On April 10, the Administrative Court of the Republic of Armenia ruled in favor of Lydian International Ltd. regarding their appeal for police enforcement to remove protestors from the company’s Amulsar Project site. The court instructed the Armenian police to remove the alleged trespassers and assure Lydian has road access to Amulsar.
On September 20, 2018, Lydian filed an appeal with the court. The ruling supports Lydian Armenia CJSC’s complaint against a decision made by the local police that there was no basis for the removal of protesters, their vehicles, tents, and trailers to allow Lydian to access the Amulsar Project site, the company said. The court ruling said that the right to assembly is not absolute and may not be exercised anywhere, and in this case, on private property, without the consent of the legitimate owner.
The court’s ruling is effective one month after the date of publication unless appealed prior to that date. At this time, the blockades remain in place and the protestors remain on site. Lydian said it is seeking the police’s immediate enforcement of the court’s ruling.
“Lydian’s Amulsar Project has been illegally blockaded since June 22 last year,” Lydian President and CEO João Carrêlo said. “While we respect individuals’ right of free expression, we strongly believe this cannot be exercised in an illegal manner at the expense of the rights of others, meaning in this case Lydian’s shareholders, lenders, employees, community members, and other stakeholders.”
If Armenian authorities fail to implement the decision of court and do not remove trespassers from the Amulsar Project site, Armenia will continue to be in breach of its obligations under Armenian and international law, the company said.
