o: Mayors of Volgograd, Stavropol, Nice, Rostov-on-Don, Antananarivo, Beirut, Bratislava, Isfahan, Carrara, Los Angeles, Cambridge, Chisinau, Marseille, Tbilisi, Buenos Ayres, Montreal, Odessa, Sao Paolo, Venice, Riga, Amman, Novosibirsk and Antony 

 

CC: Ambassadors and/or honorary consuls of Russia, France, Lebanon, Slovakia, Iran, Italy, USA, Ukraine, Brazil, Latvia, Jordan in Armenia

 

CC: Local media outlets of Volgograd, Stavropol, Nice, Rostov-on-Don, Antananarivo, Beirut, Bratislava, Isfahan, Carrara, Los Angeles, Cambridge, Chisinau, Marseille, Tbilisi, Buenos Aires, Montreal, Odessa, Sao Paolo, Venice, Riga, Amman, Novosibirsk and Antony 

 

 

Open letter to Mayors of Yerevan’s Twin Cities: Suspend Cooperation With Yerevan’s Municipality Perpetuating Violence

 

 

26 February, 2018

 

 

Honorary Mayor,

 

The website of Yerevan municipality, capital of the Republic of Armenia, states your city, as one of Yerevan’s twin cities. The municipalities of the two cities have signed an agreement of friendship, partnership and mutual support.

 

 

On February 13th, 2018, unprecedented public violence was perpetuated against 2 oppositional members of the Council of Yerevan at the council meeting chaired by mayor Taron Margarian. Marina Khachatryan and Sona Aghekyan of “Yerkir Tsirani” oppositional party intended to draw the attention of the municipal council and particularly Mayor Taron Margarian on the years-long  neglected issue of the residents of Nubarashen District. At the request of fellow citizens, in glass jars they brought samples of the sewer water that was leaking from inside the prison of Nubarashen into the residential areas spreading intolerable odor. The aim was that the council members and the mayor temporarily feel the dire conditions in which the residents of the prison and the residential district lived in and to temporarily give a solution to the long-standing issue. At the herding of Mayor Taron Margaryan, other male council members and staff of the municipality (including Artur Gevorkyan, Davit Ohanyan, Sergey Mkrtchyan, Hovhannes Avanesyan, Edmond Kirakosyan, Vaspurak Martirosyan, Gor Vardanyan) literally  assaulted Marina Khachatryan and Sona Aghekian, publicly beat them, manhandled them, threatened and used sexual swear words against them, exerted sexual abuse and other forms of violence.  

 

Not only did mayor Taron Margarian not assume responsibility for the violence perpetuated at his command and in his presence, but he subsequently continued exercising various administrative repressions against the oppositional women council members. After the violent incident, the municipality has also decided from now on to illegally restrain and bar the presence of media at municipal council meetings.

 

 

10 days have passed after the perpetrated violence, however the Republican Party holding majority seats both at the municipal council and in the parliament of Armenia, has not condemned the violence. On the contrary, it has justified the brutal acts blaming the women council members and making uttery sexist statements. Some media outlets also continue publishing articles directly justifying gender-based violence and sexism. 

 

 

Armenia’s law enforcement bodies reacted to the acts of violence with a great delay under the influence of public outcry and demand. The criminal investigation will be held under Articles of the Criminal Code of Armenia implying mildest publishment. 

 

 

With this open letter, we, the undersigned, are pleading with you to unilaterally sever or suspend the agreement of friendship signed with the Municipality of Yerevan until the perpetrators of violence and the incumbent mayor Taron Margaryan are held responsible and the current municipal council is changed. Having a sister-city with a violent and corrupt mayor and council members does no honor to the administration and population of any city, therefore with call upon you to share our concern and renounce cooperating with a structure perpetrating violence. 

 

 

Respectfully, 

 

 

 

Anna Nikoghosyan

Marine Margaryan

 

Anna Shahnazaryan

 

Lucine Talalyan

 

Susanna Gyulamiryan

 

Vanadzor Citizen’s Assembly, NGO

 

Sofya Manukyan

 

Armine Ishkanian

 

Nelli Sargsyan

 

Anahit Sargsyan

 

Ruzanna Grigoryan

 

Alex Sardar

 

Anna Zhamakochyan

 

Nana Mantasheva

 

Levon Barseghyan, Gyumri Municipal Council member

 

Marianna Grigoryan 

 

Women’s Rights House, NGO

 

Women’s Support Center, NGO

 

Society Without Violence, NGO

 

Gevorg Kehyan

 

Commune

 

Mariam Kurshudyan

 

Sevan Petrossian

 

Anush Khachatryan

 

Real World, Real People, NGO

 

Mayranush Davtryan Gevorgyan 

 

Lucine Navasartian

 

Arpi Balyan

 

Anahit Simonyan

 

Nuard Minasyan

 

Milena Abrahamyan

 

Vardine Grigoryan

 

EcoRight, NGO

 

Elvira Meliksetyan

 

Karen Hakobyan

 

Lala Aslikyan

 

Maral Bavakan

 

Alisa Qamalyan

 

Lida Minasyan 

 

For Equal Rights, NGO

 

“Women in Black, Armenia” Initiative 

 

Lara Aharonian 

 

Hasmik Gevorgyan 

 

Milena Tadukhepa

 

Nelli Paytyan

 

Karine Ghazaryan

 

Women’s Rights Center, NGO

 

Tehmine Yenoqyan

 

Ruzanna Tsaturyan

 

Sargis Kharazyan

 

Vahan Ishkhanyan

 

Zaruhi Hovhannisyan 

 

Lucine Sargsyan 

 

Naka Duli

 

Ecolur Information Center, NGO

 

Elmon Yegnukian

 

Zara Harutyunyan