Lawyer: Shinararneri Street kiosk owners demand compliance with the law and compensation before their properties are demolished

ArmInfo. Kiosk owners on Shinararneri Street in Yerevan want to receive legally required compensation for their demolished properties. This was stated by attorney Varsik Hovsepyan, who represents the interests of the owners of two kiosks, at a press conference in Yerevan on October 21.

According to the attorney, this is the first time that the Yerevan Municipality, represented by Serob Sargsyan, head of the Ajapnyak administrative district, has questioned and ignored a certificate of ownership issued by the Cadastral Committee. Moreover, the attorney noted, in his public statements, he continues to claim that these are illegal buildings, despite the presence of cadastral certificates. "It turns out that by this logic, any official can decide to destroy someone's property at any time. This is a very dangerous precedent." "These are the first such cases of demolition of property with cadastral documents," noted Hovsepyan.

According to her, it remains unclear why the city authorities have not chosen a legal solution to this issue. The lawyer said that in recent days it has become clear that a possible reason for rejecting this approach is an unwillingness to pay compensation for the property. In her opinion, if the authorities are truly willing to pay compensation, as they claim, they should have met with the owners long ago and discussed the amount.

However, as Hovsepyan noted, the head of the administrative district is effectively shifting the decision to the court, which creates additional red tape for the owners and prolongs the proceedings. "This could lead to a change in the market value of the buildings. Our demand is that all processes be carried out in their natural sequence, beginning with the property valuation. Specifically, the property of my clients was valued at 180 million drams. The property valuation was carried out by a licensed organization before the demolition. "We're only talking about two of the 13 kiosks, so imagine what these people have lost," the lawyer stated.

Hovsepyan also reported that during the start of the demolition work and the following day, the Yerevan Municipality presented measurements to the Administrative Court to justify the need to demolish the buildings. According to this data, she claimed, the kiosks were allegedly misplaced. In response, Hovsepyan noted, they petitioned to overturn the interim measures. Meanwhile, the lawyer pointed out that similar errors in cadastral maps are found in all of Yerevan's administrative districts. According to her, if this logic is followed, even the police building and the Karen Demirchyan Sports and Concert Complex could be targeted for demolition. "Even before the demolition, one of the owners filed a criminal complaint with the Anti-Corruption Committee against the head of the administrative district and the Yerevan Municipality." On the day of the dismantling, I also sent a report to the Ajapnyak police department, both regarding the dismantling and regarding the head of the administrative district. There has been no response to these requests yet. Meanwhile, the Anti-Corruption Committee responded to the complaint regarding the mayor's decision, stating that the circumstances cited by the complainant constitute general assumptions and do not constitute a crime. Despite this, we intend to pursue criminal proceedings. I would also like to note that, so far, only the Administrative Court has ensured protection of rights," noted Hovsepyan.

In turn, one of the owners, David Nahapetyan, said that not all the kiosks were destroyed. According to him, most of them remain in place, but tenants are not allowed to continue operating there. He reported that the owners are being intimidated and blackmailed. "Documents for two kiosks are in court: a hearing for one is scheduled for October 26, and for the other, for December 2. I would like to point out that from the very beginning, the owners did not demand that the demolition of the buildings be abandoned, but insisted that all actions be carried out in accordance with the law. Specifically, they wanted us to be provided with the government's decision, public hearings scheduled, and we reached some kind of agreement on compensation," Nahapetyan concluded.

As a reminder, on October 12, the head of Yerevan's Ajapnyak administrative district sent heavy equipment to demolish the buildings on Shinararneri Street. However, thanks to the intervention of members of the Armenia faction, including Mesrop Manukyan, the process was stopped. It should be noted that the municipality wants to demolish the buildings, despite the businesses holding cadastral documents and permits for operations until 2029, issued by the Moscow mayor's office. Therefore, the building owners continue to protest, demanding that their rights be respected and that the illegal demolition of their property be prevented.