More Byuzand families evicted

[Thai-Samurai]

More sick Armenians doing what they do best. Belittling the little guy for money. In this case the little guys are Armenian families living on prime real estate. Members of our very own parliament want to own this and build nice apt's there so they can get rich. I guess this is what we've been fighting for independence for the last 400 years was for.

http://armenianow.com/?action=viewArticle&AID=1153&lng=eng&IID=1050

Buzand Battle Update: Neighborhood advocate arrested
From Staff reports


An attorney who has represented members of Yerevan’s controversial Buzand Street urban development district has been placed under arrest by Armenia’s National Security Service (formerly the KGB).

On Thursday afternoon Anzheta Muradyan refused to come down from her roof. Friday morning a demolition crew tore the house down.

Vahe Grigoryan is in jail on charges of fraud, stemming from an incident in 2003.

Last spring information was taken during an NSS raid on his office, after which a criminal investigation was initiated.

At the time the investigation was launched, Grigoryan said charges that he had defrauded a client were groundless, and that he was being targeted because he represented families suing the government over disputes related to property compensation.

Grigoryan has continued his support of the Buzand neighborhood, from which residents have been evicted – according to the Republic of Armenia’s Ombudswoman illegally – and homes torn down even as court decisions on their eviction were pending.

Grigoryan maintains his innocence, and again accuses the Yerevan Municipality of persecution, due to his representation of clients whose claims slow down development of Yerevan’s city center, which is being bought out by oligarchs, Members of Parliament, and other politically well-connected businessmen.

An attorney representing Grigoryan has said the NSS charges are themselves fraudulent, and he questions why an office whose mission is to investigate crimes threatening national security should be investigating a civil issue.

In other related news:

Yesterday, 65-year old Anzheta Muradyan, as she has before, climbed to the roof of her Buzand Street home in protest and refused to come down. Police arrested at least one person, a member of the Hovhanissyan family, whose home was torn down two weeks ago, even though a court ordered their eviction to be stopped. (Click here for previous story)

In the early hours of this morning (October 14), demolition crews took down the Muradyan’s home. According to documents the family showed ArmeniaNow, the Muradyans are still legal owners of the property.

Relevant developments will be reported in next week’s ArmeniaNow.

[Կարմիր Բ]

Well done for posting these articles,so that the people can see what we are dealing with.

If we first don't get rid of these corrupted oligarchs and politicians, then we will never be able to do what must be done.

[Thai-Samurai]

Yeah kill them!

Seriously though, these people are people in Parliament and others like Dodi Gago. Also rich russians that our gov't is cooperating with. It's sick that Kocharian isn't going to help at all because he's in on it. If their going to evict the families atleast give them what it's worth. You can't buy jack in Yerevan with $10,000.

[Thai-Samurai]

Jailed for Defense of Justice

Jailed for Defense of Justice: Buzand attorney behind bars on questionable charges
By Vahan Ishkhanyan
ArmeniaNow reporter

Residents of Yerevan’s Buzand Street – holding out against what they see as violations of the Constitution against them – have received another blow now that their attorney, Vahe Grigoryan, has been jailed with a two-month sentence.
Grigoryan has been charged with extortion and forgery of documents (unrelated to Buzand), in what other lawyers, some public figures who sympathize with the Buzand residents, and his clients are saying are fabricated charges made up to deter his defense of Buzand. (See Buzand Battle Update and other articles on the Buzand controversy, linked below.)


A television station captured the effects of Grigoryan's conflict with bailiffs

A television station captured the effects of Grigoryan's conflict with bailiffs

Grigoryan, 30, is a graduate of the Department of Law of the Yerevan State University. After military service he worked as an investigator in the office of the Military Prosecutor of Karabakh. He was acting prosecutor of the Askeran region.

Since spring, Grigoryan has represented four families from the Buzand demolition site, who have refused to sell their property, against a government order that the property must be developed as a matter of “state need”.

Courts have systematically ruled against them at every turn and only Armenia’s Ombudswoman – who prepared a special report to point out Constitutional violations by the government against the residents – has been an official ally.

Some residents of Buzand do not agree with the offered compensation and say they will sell only for an appropriate price. Another group refuses to sell their property at all, stating that they are given the right of ownership by the Constitution and the government violates the Constitution depriving them of their property.

Vahe Grigoryan’s clients are from the second group.

Grigoryan has not limited his defense to courtroom debate. He as stood defiantly on the steps of clients’ homes while court bailiffs forced their way inside to evict the residents.

On March 1, Grigoryan stopped bailiffs from entering the Buzand 15/9 apartment where according to the court’s decision they wanted to fix an obligatory price. Grigoryan insisted that the bailiffs were outside the law in demanding to enter.

The result was that Grigoryan and the owner of the apartment were beaten, but Grigoryan was singled out for special force. Yerkir Media TV showed Grigoryan with a bloody face after the beating.

“They mainly beat Vahe. If we got one blow then Vahe got 15,” says Zhorik Vahanyan, a resident.

Grigoryan has also been victimized by the National Security Service (the former KGB).

On May 31, two NSS agents entered Grigroyan’s office, claiming to be representatives of the Ombudsman’s Office, and demanding data on clients (not from Buzand).

The “agents” were acting on information they had obtained after a raid on the Ombudsman’s Office, during which computer files were taken (See Rights and Wrongs).

On June 10, a criminal case was initiated against Grigoryan. However, the lawyer continued defending his clients with the same spirit even outside the court, in courts and in the street.

Sashik Safyan told ArmeniaNow that Grigoryan defends their interests free of charge as it is a question of principle for him when the Constitution is violated. The lawyer sent the case of the Safyans to the Strasbourg Court (of human rights).

After Grigoryan’s arrest on October 12, the four families gave a press conference in Buzand Street.

“Our addresses remain the same but the place of these addresses is a big hole. We are not only ousted but also crushed,” says a former resident of Buzand Street Gohar Galstyan. “We are also deprived of our last hope, Vahe was going to send our case to Strasbourg and he was arrested.”

Meanwhile, 10 lawyers have risen to Grigoryan’s defense. The lawyers declare that his arrest is a challenge to advocacy and threatens the bar institution and every lawyer may be considered as a potential offender and find himself in Grigoyan’s place.

Charges against Grigoryan stem from his representation of the Armenian branch of Krein Ltd. Russian firm, two years ago.

According to lawyers supporting Grigoryan, Krein Ltd. overpaid taxes by about $41,000. Grigoryan recovered the overpayment, and had the funds transferred to his business account (by a prior agreement with the client).

During the most heated period of the Buzand controversy, NSS officials approached Grigoryan and asked him to give information about Krein Ltd. Grigoryan refused, claiming attorney-client privilege.

He was arrested on the grounds of the evidence of a person made a day before according to which he and Grigoryan forged licenses and lawsuits of “Krein”.

According to investigator’s reports, Alexander Hakobyan, father of the owner of Krein (who was in the United States at the time), signed tax documents in his son’s absence. For that offense, Grigoryan has been arrested, and Hakobyan (who gave evidence to the investigators) has not.

A day later, Hakobyan lodged an application with the Ombudsman that at the Prosecutor’s Office he had been pressured for 10 hours and coerced into testifying against Grigoryan. Hakobyan, 65, is in poor health condition and underwent a heart surgery.

This application was sent to the Prosecutor’s Office after which Hakobyan withdrew his application from the Ombudsman’s Office.

(Hakobyan refused to talk to ArmeniaNow, saying that the only way to be safe was to be silent.)