EcoLur
Lydian Armenia company which is implementing Amulsar gold mining project in Armenia, is suing the Armenian citizens, On 4 September 2018, the company filed a claim against 28 citizens to First Instance Court of General Jurisdiction of Ararat and Vayots Dzor Regions of Armenia. The company is demanding full compensation of damage estimated from 22 June 2018 to the date when the judicial acts will enter into force.
The court found that the claim is subject to return as doesn't mention the extent and calculation of the requested money (caused damage) as of the day filing the claim, as well as it didn't substantiate the impossibility to estimate the extent of the damage in the claim and accompanying documents it has filed. Lydian Armenia has filed the claim against a total number of 28 respondents, but the claim form doesn't lay down the demand posed against each respondent.
The court ruling also says in case the violations in the claim form are corrected and the claim is filed again within three days, the court will consider the date of accepting the claim the day of initial acceptance.
One of the respondents, Gndevaz villager Tehmine Yenoqyan said in her interview with EcoLur that she hasn't received any new letter from the court. She outlined that there is another individual claim filed against her besides this general claim. Director of Lydian Armenia's legal consultant 'Fidelity Consulting' CJSC Armen Melqumyan has filed a claim again to First Instance Court of General Jurisdiction of Ararat and Vayots Dzor Regions of Armenia 'on levying compensation of 1,000,000 AMD for the defaming expressions discrediting the business reputation of the company in the course of the public speech, obligating the respondent to deny the defaming data through a public speech on the same spot and a live on her personal Facebook page.' The court returned the claim form mentioning that the claim form is signed by a person having no power to sign it. No proper proof has been submitted that Armen Melqumyan is the employees of Lydian Armenia CJSC.
Tehmine Yenoqyan noted that she is not aware which part of her speech is considered to be as discrediting the business reputation.
Lydian Armenia filed another claim to First Instance Court of General Jurisdiction of Yerevan City against Levon Galstyan, a member of Armenian Environmental Front. The claim has been filed by Armen Melqumyan and lawyer of 'Fidelity Consulting' CJSC Yelena Kasparova accusing the environmentalist of defamation.
The claim says that in his interview given to civilnet.am electronic website on 13 July 2018, on his personal Facebook page and the Facebook page of AEF 'Levon Galstyan presented a number of factual data not complying with the reality and discrediting the business reputation of the company.' The plaintiff is demanding from Levon Galstyan to give refutation through the same website and Facebook pages. As a third party, Civilitas Foundation has been involved. The court has accepted the claim into proceedings.
Levon Galstyan responded to court and parties mentioning that the claim is entirely non-substantiated and illegal.
'I am sure there is no defamation: this is another way of frightening people fighting against mining in Armenia. Naturally, it can't influence our ideas and activities. We know that whatever we say and write is the truth and it can't be an obstacle in any manner for the citizens to fight for their rights. The court shouldn't have accepted the claim where there are no grounds of defamation,' Levon Galstyan said in his interview with EcoLur.
Reminder: the roads leading to the area of Amulsar gold mine have been blocked for over 4 months by the citizens fighting against this project, while the construction works have been suspended.
October 15, 2018 at 19:26