Opposition MP warns of ‘unprecedented’ pressure on Armenia border villagers

MP Garnik Danielyan of the opposition Hayastan faction has warned of “unprecedented” pressure on residents of Kirants, a border village in Armenia’s Tavush Province hit hardest by the Armenian government’s territorial concessions to Azerbaijan.

Apart from agricultural lands, Kirants will lose some of its houses and a bridge connecting it to the rest of Armenia as part of the land transfer. The villagers have rejected a government proposal to compensate them for the loss of their properties as a result of the border delimitation with Azerbaijan.

Speaking at a press briefing on Thursday, the lawmaker stated that the local residents were facing strong government pressure to accept the compensation and stop protesting the border deal.

“Officers of police and special services, as well as local government officials have now entered Kirants, convincing and putting pressure on local residents every single day. it’s no accident that MPs and journalists are denied access to the village to report the local developments,” Danielyan said, adding public employees from the village have been threatened with job losses and criminal cases.