Monte Melkonian

[Nazarian]

'They' may call him a terrorist but he was a great hero of the our nation.

[Armen]

'They' may call him a terrorist but he was a great hero of the our nation.

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I don't think that the author was clear about that. I think he wanted to show the rise of nationalism as a whole. While criticising Monte in some cases he was sympathetic of him in others.

[kumkap]

i would just like to say that everyone should stop what they're doing, go to the nearest armenian bookstore and pick up a copy of this book, my brother's road.

 

there will be a wide variety of responses to this book, as it is written with a remarkable sense of fairness and makes no effort to conceal the rather extensive list of criminal actions monte was directly or indirectly involved in. and yet this story touched me very deeply - i read it almost cover to cover and could not put it down. the depth of feeling that drove him, his attachment to his ancestral roots, and his heroism and selflessness went through my bones, and my imagination has been racing ever since. i am not a particularly religious person but there was a kind of beauty and purity about his soul. at the same time, even though this is an inspiring story in many ways it is also a sad one, because you sense that people like him belong to a bygone era and don't exist anymore (of course, most of the story takes place before there was an independent armenia, so it was quite a different world back then). more and more i feel a kind of despair that this tv/consumer culture (whatever you want to call it) my generation are a product of has somehow beaten out of us the capacity think and feel the way monte did. to the young people growing up in the west nowadays, do names like van, kharpert, sasun, sepastia, gesaria, trabzon, bitlis, mush, dikranagerd, yozgat, kars mean anything anymore? can they even converse casually in the language of their ancestors? monte gave his life for the memory of these places and the survival of our ancient language.

 

anyway this book is wonderfully written - markar melkonian brings an extremely thorough knowledge of the people and places monte encountered in his life - and does a remarkable job of recreating the imagery of their youth in visalia california and retracing his brother's steps, some of which defy belief.

 

there are also several surprising revelations in this book, i guess i won't mention them so as not to ruin the suprise. this is an extraordinary book, please encourage as many people as possible to read it.

[Armen]

I totally agree with you. Amazing book. Amazing like Monte himself. His brother just had to tell the true story. The difficulty was in finding out the true story. I think he has managed to do that.

 

There is an national archangel and it drives people like Monte to do what they do. When I imagine the changes that happened in him over his lifetime that brought him to his culmination at Karabagh war ... They are almost unbelievable.

[MosJan]

i would just like to say that everyone should stop what they're doing, go to the nearest armenian bookstore and pick up a copy of this book, my brother's road. 

 

there will be a wide variety of responses to this book, as it is written with a remarkable sense of fairness and makes no effort to conceal the rather extensive list of criminal actions monte was directly or indirectly involved in.  and yet this story touched me very deeply - i read it almost cover to cover and could not put it down.  the depth of feeling that drove him, his attachment to his ancestral roots, and his heroism and selflessness went through my bones, and my imagination has been racing ever since.  i am not a particularly religious person but there was a kind of beauty and purity about his soul.  at the same time, even though this is an inspiring story in many ways it is also a sad one, because you sense that people like him belong to a bygone era and don't exist anymore (of course, most of the story takes place before there was an independent armenia, so it was quite a different world back then).  more and more i feel a kind of despair that this tv/consumer culture (whatever you want to call it) my generation are a product of has somehow beaten out of us the capacity think and feel the way monte did.  to the young people growing up in the west nowadays, do names like van, kharpert, sasun, sepastia, gesaria, trabzon, bitlis, mush, dikranagerd, yozgat, kars mean anything anymore?  can they even converse casually in the language of their ancestors?  monte gave his life for the memory of these places and the survival of our ancient language. 

 

anyway this book is wonderfully written - markar melkonian brings an extremely thorough knowledge of the people and places monte encountered in his life - and does a remarkable job of recreating the imagery of their youth in visalia california and retracing his brother's steps, some of which defy belief. 

 

there are also several surprising revelations in this book, i guess i won't mention them so as not to ruin the suprise.  this is an extraordinary book, please encourage as many people as possible to read it.

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Welcome to HyeForum

 

i just got the book this afternoon

 

all i need now is some free time.......

