It’s Time to Put an End to the Illegal Activities of a Few Individuals: Residents of Jermuk and Gndevaz Send Open Letter to the Prime Minister

Residents of the Jermuk and Gndevaz communities have sent an open letter to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan:

“Dear Mr. Prime Minister, for over a year, we, the residents of the communities surrounding Amulsar, have been victims of the illegal activities surrounding Amulsar. A group of individuals has been representing the communities for more than a year, presenting their desire to oust Lydian as the wish of the entire community. Every person has the right to an opinion. However, in a country of equal rights, a group of individuals should not achieve their goals by circumventing the law, using aggression, and terrorizing the community, thereby violating the rights of others.

For years, individuals pursuing various interests have spread tales of the “dangers” of Amulsar. Many of us who either worked on the Amulsar construction, spoke with experts, or researched online are convinced that Lydian is building the highest quality and safest mine in Armenia. Despite this, these individuals have deprived us for a year of the opportunity to work with a law-abiding company or to develop our small businesses and live with dignity because of Amulsar. Any attempt to express our views or speak in favor of the Amulsar mine has been met with various pressures from a small group of road blockers and their sponsors, who have exerted control over the situation.

The atmosphere of real fear in Jermuk and Gndevaz has been particularly palpable in recent months. The government, as promised, conducted a new examination of Amulsar, confirming our belief that neither our land nor water is under threat. Yet the small group of road blockers continues to act in the name of the community, actually defending the interests of certain factions while completely disregarding the positive environmental examination. This once again proves that there are no environmental issues behind the blocked roads of Amulsar, but rather other interests are at play.

Mr. Prime Minister, our communities have found themselves in the most difficult social situation, with hundreds having left the country. We have no means to provide for our families, while those blocking the roads do not face any issues in covering their family expenses. How can this be possible in a legal state?

It’s time to put an end to the illegal activities of a few individuals. They do not represent, and have never represented, the opinion of the community. The best evidence of this is the rallies they organize, which, at best, see participation from only a few dozen people. We are the community, and our rights should not be subordinated to the interests of louder individuals. Everything must be resolved according to the law, and the atmosphere of lawlessness that has persisted in our communities for over a year must end as soon as possible.”