Not Soooooooo Good News

[MosJan]

On 10/18/2017 at 7:30 AM, MosJan said:

May God Bless your Soul

Armenian businessman and benefactor Levon Hayrapetyan dies in Russia

Prominent Armenian benefactor, businessman Levon Hayrapetyan died aged 68 in Russia, local media sources reported, citing his relatives. According to the reports, Hayrapetyan’s last wish was to bury him next to relatives.

Levon Hayrapetyan, who is known for number of charity programs realized in Artsakh, was found guilty for a controversial embezzlement of $700,000 by Zamoskvoretsky District Court verdict issued on April 14, 2016. Hayrapetyan had been charged with embezzling $700,000 from Bashkistan’s senator Igor Izmestyev who is currently serving a life term for terrorism. The businessman repeatedly pleaded not guilty. According to his lawyer, the case had been framed up.

While being under detention “Freedom to Levon Hayrapetyan” civil initiative numerously voiced the entrepreneur’s deteriorating health condition, expressing serious concern over threats to his life. In one of episodes, he lost consciousness in a Moscow prison and was taken to the medical division.

Political fractions of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic parliaments later issued a statement urging Russian law enforcement bodies to release Levon Hayrapetyan saying his detention contradicts all humanitarian principles.
Hayrapetyan was first arrested in 2014, but in about a year his lawyers managed to get him placed under house arrest pending the investigation and trial.

 

 

Memorial plaque for Levon Hayrapetyan unveiled in Yerevan

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A memorial plaque honoring Armenian philanthropist Levon Hayrapetyan (1949–2017), one of Artsakh’s most prominent benefactors, was unveiled on October 17 at 31 Moskovyan Street in Yerevan, where he once lived and worked. His daughter Anna and granddaughter Anastasia unveiled the memorial, created by sculptor Aleksan Babayan.

Born in the village of Vank in Artsakh’s Martakert region, Hayrapetyan devoted much of his wealth to rebuilding and developing Artsakh. He financed the restoration of Gandzasar Monastery, reconstructed roads, and invested in schools, businesses, tourism infrastructure, and employment opportunities. His contributions helped transform his native village and improve living conditions across Artsakh.

One of his most significant initiatives was the Great Artsakh Wedding on October 16, 2008, when 700 couples married in a single day: 200 at Gandzasar Monastery and 500 at Ghazanchetsots Cathedral in Shushi. The celebrations culminated in a mass wedding reception at Stepanakert’s stadium.

The initiative was designed to strengthen Armenian families and encourage population growth in Artsakh. Financial assistance was pledged for children born to participating couples, and approximately 1,100 children were born into those families over the following five years.

Hayrapetyan died in 2017, leaving behind a legacy of investments in Artsakh’s communities, cultural heritage, and future generations.

The unveiling took place just one day after the 18th anniversary of the Great Artsakh Wedding. Nearly two decades after Hayrapetyan brought hundreds of Armenian families together to build their futures in Artsakh, those same communities remain forcibly displaced following Azerbaijan’s occupation of Artsakh in 2023. His memorial now stands in Yerevan as a reminder of what he helped build in a homeland whose Armenian population was forced to leave.

[MosJan]