The Director of Sundukyan Theater Did Not Hand Over the Key to 'Goy': New Details

The staff of Yerevan's 'Goy' theater were unable to enter the theater as Vardan Mkrtchyan, the director of the Gabriel Sundukyan National Academic Theater, refused to give them the entrance key and stated that he had nothing to discuss with them. The 'Goy' theater staff called the police to send officers to ensure their legal access.

Currently, police officers are inside the Gabriel Sundukyan National Academic Theater to understand the situation.

It should be noted that on October 2, 'Goy' announced that it would resume normal operations starting November 4, as the Ministry of Justice of Armenia had confirmed that the theater's activities had been unlawfully suspended for nine months.

Today, the 'Goy' theater staff held a press conference, which was supposed to take place in the theater's press center at the suggestion of Vardan Mkrtchyan. However, when Mkrtchyan began to share his views on the issue, the staff of 'Goy' boycotted the meeting and left the room.

'Goy' has appealed to the Ministry of Justice for legal clarification regarding Article 83 of the Administrative Procedure Code, under which it has contested the decision to annul 'Goy's registration in the State Register. It is noted that in the case of a contestation claim, the actions stemming from the administrative act are suspended.

Meanwhile, Armine Melkumyan, the lawyer for the Gabriel Sundukyan National Academic Theater, stated that they had informed 'Goy's lawyer that the Ministry of Justice is not authorized to interpret any administrative act or assess whether this or that right has been suspended under the conditions of presenting specific claims. It was emphasized that justice is only administered by the court in accordance with the Constitution and laws of Armenia, and any intervention in the administration of justice is prohibited.

According to the lawyer, the Ministry of Justice has not regarded the lawsuit presented to the Administrative Court regarding the annulment of the State Register's decision on 'Goy's registration as a contestation, but rather as a recognition, and there could be no question of annulling the decision. She emphasized that the Ministry could not actually provide such a letter allowing them to resume their activities.

'Goy's lawyer, Karo Asatryan, also mentioned that their application has been logically framed as a contestation, and the part of the Ministry of Justice's letter stating that their application is for recognition is likely a mistake, as the Ministry referenced information in the 'Dataplex' system, which is known to have disruptions and could lead to such misunderstandings.

'We have clearly presented our demand to the administrative court to suspend the decision to annul 'Goy's registration in the State Register and to declare the decisions of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports unlawful, which stem from the government's decision,' he said.

It is important to recall that the proposal to merge 'Goy' with the Sundukyan Theater was presented by the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports, stating that 'Goy' had underperformed its annual financial plan by 3 million 436 thousand 990 drams in 2022. Furthermore, performances were not staged by invited directors, and the center did not collaborate with the Ministry.