Monday, January 24, 2005

Question: What to you get when you take a Diaspora-Armenian, corruption and unanswered complaints to President Robert Kocharian’s Administrative Service?

Answer: A HUNGER STRIKE

A week has passed since Diaspora-Armenian Vartges Gasparyan started a hunger strike to protest his human rights being violated.

I spoke to Vartges on the phone a few days ago to get more details as to what lead him to protest in this way and he asked me in a frail voice for my e-mail address so he can send me documents.

After receiving the documents, I sent them off for translation so I could share with you and we can together figure out what pushed Vartges to take such an extreme action.


To: RA President Administrative Service
RE: Demirchian Building 17
FROM: Residents at entrance of Apartment 1


We are informing you, that in September 2004, when we learned of the review of gasification of neighboring buildings, we applied to those responsible for the work, Samvel and Ashot Khachatryan (“Ashlit”), with whom we signed a contract first for the connection to the gas line, and then separate contracts for the restoration of service to individual apartments.

The aforementioned, using as an excuse various bureaucratic excuses charged us high fees, among which for pipes to the apartments 3,000 drams per linear meter, and for the gas line, 5,000 drams per linear meter, for a total of 100,000 drams ($200), in order to overcome paperwork problems. With all of that, however, they didn’t fulfill their responsibilities.

They are working with the simple algorithm, that they promise a result from the beginning, that is gasification; with that they secure the amounts they want; after that they leave the gas pipes exposed to be threaded into the new building, and with additional payments, again promising to restore gas service, in hopes of solving all the problems. And they trick each new person with that they need meter fees from the previous ones, or that they don’t have proof of ownership, etc.; and for that reason alone they haven’t restored their gas service.

As a result of the numerous written and oral promises given for non-performance, one of the residents took out and showed them the pipes, so that he would not be a means for tricking others. Other residents are considering putting a stop to such trickery with forceful means.

Because we don’t find such trickery to be the doing of two people, and because they have superiors in higher bodies, we are appealing to you to stop their activity, to call for responsibility to their superiors and to restore the work of gasification.

/signatures/
Vartges Gasparyan Apt.1 Tel. 566720
Felix Egibyan Apt.2 Tel. 523056
H. Melkonyan
T. Ohanyan Apt.3 Tel. 523414
A. Azaryan Apt.6 Tel. 545430
7 December 2004



To: RA President Administrative Service
RE: Demirchian Building 17, Apartment 1
FROM: V. Gasparyan


With regard to the request sent to you concerning the gasification of Demirchian Building 17, after submitting my application-complaint, “unknown individuals” successively broke the windowpanes of my residence.

I am informing you that the broken windows are remaining as they are until I hear from you.

Respectfully,
V. Gasparyan
14 December 2004



To: RA Presidential Counsel, Mr. B. Yesayan
Re: Demirchian St., building 17, apartment 1
From: V. Gasparyan


This is to inform you that the two attached inquiries have remained unanswered for more than 10 days.

It is important to note to the president’s administrative bodies that together with this patient attitude, there have been great expenditures for gas and in the frigid apartments waiting for gas service, and also as a result of issue the breaking of the window glass of the request-complaint initiator.
It is sufficient to delay this situation only so far, so that the individual seeking mercy and paying a bribe, look out for himself. After that, there will remain nothing else to solve.

In the attached letter, you should not fail to see the intermediary organization’s, Ashlid’s cashed bribe of $200 (to pay the principal bodies) documentation. Perhaps it is not the most critical example of corruption, but in the end it is possible to happen, let’s say, that a minister would take a bribed from a simple citizen, and that the latter would succeed in presenting his testimony(?) to you, unavoidably.

Mr. Yeshayan, my purpose for appealing to you and the superiors is that I doubt whether the irregularity has been corrected from above. Therefore, I hope that your reply will be correct and not late.

Respectfully,
V. Gasparyan
19 December 2004



TO: RA President Robert Kocharian
FROM: V. Gasparyan
Demirchian St., Building 17, Apartment 1
Tel. 56-67-20



Asking your forgiveness in advance, if the issues under consideration appear minor and a waste of your time, I would like to present a small picture of a long story.

In August of this year, I applied to the Armeno-Russian Gas Co. to gasify the Demirchian Building 17. Here they told me that our building was not anticipated to be gasified until 2007. Thereafter, it was revealed that the company which cashed the expenses of construction/renovation, as well as the $200 to pay the Armeno-Russian Gas Co., through which our building specifically was gasified. After that, they delayed the gasification of the apartments beyond the date stipulated in the contract, probably to receive additional monies.

Regarding this I submitted a request-complaint to your administrative service, after which “unidentified individuals” broke the windowpanes of my residence. And after presenting another request, the work was sent to the police department.

The latter, coming to my residence, and learning that at that time was abroad, using their orders as a an excuse, demanded that I appear at the police department the next day, which I could not do. Thereupon, bothering my family, they demanded from my wife to appear at the police department, which she refused. In the end, they demanded that she sign whatever affidavit on the spot.

Mr. President, where and until when must this go on, which is not accidental, but a daily deepening and worsening soviet lifestyle, and of soviet times.

Is it that being familiar with such a process, you still expect that people have endurance for such lawlessness? By the way, law-breaking and disregard for human dignity has become so widespread, that it has become tolerated as the way it is, regardless of all kinds of injustice.

I simply will not tolerate this way of life and am resorting to a hunger strike.


Respectfully,

V. Gasparyan

Tuesday, 18 January 2005.



To whom it may concern

From: V. GASPARI
Apart. 1, build. 17, Demirchian St. Yerevan 375019, Armenia
Tel. 00374-1-566720 or 00374-9-499175
E-mail: vartgez@hotmail.com or vartgez@web.am


In December 2004 in order to protest against a past of corruption I applied to staff of the President of Armenia. After my protest some unknown people broke the windowpanes of my home.

After my second application to the President’s staff, the application was sent to police station. After which the police force themselves on my family in different ways and me and bothers us.

In order to protest against these various Human Rights violations since Monday January 17 2005 (00:00 local time) I’ve started a total hunger strike and I’m going to continue indefinitely.

Respectfully,
V. GASPARI
January 21, 2005


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