EcoLur Demanding to Annul Public Hearings of “Ijevan-1” SHPP

EcoLur

On 10 April the public hearings on the construction of “Ijevan-1” SHPP having submitted by “Jurluys” LLC were appointed in Ijevan Town, Tavush Region.

The director of projecting company, “Gidepinvest” LLC, Armen Grigoryan, three representatives of Ijevan Municipality, Nazik Mkrtchyan, expert at Environmental Expertise SNCO of Nature Protection Ministry, “Jurluys” LLC Director Aramayis Amiryan and a dozen of Ijevan residents attended the public hearings. The latter turned out to be the relatives and acquaintances of the site developing company, as the conversations showed.

The public hearings started and finished with unpleasant incidents. First of all, during the hearings Ijevan resident Svetlana Beglaryan tried to hinder the professional activities of the journalists, who attempted to ask questions to projecting and site developing parties. Site developer Aramayis Amiryan was also not glad to answer the journalists’ question. When EcoLur journalist tried to ask him a question concerning the risks of SHPP construction, he said, “Are you from Ijevan to ask questions to me?”

Avoiding to answer the questions Svetlana Beglaryan and Edgar Amiryan (who were Aramayis Amiryan’s relatives, according to Ijevan residents) they finished the hearings were quickly assigning the participants to vote by hand. SHPP developer Aramayis Amiryan was the first to raise his hand. The voters were assigned to write their names on a blank sheet of paper and to mention they support the SHPP construction.

EcoLur is demanding to annul the public hearings of “Ijevan-1” SHPP on 10 April based on the following substantiations:

1.      The public hearings were held one-sided, where only the residents supporting the SHPP construction were allowed to express their opinions.

2.      The minutes of the hearings were drawn up by non-authorized people.

3.      The site developer didn’t answer the questions people were concerned with.

4.       The public hearings were accompanied with insults addressed to mass media representatives and violations of freedom of speech.

5.      The professional activities of the journalists were hindered during the hearings.

This material  was made possible through the full support of Open Society Foundations – Armenia’s Policy Fellowship Program Initiative, grant number 18571. Ideas, thoughts, and arguments presented in the paper are the sole expression of the author’s views and do not reflect those of Open Society Assistance Foundations – Armenia.

April 14, 2014 at 12:11