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`Under the threat of physical annihilation’
[07:09 pm] 09 March, 2009

Albert Sukiasyan, father of Armenian MP Khachatur Sukiasyan, issued a
statement on March 9 which holds,

`Starting from September 21, 2007, the Sukiasyans have lived in a
nightmare, in a constant fear of losing their freedom and being
terrorized. The reason for this fear is that during the Presidential
election of last February the founder of the SIL Concern, Armenian
parliamentarian Khachatur Sukiasyan did not voice support for the
ruling authorities but for Levon Ter-Petrosyan.

`Starting from that day the government apparatus was put into action
with all its might and illegal measures against our family.

The organizations belonging to the Sukiasyan family as well as
different companies and people cooperating with them became a target
of assaults and were severely chased. Large-scale audits were
conducted in `Pizza di Roma’ and Bjni. The scenario resembled a
military operation against enemies.

Masked and armed people stormed into the aforesaid companies arresting
employees and seizing the property. It seemed they were squaring
accounts with their bitterest enemies.

With these actions the government wanted to show its force and
threaten all those who hold political views other than theirs. The
rough methods taken by the authorities testify that everyone who does
not back the acting regime is considered their enemy.

The requital with the Bjni mineral water plant was the culmination of
hostile treatment. The recent events around the company drew the
attention of numerous international and local organizations.

Several governmental newspapers and TV channels, including Public
Television H1, are busy with defaming the Sukaisyan family. In the
given conditions the family’s security is not guaranteed in
Armenia. That is why three of the four Sukiasyan brothers are abroad.

We are convinced that the members of our family are under the threat
of physical annihilation as the criminal regime will take every effort
to end the political vendetta. Bjni was put up for e-auction with a
rough breach of law and was sold at 13 million dollars whereas in 2008
the company had been priced 340 million by an independent
international company

Neither the international society nor the investors can overlook these
facts as tomorrow they can fall victim to this government. A country
violating civilians’ right in broad daylight cannot be called a legal
country as is the case with the Republic of Armenia.

But we are determined to champion our legal rights through different
methods such as

1. staging protest actions

2. appealing to various instances, up to the European Court of Human
Rights

3. setting an NGO in defence of the Sukiasyan family

4. handing relevant documents to different ambassadors to Armenia

P. S.

The group engaged in Sukiasyans’ annihilation is led by Armenia’s
President S. Sargsyan, Head of President’s staff M. Minasyan,
Assistant to the President G. Kostanyan, Prosecutor General
A. Hovsepyan and Head of Service for Compulsory Enforcement of
Judicial Acts M. Poghosyan.’

The letter has been sent to Human Rights Defender A. Harutyunyan, the
CoE Yerevan, ONU Armenian Office, the OSCE Armenian Office, the
Russian, embassies of the USA, Bulgaria, German, Italy, Poland,
Greece, U.K, Georgia, France, Ukraine as well as to the WB Armenian
Office, IFC Office, Human Rights Watch, EU Special Representative for
the South Caucasus Peter Semneby, PACE co-reporter John Prescott, etc.