Ten Stalls to Be Removed from Tigran the Great Avenue

The Yerevan City Hall has decided to remove stalls located on Tigran the Great Avenue in Yerevan. Two stalls were already sealed off three months ago, but stall owners claimed they would not vacate their premises, considering the eviction decision an illegal action by the municipality.

In an interview with NEWS.am, stall owner Armen Gharibyan stated that they do not see any legal grounds for vacating their premises. “I am a war veteran; I fought for my homeland, and we have nothing against the police. Now the city hall is taking illegal actions, trying to act like raiders. For ten years, we have managed these areas, upgraded the adjacent yard, and handled waste management, which is not even part of our duties. We have all legal documents. We have applied several times to the district and city administrations for an address so we can pay and acquire ownership, but since 2008, no one has provided us with an address. Now they come and say they are evicting us,” he said.

Armen Gharibyan mentioned that they had not received any eviction notice. “The police came and said we have to leave. They said it's the city hall's property. I do not know what the city hall wants to do here,” he added.

He also noted that the yard of a neighboring stall that was sealed three months ago is now completely filled with garbage, leaving the stall workers unemployed. “They have sealed the second stall, and it says ‘sealed’ on the door, but there’s no stamp. They have written it by hand. Each was supporting a family, and now these people are starving. We will fight until the end; we are ready to do anything for our homeland. Each owner has half a kilo of ‘asqolka’ (burden). Are they now planning some ‘raid’ on us? Our fight is against the Turks, but if they treat us like the Turks, we will resist as we would against the Turks. We will do our utmost; this is my child’s bread. Ten businesses are involved, all sitting hungry, while they say they are opening jobs or demolishing,” he exclaimed.

Lawyer Arsen Mkrtchyan stated that incomprehensible and illogical actions are being undertaken. “The citizens legally manage and operate these stalls. An eviction decision has been made, and they have probably prioritized giving the stalls to other individuals. There is a decision from the mayor to evict the occupants, but the occupants are ready to pay for acquiring these premises. The properties belong to the Yerevan City Hall by right of ownership, but they are under legal management by citizens. They want to remove these managers and bring in other managers. I believe this is related to personal relationships. Newly appointed officials in local self-government think that this could be a personal business, wondering why our acquaintances should not be the ones managing it,” he explained.

When asked whether any actions are planned, Mkrtchyan said, “We will try to explain to the police officers that their actions are unlawful, and if that does not succeed, we will contest the illegal actions in court.”