Dzor, to enter the territory. From the very first moment, the police demonstrated aggressive and intolerant behavior towards the residents gathered there. Initially, the experts had boarded Lydian’s vehicles. Months ago, when the Investigative Committee had come with ELARD experts, they were provided with separate vehicles, and residents and Lydian employees were prohibited from communicating and interacting with the experts. At that time, we were told that this was done to maintain the independence and impartiality of the experts. But now they come in Lydian's vehicles and are friendly conversing with each other. We said that there would be a large gathering in Jermuk tomorrow where we would discuss everything and state our position. This option was not accepted either, and they started to push again. We reiterated that we would allow entry if Lydian employees did not come. They justified their presence as being familiar with the area. We said we do not trust Lydian and it is very likely they would lead us to the wrong place and wanted residents to accompany them as well. That option was also not accepted, and they started to pull and detain people. Eventually, the tension peaked and reasonable individuals among the police determined that an attempt to enter the area would not be made today. As a result, the police left peacefully, and the detained residents were released; our posts are firmly in place and Amulsar remains noble and proud of its defenders,” he stated.