Armenian activist files complaint against Yerevan mayor

Armenian civic activist Artur Chakhoyan has submitted a complaint to the Prosecutor General’s Office, alleging inaction by Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan that he claims led to the loss of about $700,000 in municipal property.

Speaking outside the Prosecutor’s Office on Wednesday, Chakhoyan said the case concerns an illegal construction and encroachment on community land at 2/5 Baghyan Street in the Nor Nork district. He said he had provided documentary evidence to support his claims.

Chakhoyan played audio recordings of statements attributed to Avinyan, in which the mayor says an application to legalize the structure had been submitted seven times and rejected each time by the city authorities. In another recording, Avinyan says the municipality opted for demolition as the most effective response to illegal buildings.

Chakhoyan argued that despite repeated rejections, no demolition order was issued in this case, which he described as evidence of official inaction. He said that if the authorities act in line with the law, arrests could follow.