[MosJan]

On June 12, 1993 Monte Melkonian was killed

 

[June 11, 2007]

 

In the early morning the self-defense forces of the Martuni region of Nagorno Karabakh began an operation to destroy the military strongholds in the villages of the Aghdam region of Azerbaijan. Everything was going as planned. By noon the operation was over. Monte, Komitas, Saribek, Saro, Hovik, and Gevork entered the Marzili village riding in a Vilis. After examining the territory they were to determine the new positions. When they were approaching a crossroads they noticed an armored vehicle and stopped the Vilis. At a distance of 40 meters a group of soldiers gathered around the vehicle. Komitas, who was wearing an Azerbaijani military uniform, got out of the car and walked towards them. He called to them, “Are you Armenians?” They answered “No” in Azerbaijani. Komitas would later say that the moment he asked the question he knew they were enemy soldiers. He opened fire and retreated. The others jumped out the car and took positions, firing.

 

The vehicle's large-caliber machine-gun joined the enemy's submachine gunners. During the first burst of gunfire, the men were lying on the ground. Monte rushed towards the wall of the nearest house. The second machine-gun burst resounded. It hit the wall… A large fragment of a shell pierced Monte's head. Four of the men were already wounded. Holding Monte, Hovik called for help over the radio transmitter - 00 is shot, 00 is no more… They took position around their commander and continued to resist. The relief forces destroyed the Azerbaijani detachment, and took a prisoner. The reconnaissance chief, Saribek Martirosyan, was bleeding profusely and died as soon as they reached the hospital.

 

See also: @ Hetq.com

 

Ten years ago, Monte Melkonian was killed

 

Small Town Kid

 

Monte Melkonian: hero, intellectual, leader, friend

[MosJan]

http://www.hetq.am/img/h-0607-monte-1.jpg

 

 

There's No Country Or Court That Has The Right To Judge Our Struggle

 

[June 11, 2007]

 

In 1985 Monte was in France. The police didn't know this. Levon Minasian, one of the leaders of the "Armenian National Movement" had been arrested. Monte had come to France to testify on his behalf. Since Monte was barred from entering France his friends negotiated a secret deposition. The investigative magistrage was taken hostage in order for Monte to submit his testimony without reveling his location. Monte testified but his entry into France was thus revealed.

 

"On Thursday, November 28, police from the French Counter-Intelligence Agency (DST) arrested Monte Melkonian, the head of the A.S.A.L.A.-Revolutionary Movement. Also arrested was Benjamin Keshishian, a staffer at the Hay Baykar newspaper, who was meeting Melkonian for a press interview. That same evening a young French-Armenian woman, Zepyur Kasbarian, was also taken into custody. The French police stated that a gun belonging to Melkonian, some electronic equipment, a photo of the Turkish ambassador, and a list of Turkish ships anchored in Marseille harbor were all found in her apartment. Zepyur denied any prior knowledge of these items as well as knowing Monte's true identity. All three were charged with "criminal conspiracy".

 

Hay Baykar, December 20, 1985

 

At the time, local Armenian activists were subjected to increased police surveillance. Monte had found himself on the streets of Paris with no money and no place to stay. Zepyur Kasbarian, a student and Armenian language teacher, took him in.

 

- Zepyur, what were you accused of?

 

- As a conspirator since they found all those items of Monte's in my apartment.

 

- How did Monte act during the trial?

 

- Always in good spirits. He spoke at length. I wasn't the one on trial. It was Monte they were after. My name was mentioned only in passing.

 

- How long were you in jail?

 

- Exactly one year. It's now been ten years since my release. But I've suffered more during these past ten years than during the one I spent in jail. I never expected to be barred from freely moving about in Paris all that time. I'm under virtual house arrest. I haven't seen Monte since then, but I'm glad to have helped out such a good and great man. I'm proud to have done what I did – no regrets. Unfortunately, I didn't have the chance to ask him how the police knew he was staying at my place.

 

- In other words, were the police tipped-off to the fact he was there?

 

- Of course they knew. How else did they take him into custody at 11 A.M? Later that day they came to my apartment and showed me a photo of Monte from one of the newspapers. They asked if I knew who the person was and I said, yes, he's Monte Melkonian. Then they showed me a photo of Monte while staying at my apartment and I said, No, I don't know this person. Neither did I know who my interrogator was nor why he was asking all these questions.

 

Much later, in his book Self-Criticism , Monte writes, "There are several reasons why they were able to capture me. First, they knew my whereabouts because I testified. It occurred at a time when I didn't have many resources at my disposal and was vulnerable. I also made the huge blunder of using the telephone carelessly. In the end it was this crucial error in judgment that did me in."

