19 Cultural Monuments Reportedly Destroyed in the North Avenue and Cascade Development Areas

The Deputy Prosecutor General of Armenia's Department of State Interests Protection has conducted a study regarding the compliance of conservation regulations of monuments within the project areas of North Avenue and Cascade in Yerevan. Documents were referenced from the Transparency International Anti-Corruption Center NGO, departments of the Prosecutor General's Office, the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of Armenia, Yerevan's City Hall, and the National Archives of Armenia.

As a result of the extensive investigation, it was revealed that there had been 19 immovable monuments of national significance under state registration in the project areas approved by government decisions No. 774 dated 25.10.2000 and No. 645 dated 16.07.2001, located at various addresses on Pushkin, Arami, Abovyan, Tumanyan, Teryan, and Hyn Yerevan streets. Only the monument at Pushkin St. 25 has been partially preserved, while the others have been demolished.

According to information from the Yerevan Investment and Development Office, there is no information available on some of the mentioned monuments, while the information on others is incomplete. Additionally, the Yerevan City Hall has confirmed that permits for the demolition of only four monuments exist in their archives. However, no documentation regarding the demolitions has been submitted to the National Archives of Armenia.

This indicates that during the years 2000-2010, relevant officials from the Yerevan City Hall and the Ministry of Culture exhibited negligence regarding their services, resulting in the failure to properly implement the functions of preservation and supervision of the monuments. Consequently, a total of 18 cultural monuments have been completely demolished in the areas of the North Avenue and Cascade development programs, while one has been partially preserved. Notably, there are also no prepared materials or initiated criminal cases concerning the demolition or damage of these monuments.

Considering the revealed facts from the investigation that contain elements of criminal offenses defined by Article 315 of the former Criminal Code of Armenia (which corresponds to Article 446, Part 1 of the active Criminal Code), as well as Article 264, Part 1 of the former Criminal Code (now Article 301, Part 1), the results of the investigation have been forwarded to the Investigative Committee of Armenia to determine the initiation of criminal proceedings.