On July 6, 2011, at about 5 o'clock in the morning, unknown people broke the window through the metal bars of A.D.Sakharov Center for human rights protection, Shirak branch, and ignited the window and the window path with liquid fuel. People living near the office saw the fire and called the fire service. They also took their own measures to liquidate the fire after which the fire was extinguished. Some of the property of the office training hall and the hall as a whole were significantly damaged, the repair cost of which exceeds 600,000 drams.

More than 60 organizations and representatives of civil society express their concern over the attack and arson, condemning the attack and its implementers, noting that this is not the first time, when these methods are used for trying to intimidate or punish human rights defenders and non-governmental organizations. 

The police must take every effort to discover the organizers and those who ordered the crime, to ensure adequate publicity about the process of the case as soon as possible.

The civil society representatives urge the authorities to condemn such violence and to assist the Sakharov human rights organization and the office in Gyumri to continue its normal activity.

They also express their hope that Sakharov human rights organization and the office in Gyumri will quickly overcome temporary difficulties, remaining as consistent in protecting human rights, as they have been for 15 years.

Source: www.hra.am