Armenian law-enforcers launch criminal case against environmentalists for threats to kill Lydian Armenian employees
11.07.2018,
15:55
Armenia’s National Security Service (NSS) detained July 6 two citizens, identified as A.B. and A.A. for threatening to kill employees of the Lydian Armenia company, developing the Amulsar gold mine in the southern province of Vayots Dzor and members of their families in an interview with 1in.am news agency.
YEREVAN, July 11. /ARKA/. Armenia’s National Security Service (NSS) detained July 6 two citizens, identified as A.B. and A.A. for threatening to kill employees of the Lydian Armenia company, developing the Amulsar gold mine in the southern province of Vayots Dzor and members of their families in an interview with 1in.am news agency.
NSS said today in a statement that it launched a criminal case under part 1 of Article 137 (threat of murder, causing serious damage to health or destruction of property) of the Criminal Code of Armenia .
When interrogated by NSS officers, the detained citizens who appeared to be environmentalists opposing the development of the gold mine, said their murder threats were not serious, that they had no arms and that they had no knowledge whatsoever about the families of the employees and that their opposition to the development of the mine is exclusively peaceful and is within the law. Citizens stated that they regret the incident and consider their behavior unacceptable.
After searching the detained citizens’ apartments and finding nothing that was of significant importance for the case, the environmentalists were set free after pledging in written form not to leave the country pending investigation.
"The National Security Service of Armenia calls on citizens to fight for their rights by using exclusively legal means and refrain from violence, coercion in any form," the agency said.
Lydian Armenia is a subsidiary of Lydian International. It was founded in 2005. The list of its institutional shareholders includes the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the International Finance Corporation.
The Amulsar gold deposit is the second largest gold deposit in Armenia, containing about 31 million tons of ore and 40 tons of pure gold. It is located in the southeast of the country, 13 km from the resort town of Jermuk, between the rivers Arpa and Vorotan. -0-
NSS said today in a statement that it launched a criminal case under part 1 of Article 137 (threat of murder, causing serious damage to health or destruction of property) of the Criminal Code of Armenia .
When interrogated by NSS officers, the detained citizens who appeared to be environmentalists opposing the development of the gold mine, said their murder threats were not serious, that they had no arms and that they had no knowledge whatsoever about the families of the employees and that their opposition to the development of the mine is exclusively peaceful and is within the law. Citizens stated that they regret the incident and consider their behavior unacceptable.
After searching the detained citizens’ apartments and finding nothing that was of significant importance for the case, the environmentalists were set free after pledging in written form not to leave the country pending investigation.
"The National Security Service of Armenia calls on citizens to fight for their rights by using exclusively legal means and refrain from violence, coercion in any form," the agency said.
Lydian Armenia is a subsidiary of Lydian International. It was founded in 2005. The list of its institutional shareholders includes the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the International Finance Corporation.
The Amulsar gold deposit is the second largest gold deposit in Armenia, containing about 31 million tons of ore and 40 tons of pure gold. It is located in the southeast of the country, 13 km from the resort town of Jermuk, between the rivers Arpa and Vorotan. -0-
