Thursday, August 6 2020 21:06

ArmInfo. Human rights  activists Ara Karagezyan and Nina Karapetyants, as well as other  citizens who oppose the exploitation of the Amulsar mine, were  detained  near the government building.  

According to the press service of the Ombudsman's Office, after an  alarm was received that the protesters were detained, and on the  basis of monitoring social networks on behalf of the human rights  defender, the rapid response team of the Ombudsman's Office left for  the RA Police department. 

It is reported that representatives of the Ombudsman's Office will  hold separate conversations with the detained persons, including  human rights activists, get acquainted with the reasons for the  arrest, find out whether the rights of the latter have been violated.  "The Human Rights Defender, within the framework of his powers,  continues to focus on the developments around the development of the  Amulsar mine," the Ombudsman's Office said in an official statement.

It should be noted that the situation at the Amulsar gold mine has  escalated after the Lydian Armenia security organization dismantled  the carriage- houses, which provoked indignation of ecologists and a  number of local activists.  As a result, the current situation around  the mine remains extremely tense. Reinforced police squads have been  pulled to the crowded area. The protests are taking place for the  third day in a row.

To recall, environmental activists oppose the development of the  mine, believing that it can cause irreparable damage to the flora and  fauna of the entire region. For a long time they have been blocking  all approaches to Amulsar, preventing them from expanding the scope  of work. The Amulsar mine is the second largest in Armenia. According  to the company, the deposit contains about 73,733 kg of gold with an  average grade of 0.78 g / t, as well as 294,367 tons of silver with  an average grade of 9.29 g / t. It is located in the south-east of  the country, 13 km from the resort town of Jermuk, between the rivers  Arpa and Vorotan. Environmentalists and ordinary citizens are  concerned that the developmentof the mine may lead to the pollution  of the mineral groundwater in Jermuk and Lake Sevan. In addition to  the water basin, the public is also concerned about the possible  presence of uranium reserves at the deposit. The total cost of the  Amulsar project is $ 370 million. The life of the deposit is 10 years  and 4 months, with an average of 200 thousand ounces of gold planned  to be mined annually. We add that Lydian Armenia, which develops the  mine, is a subsidiary of the British offshore Lydian International.