Armenpress
The lawsuit filed by “Heritage” Faction Deputies and environmentalists fighting against site development in Mahstots Park against Yerevan Municipality is to be tried by the Administrative Court on 12 March.
Public Judged Taron
Lragir.am
On March 8, the activists of Mashtots Park were able to overcome the barriers of the policemen and liberate the park. The chair of IDHR, Arpine Galfayan, said the society cannot protect its own rights and from now on they will examine the cases of misappropriation of public property and ownership. The guards of the park insist on their three claims: a public green area, dismantled constructions and a well-maintained park.
The pronouncement of the mayor that the girls are just having fun is an indicator of the consciousness, while women in the park are fighting for their rights and the right of people to have a public space.
Today judges Arthur Grigoryan, Gor Hakobyan and Lena Nazaryan conducted the first session of the Independent and Fair Civil Court to examine the protection of the public ownership of Mashtots Park. The City Hall was also summoned but the answerer did not show up in the session.
Sona Aivazyan, the head of Transparency International Anti-Corruption Center (plaintiff) claims to dismantle the kiosks set up in Mashtots Park on the basis of the December 15 decision of the mayor on dislocating the dismantled kiosks of Abovyan Street, ignoring the legislation, namely the land code, stating that the decisions of the City Hall shall be based on the master plan of Yerevan. According to her, the City Hall did not have the right to give architectural and planning tasks involving activities which are not in line with the zoning plan of Yerevan adopted by the City Hall in 2007.
Besides, Sona Aivazyan noted that the park is over 10 thousand square meters, while according to the law on the environment, urban planning activities registering an area over 1500 square meters are subject to environmental testing of modification of the environment of life.
Plaintiff Vahram Soghomonyan, a member of We Are the Masters of This City Initiative, noted that the City Hall explanations hold that we deal with respect for private property and compensation. According to him, these companies got private space on Abovyan Street and made profit on this area and today they have left this area without restoring its appearance. Vahram Soghomonyan noted that Mashtors Park is public property which belongs to the community of Yerevan.
It has been a month the citizens of Yerevan protect public property – the park. “I demand repealing the decisions, reveal and prosecute those responsible and restore the public green area in accordance with the RA legislation. This is a case of abuse of official powers with the view to protect the interests of a few people and playing down the public interests of the citizens of Yerevan.”
The judges promised to pass the verdict on Friday. A round-day sit-in started in the park.
March 14, 2012 at 14:09