 

Monte spent a total of three days at Zepyur's apartment and on the fourth he was taken into custody while in the Zever Cafe. Zepyur's husband, Varoujan Mehrap, took this writer to the cafe where he met Fake Claude, a waiter there for over forty years, who was an eyewitness to Monte's arrest and vividly remembers that day:

 

"It happened on a Friday morning at 10:30. They were both drinking coffee. We later learned that one was a terrorist, the other a journalist. I don't know if someone betrayed them but the police knew exactly where to find them. There were fifteen undercover agents scattered around the place, reading, drinking, etc. Suddenly, they all pounced on Monte. They drew their guns and handcuffed the guy and took him away. Afterwards, the police showed us some I.D. and told us all was OK."- Said Fake Claude.

 

- Did they offer any resistance?

 

- No. They were jumped by fifteen police. They had no chance.

 

- Has anything similar happened here?

 

- No, and I've worked here since 1958.

 

- What's your opinion of the guy they arrested?

 

- I don't know the man.

 

- Do you know he's considered a national hero in Armenia?

 

- Really? What a surprise. Good for him. He did me no harm.

 

- Don't you find it strange that the French police arrested someone who's considered a national hero in another country?

 

- Nowadays so much happens that I'm not really surprised.

 

The 14th Tribunal of the Paris Court of Justice sentenced Monte Melkonian to six years imprisonment and Zepyur Kasbarian to two years.

 

After the trial, in 1986, Monte wrote the following letter addressed to the Armenian community:

 

" I have not petitioned the court for a review of the harsh sentence given to me. I haven't pursued such a course of action because there's no country or court that has the right to judge our struggle nor those who wage it. Secondly, I've tasted the farce that passes as "French justice". Thirdly, a review of my case will not change anything. My sentencing resulted from a political decision. We will resolve the issues we face elsewhere and not in the halls of a judicial system that seems fit to censure us."

 

Hay Baykar, 1986

 

Monte's French Defense Counsel consisted of two lawyers – Henri Loglegh and Francoise Segh.

 

In 1997 Henri Loglegh was the President of France's Human Rights Defense League. Below are excerpts of an interview from 1997.

 

"Monte Melkonian was able to totally defend his national-patriotic position. He explained the reasons why he fought. His guiding principle in the struggle was top avoid civilian casualities at all costs. I'll always remember how he stressed this point during the trial and how he comported himself in a dignified manner", said Henri Loglegh.

 

- But weren't you defending a terrorist...?

 

- My defense was based on the opinion that he was not a terrorist but someone involved in a struggle. As an activist, his primary focus was how to advance the struggle and not on how to plan senstaional acts that would result in innocent deaths. This position of his should have been lauded. In any event, at the core of my defense was the argument that Monte wasn't a terrorist (as currently defined).

 

- Given his character, wasn't he more peaceful than...?

 

- Yes, in my article I refer to him as a peace-loving terrorist.

 

- What effect did Monte's speech have during the trial?

 

- The efect was that there was no doubt that we were dealing with a unique kind of terrorist. It wasn't the usual speech of your average terrorist. I've defended a number of Armenians who have been entangled in unjustifiable acts. Monte was different. The impression he conveyed to the court was of a strong-willed and brave man. He was brave not only due to the struggle he waged on behalf of his people but also because he fought against all those whose foolish actions clouded the correct perception of Armenia's freedom. I don't particularly take a hard line regarding those who resort to unacceptable means and weapons in their struggle. But I respect those who have the courage to refuse to employ those methods. Monte was one of those people.

 

- You say that Monte was a peace-loving terrorist. When did you start to feel that, in prison?

 

- Yes, when we had our conversations there. We had a problem, though. His French was poor and so was my English. In the end, we overcame this.

 

- Do you think Monte benefitted from his time in jail?

 

- Usually people in prison wind-up viewing their life from afar and have a chance to evaluate their past actions. This is especially the case for active people like Monte who fill their time in prison with much self-analysis. I believe this is what happened in Monte's case.

 

- When and how did you hear about his death?

 

- I remember it well. At the time I was in a cafe in the 18 th district of Paris. An Armenian activist who had been in jail and whom I had defended in another matter came to see me there. When he asked, "Do you know Monte Melkonian has been killed?", I felt sad.

 

- Do you know he's a national hero in Armenia?

 

- Yes, I've heard this many times.

 

- Don't you think this fact proves your description of him as a peace-loving terrorist?

