TRCHKAN ACTIVISTS ADDRESS LETTER TO CHIEF OF POLICE
05:03 PM | TODAY | SOCIAL
Trchkan Civil Initiative has addressed a letter to the Chief of the
Armenian Police, urging him to organize a round-the-clock monitoring
of the Symphony of Stones in Garni Gorge to avert new desecration of
the historical complex.
Late in November, media outlets circulated a video footage that showed
men desecrating the Symphony of Stones. Later, residents of Garni
village, Felix M. (b. in 1989), Sevak H. (b. in 1981) and Jivan D. (b.
in 1981) were detained for hauling off the basalt stones of the
historical complex. The three confessed that they had taken the
basalt slabs that had fallen from the complex to the grave of Jivan’s
grandfather for building a wall.
The Civil Initiative says that the problem in Garni Gorge is ongoing
despite the alarm and the subsequent detention. The group says that
the basalt stones can be found in many places in Garni, people have
even walled their houses with the fallen slabs.
The Trchkan group says that activists have been sounding the alarm
regarding the destruction of the site as far back as 2007.
The group also urges the chief of the police to conduct a full, fair
and thorough investigation based on the video which clearly shows the
tools used for cutting the stones in conclusion, the activists argue
that the Symphony of Stones must be registered as a natural wonder
and protected by state agencies.