The Goy Theater Will Continue Its Activities Until the Administrative Court's Main Ruling

The Armen Mazmanyan National Experimental Art Center, known as the "Goy" theater, has had its lawsuit against the Government of the Republic of Armenia regarding the annulment of decision No. 701-N adopted on May 11, 2023, accepted for consideration. According to Article 83, Part 1 of the Administrative Procedure Code, the execution of the challenged administrative act is suspended. This means that the theater will not be closed until the Administrative Court delivers its main ruling. This was stated today, July 5, during a press meeting with representatives of the theater, including its lawyer and artistic director.

The Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports had developed a project proposing to reduce the administrative section of the "Goy" theater, while the creative team, under the name of the "Goy" theater group, would operate under the roof of the Gabriell Sundukyan National Academic Theater. The theater’s staff was initially opposed to this project, believing that it aimed to end the theater’s operations. The ministry had presented the project to the government of the Republic of Armenia, and during a meeting on May 11, a decision was made to merge the "Goy" theater with the Gabriell Sundukyan National Academic Theater.

Artistic director Arthur Sahakyan stated, "We filed a lawsuit as members of the theater, which was dismissed. Now, the case is in court. Yesterday, the case was accepted for consideration, because the reasons given are imaginary and artificial." The lawyer added, "At this moment, legally, there is a situation where the "Goy" theater is not closing. In my internal conviction, it will never close, but it is a fact that it will not close until the main ruling is made." The lawyer also mentioned that there is a decision that outlines specific actions, particularly a process that would lead to the "Goy" theater no longer existing, but since the decision is being challenged by the theater, which argues that such a decision was made in violation of the law, it needs to be evaluated by the court.

The lawyer stated, "The court has accepted the case, meaning there is an issue that needs to be examined, determining who is right and who is wrong. Due to the heavy load on the Administrative Court, we do not know when the first court session regarding the accepted decision will take place. I cannot rule out that the session might occur, for example, six months later," said Karo Asatryan. It should be noted that the theater continues to operate, and premieres are also expected.