 

- He was a man who deeply loved his country and a brave and wise warrior. I find it only natural that he assumed such responsibilities after Armenia's independence. Given the many difficulties that Armenia has overcome (that I'm aware of), such a man should be a hero.

 

Below are excerpts of an interview with Monte's other lawyer, Francoise Segh.

 

Francoise Segh – Monte bore the internal political responsibility of a movement engaged in ruthless actions against Turkish targets, mostly outside France. He was a special case. I've had dealings with lesser combattants during other trials. These were peoplewho merely carried out certain acts. Monte was able to ideologically analyze the struggle and his responsibility in it. Despite his young age I felt I was dealing with someone with a deep political understanding of his people's history, their liberation movement and the various forms of armed struggle. This made him stand apart.

 

- Thus you won't be surprised to learn that someone like him has become a national hero?

 

It doesn't surprise me due to certain political and historical reasons. Today, Armenians have their lands and people like Melkonian can be included in that land's history. He went to prison a young man and was still young when he got out. But there's no doubt he matured while inside. He read voraciously, put his thoughts down in writing and sharpened his ideological faculties. He was a man who gave meaning to his life and stayed true to his principles till the very end. He left a lasting impression.

 

"From November 28, 1985 till February 5, 1989 I was imprisoned by the French authorities. The conditions in prison were pretty bad. Not only were the food, sanitary and medical conditions poor, especially in Fresnes prison, but on top of this the government devised numerous other repressive measures. I spent two months in an isolation cell, my correspondence with the outside was closely monitored and I was subjected to other arbitrary punishments. Only one person outside my family was allowed to visit. My cell was searched practically daily and turned upside-down. During one stretch they confiscated my writings. They would often conduct humiliating body searches. I couldn't receive newspapers although French law expressly guaranteed my right to do so. Some of the guards took special pleasure in mistreating me and neglected my health needs. Prison authorities would use the flimsiest of pretexts to place me in a cold and dirty cell, often without any toilet facilities for extended periods."

 

Excerpted from Monte Melkonian's, Self-Criticism, 1990

 

While in prison Monte wrote to his brother Markar:

 

"Every person should spend at least on month in jail. Every judge should spend one year in prison to better understand the consequences of his actions."

 

In February 1989 he was released from prison and deported to Yemen.

 

In 1990 Monte Melkonian arrived in Armenia.

 

Edik Baghdasaryan

Interviews conducted June 1997, Paris

http://www.hetq.am/eng/society/0706-monte-1.html

[Arvestaked]

Thanks. I'll probably read "Self-Criticism" now.

[AVO]

Republic of Armenia would be a different place if it wasn't for him

[Aratta-Kingdom]

Republic of Armenia would be a different place if it wasn't for him

 

Montei arats@ anpoxarineli er. Monten inqn er anpoxarineli. Bayc yes dzernapah kmnai qo aratsi pes artahaytutyun aneluc. Sa asel chi merjum kam nsemacnum em iren andz@ kam ir arats@. Bayc yerb inch vor ban (gaghaparaxosutyun, ser, ...) kam inch vor mekin (sksats qo isk andzic...) kurqi astijani es bardzracnum, ktrvum es irakanutyunic u darnum es dra gerin. Ays @ndhacqum amenavtangavor@ na e vor korcnum es inqd qez u inqnaxabkanqi janaparhi vra inqd qez dnelov, darnum es qo kurqi gerin. Im xorin hamozmamb, hajoghutyan hasnelu miak dzev@ shitakutyunn u haraberutyun karucelu arvestin gaxtniqnerin tirapeteln a. Tvyal depqum, Monten qani vor chka, ira het kapn el bnakanabar chka. Yete mer u ira geraguyn dzragir@ mek a, u yete ira arats@ shahavet ardyunq er talis, hetevabar hark e vor irenic jarangutyun stacatsi gaxtniqneri mej xoranalov haraberutyun karucel ayn irakanutyan het vor@ inqn er stegtsel. Mer unecatsin ter kangnel kam korcrats@ het vercnel chi verabervum miayn hogerin. Mez toghats nayev mtayin jarangutyan@ yete ter kangnenq, inqners zarganalov nayev kirakanacnenq henc Montei amenamets cankutyun@. Qani der mez mot mtqi irakan dproc chi himnvel, menq karchats enq mnalu inch vor kurqi, inch vor gagaparaxosutyuan gerin darnalov. Xorin harganqs bolor nranc ovqer lav gortser en arel, bayc jogovrdi dern u nshanakutyun@ yerbeq voch mi harcum yerkrodakan gtsi vra ari chdnenq. Monteic araj Marshal Bagramyan@, Andranik@ u Njen el en shat lav gortser arel. Jamanaki u taratsutyan mej ays bolor@ havasar klinen zroi yete poxanak irenc kurq dardznelu, chkamrjvenq/chhagordakcvenq irenq kogmic stegtstats irakanutyan het. Dra lavaguyn orinak@ Davit-Beki toghats jarangutyunn er vor poshiacav irenic heto. Andzi mahic heto amboghj 6 tarva haxtanakner@ arjeqazrkvecin qanzi chkar hetevord vor poxanak iren pashtelu, iren toghats gorts@ sharunaker.

