“Under the threat of physical annihilation”
Albert Sukiasyan, father of Armenian MP Khachatur Sukiasyan, issued a statement on March 9 which holds,
"Starting from September 21, 2007, the Sukiasyans have lived in a nightmare, in a constant fear of losing their freedom and being terrorized. The reason for this fear is that during the Presidential election of last February the founder of the SIL Concern, Armenian parliamentarian Khachatur Sukiasyan did not voice support for the ruling authorities but for Levon Ter-Petrosyan.
"Starting from that day the government apparatus was put into action with all its might and illegal measures against our family.
The organizations belonging to the Sukiasyan family as well as different companies and people cooperating with them became a target of assaults and were severely chased. Large-scale audits were conducted in "Pizza di Roma" and Bjni. The scenario resembled a military operation against enemies.
Masked and armed people stormed into the aforesaid companies arresting employees and seizing the property. It seemed they were squaring accounts with their bitterest enemies.
With these actions the government wanted to show its force and threaten all those who hold political views other than theirs. The rough methods taken by the authorities testify that everyone who does not back the acting regime is considered their enemy.
The requital with the Bjni mineral water plant was the culmination of hostile treatment. The recent events around the company drew the attention of numerous international and local organizations.
Several governmental newspapers and TV channels, including Public Television H1, are busy with defaming the Sukaisyan family. In the given conditions the family's security is not guaranteed in Armenia. That is why three of the four Sukiasyan brothers are abroad.
We are convinced that the members of our family are under the threat of physical annihilation as the criminal regime will take every effort to end the political vendetta. Bjni was put up for e-auction with a rough breach of law and was sold at 13 million dollars whereas in 2008 the company had been priced 340 million by an independent international company
Neither the international society nor the investors can overlook these facts as tomorrow they can fall victim to this government. A country violating civilians' right in broad daylight cannot be called a legal country as is the case with the Republic of Armenia.
But we are determined to champion our legal rights through different methods such as
1. staging protest actions
2. appealing to various instances, up to the European Court of Human Rights
3. setting an NGO in defence of the Sukiasyan family
4. handing relevant documents to different ambassadors to Armenia
P. S.
The group engaged in Sukiasyans' annihilation is led by Armenia's President S. Sargsyan, Head of President's staff M. Minasyan, Assistant to the President G. Kostanyan, Prosecutor General A. Hovsepyan and Head of Service for Compulsory Enforcement of Judicial Acts M. Poghosyan."
The letter has been sent to Human Rights Defender A. Harutyunyan, the CoE Yerevan, ONU Armenian Office, the OSCE Armenian Office, the Russian, embassies of the USA, Bulgaria, German, Italy, Poland, Greece, U.K, Georgia, France, Ukraine as well as to the WB Armenian Office, IFC Office, Human Rights Watch, EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus Peter Semneby, PACE co-reporter John Prescott, etc.
