Lydian Armenia sues environmental lawyer over Panorama.am interview

Mining company Lydian Armenia has filed a lawsuit against environmental lawyer Nazeli Vardanyan, seeking a retraction of statements it describes as defamatory that were made during a January interview with Panorama.am.

According to a statement released by the company, the lawsuit relates to comments Vardanyan made in an interview published on Jan. 20 on Panorama.am’s website and YouTube channel.

Speaking to Panorama.am on Saturday, Vardanyan said the points raised in the interview reflect positions she has expressed publicly for years.

“I have been making such claims for 20 years now,” she said. “For example, that the quantity of gold reserves has already been confirmed, which is also stated in the company’s reports.”

She also claimed that the company is undergoing bankruptcy proceedings and that its assets have been transferred to financial corporations, adding that information about the process is available on the website of a court in Ontario, Canada.

Another issue raised in the interview concerned blasting activities at the mining site.

“There was a photo showing a pink or orange cloud, and no one is checking how such coloured clouds might affect human health,” Vardanyan said. “I don’t know which of these statements they believe has damaged their reputation, especially since I have been speaking about them for two decades and only now they decided to file a lawsuit.”

Vardanyan said she views the case as an attempt to silence critics.

“In my view, this falls into the category of SLAPP cases – Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation – which are intended to silence or intimidate people,” she said.

She argued that Armenia should introduce legislative safeguards similar to those adopted in parts of Europe to prevent such lawsuits from proceeding.

“In Europe there are already laws addressing SLAPP cases. Lawsuits targeting environmental activists, journalists or lawyers are often not accepted for proceedings if it is clear from the outset that their purpose is to silence or intimidate them,” she said.

According to Vardanyan, such legal actions are increasingly being used against environmental activists and journalists in Armenia.

“The goal is to pull people away from their work and drag them through lengthy court proceedings for years so that they become exhausted and stop speaking out,” she said, adding that such cases can undermine freedom of expression and the public’s right to be informed.

She noted that a draft law aimed at addressing such lawsuits has already been prepared and discussed among non-governmental organisations, but has not yet been formally submitted to the government or parliament.

Vardanyan added that she is currently facing two lawsuits related to mining projects in Armenia, including one linked to the Gladzor mine and another connected to the Amulsar project.

“In the Gladzor case they are demanding one million drams, and in the Amulsar case six million,” she said. “We will see what happens, but experience shows that such lawsuits have not succeeded in intimidating or silencing anyone.”

The Amulsar gold mine project, operated by Lydian Armenia, has been the subject of long-running disputes between the company, local communities and environmental groups.