 

 

 

[MosJan]

[Aratta-Kingdom]

http://www.hetq.am/img/h-0607-monte-1.jpg

There's No Country Or Court That Has The Right To Judge Our Struggle

 

Does anyone know what happened to 'Nor Serund' ASALA paper? Do they still print it?

[AVO]

Printed by whom? ASALA is defunct.

[Aratta-Kingdom]

Printed by whom? ASALA is defunct.

 

About 10 years ago they were printing a paper in L.A., but I guess they don't exist anymore.

 

Are you a dashnak?

 

[AVO]

No. I have no political affiliation. I'm Armenian

[Yervant1]

No. I have no political affiliation. I'm Armenian

I love you!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Aratta-Kingdom]

No. I have no political affiliation. I'm Armenian

 

 

 

G :) D F R Y U

 

 

when dashnaks want to hide who they really are, they usually say i'm an ex-dashnak...

 

[AVO]

Nope not an ex one either. Can I ask you why you thought I was a dashnak?

[Aratta-Kingdom]

Nope not an ex one either. Can I ask you why you thought I was a dashnak?

 

You said "Printed by whom? ASALA is defunct."...the tone seemed to strong to me.

 

I know the dashnaks hate ASALA and everyone else who might do anything for the armenians. They had also sent their members to steal the ASALA papers so it wouldn't get into the hands of the general public...

 

[AVO]

You said "Printed by whom? ASALA is defunct."...the tone seemed to strong to me.

 

I know the dashnaks hate ASALA and everyone else who might do anything for the armenians. They had also sent their members to steal the ASALA papers so it wouldn't get into the hands of the general public...

 

I see. I meant it as a question. It would be interesting to read, if its still being published. But I doubt it, for better of worse ASALA is history.

 

[MosJan]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqPfpqP0ZmQ

[Aratta-Kingdom]

http://www.huliq.com/files/imagecache/medium/files/0montemelknoian.jpg

 

 

 

Nagorno-Karabakh Celebrates 50th Anniversary Of War Hero

 

 

On November 25 Nagorno-Karabakh celebrates the 50th anniversary of the legend of the war in Karabakh Monte Melkonyan (Avo) who was killed in June 1993. The main celebration will be in Martuni where there is a monument to Monte. There will be classes at schools devoted to the 50th anniversary of the hero, the correspondent of Regnum in Stepanakert reports.

 

Monte Melkonyan was born in 1957 in a small town in California. In 1969 his family moved to Spain. After leaving school Monte left for Turkey, afterwards for Lebanon where he studied everything Armenian with great interest. After returning to the United States he went to university to study the history of Urartu. After graduating Monte returned to Lebanon where in 1978 he participated in the defense of the Armenian quarters.

 

In May 1980 he joined ASALA (Armenian Secret Army of Liberation of Armenia) with some friends. Visiting Nagorno-Karabakh for the first time in 1991 he participated in the fights for the villages of Buzlukh, Manashid, Erkedj in Shahumyan. After a lasting pause he returned to Karabakh and led the troops defending Martakert. People who knew him say his mere presence inspired confidence. For the people of Karabakh, he is a symbol of valor, belief and faithfulness to the homeland.

 

The hero is buried at Yerablur in Armenia. His anniversary will be celebrated there too. School N 11 will be named after him, a museum and his bust at the Park of Victory will be opened, Regnum report

 

Note: Aratta Jan I merged your new topic with Monte's main thread.

