Construction kiosk owners are holding a protest outside Yerevan City Hall demanding an end to the demolition of their buildings.

ArmInfo. Owners and employees of construction stores and kiosks on Shinararneri Street are protesting outside Yerevan City Hall, demanding that their businesses not be demolished.

In a conversation with journalists, the owner of one of the construction kiosks assured that all of these businesses are legally located on the street. He said they are demanding at least time to sell their remaining goods and the opportunity to exercise their rights, including filing a lawsuit, before any action is taken. He said the owners have certificates for their stores issued by the Cadastre Committee. Meanwhile, he said, City Hall employees verbally warned them that all of the businesses on Shinararneri Street would be dismantled on Tuesday, but did not provide them with any official documents.

"We asked where the documents confirming this decision were, but they never showed us any." "They're promising to provide them today, only to dismantle our stores tomorrow. Essentially, we're being denied the opportunity to exercise our rights. Specifically, we don't have time to review the documents and go to court," a protester stated.

Commenting on Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan's statement that the sidewalks of Shinararneri Street in Ajapnyak should be completely cleared of kiosks and pavilions to return the area to the city's residents, a protester noted that their interests must also be taken into account. He noted that some families had been running businesses there for many years and earning a living legally. The protesters suggest that the authorities have long been unable to resolve the issue of this area legally, and now, with the arrival of a new head of the administrative district, they are trying to expedite the process.

"According to the law, the government must first make a relevant decision, then hold hearings with the owners and negotiate compensation." Some stores' documents don't expire until 2027-2029. They were recently extended, and what's more, the documents bear Tigran Avinyan's signature," said a protester.

They also drew attention to the situation of tenants who haven't yet managed to sell their goods. If the stores are demolished, they say, they risk being left in debt. "They can't just come in three days and tell us they're going to demolish the retail space. Even if it's illegal property, people need to be given time. Meanwhile, the mayor's office told us directly that if we were given that time, we'd go to court, and then they wouldn't be able to implement their plans. "That is, they are trying to speed up the process in order to deprive us of the opportunity to exercise our fundamental rights," noted a protester.

After this, several kiosk owners were accepted to the Yerevan City Hall.

It should be noted that during a meeting on October 12 at the Yerevan City Hall, Tigran Avinyan, regarding the decision to dismantle construction kiosks on Shinararneri Street, stated that in this case, public interest outweighs private interests, and therefore all sidewalks on the street must be cleared.