Edited November 25, 2007 by Yervant1

[AVO]

Happy birthday to our Hero

 

 

http://youtube.com/watch?v=MlZ_Msdv6m0

[Balaclava]

Happy birthday to our Hero

 

 

http://youtube.com/watch?v=MlZ_Msdv6m0

 

Մարդ, որի ազատագրական պայքարի եռանդը շատերը չեն պատկերացնում…

 

Ծնվեց,

Լսեց անհայրենիք պապերին,

Ապրեց հայրենիքից հեռու,

Նստեց բերդում անինքնությամբ,

Կռվեց հանուն ինձ ու քեզ,

Զոհվեց.

Ու մնաց հուշերում մեր,

Հավիտյան։

[MosJan]

Gagik Beglaryan Won’t Do Anything Unless He Is Paid

http://hetq.am/static/images/frontend/pixel.gif

Edik Baghdasaryan November 12, 2007

http://hetq.am/static/images/frontend/pixel.gif

 

http://hetq.am/uploaded/image/articles/2007/11/1107-g_beglaryan.jpg The head of the Kentron District Municipality, Gagik Beglaryan, known as Chorni (Black) Gago has for years refused to reply to letters from the sent by Monte Melkonian Fund. For six years now, the issue of the Yerevan office of the charity has remained unresolved and uncertain. http://hetq.am/static/images/frontend/i_print.gifprintable version

 

http://hetq.am/static/images/frontend/emailtofriend.gifemail to friend

November 25 is Monte Melkonian's 50th birthday, and according to a government decision it will be celebrated with a lot of fanfare, so on October 5 Seda Melkonian sent one more another letter to Gagik Beglaryan and Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan. Although the letter sent to the prime minister noted that Gagik Beglaryan had not replied to letters from the Monte Melkonian Fund, it was sent to the district mayor as well, in the hopes that he might at last reply to the Fund’s president.

 

The mail department of the Kentron district's municipality told us that the letter had been directed to department head Vahe Davtyan, but this official never seems to be at his desk. His secretary always says the same thing - "He’s gone out, try in an hour," but Vahe Davtyan never seems to come back. No one else in the municipal building is able to reply to the letter or provide any explanation. And Chorni Gago doesn't reply, because he sees no benefit in doing so. The president of the country once said that people have to fight for their rights. What does that mean-that they have to go to court every time they write a letter, go through a judicial hassle just because Gagik Beglaryan is protected by the government which itself has granted him the right to ignore questions from citizens, NGOs and journalists?

 

Several months ago we also wrote to the head of Kentron municipality, asking him to provide us with a list of organizations with whom the municipality had signed agreements for parking lots. We never managed to get that information, because the money received from these parking lots goes straight into the district mayor’s pocket. And according to our calculations these are millions of drams on a monthly basis. Following the president's advice, we should sue Gagik Beglaryan, but our letters are also ignored by the health ministry and many other government structures. Should we sue them all?

 

The Monte Melkonian Fund was established in 1994. It implements development projects and helps needy families in Armenia and Artsakh. Recently, it has set up youth centers in the village of Azatavan in the Ararat Marz and the village of Khachik in Vayots Dzor Marz, as well as in the village of Karegah in the Kashatagh region of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic. It has undertaken agriculture development projects in Kashatagh, and is working with other NGOs to implement drinking water projects in the village of Maghavuz in the Martakert region of Karabakh and in the villages of Arakel and Saraland in the Hadrut region.

 

On April 13, 1999, the Kentron District rented office space to the Monte Melkonian Fund in the basement of 5 Koryun Street. At the time, the basement was damp and uninhabitable. The NGO completely renovated the space, rendering it fit for use. On May 18, the NGO asked Ararat Zurabyan, then head of the Kentron District Municipality, to allow the NGO to privatize the space, on the basis of Decision 303 of the Mayor of Yerevan, taken on March 18 1999. This request remains unanswered to this day. Further the municipality has never renewed the rental contract, which expired on January 1, 2004, and the Monte Melkonian has been placed in the position of illegally occupying the space.

 

All the basements in the buildings on Koryun Street have been privatized, and clearly, municipal employees have taken money for all of these privatizations. Gagik Beglaryan doesn't want to give up this particular space for free, especially, since there are others who are interested in it. But Gagik Beglaryan is going to have to give up the territory for free, because no one in the organization is willing to pay him. He will also have to reply to the foundation's letter, because the organization will be going to court to court - not to start the privatization process of their office, but for violating the Law of Freedom of Information.