Court Obligates Police to Ensure Free Access for Lydian to Amulsar Area

Today, Lydian International announced that the Administrative Court of Armenia has made a decision in favor of Lydian, obligating the Police of the Republic of Armenia to eliminate the intrusion and remove individuals and their property from the area belonging to the Company, ensuring Lydian's free access to the Amulsar area.

The statement issued by Lydian reads:

“On September 20, 2018, Lydian filed a lawsuit in the Administrative Court of Armenia, requesting the Police to enforce the law and remove the protesters who had blocked the Company’s access to Amulsar. The Company appealed against a Police decision, which deemed the removal of the protesters, their vehicles, tents, and shacks, and ensuring Lydian’s free access to Amulsar to be unjustified.”

“On April 10, the court ruled in favor of Lydian Armenia LLC, satisfying the Company's appeal.”

The court noted that the exercise of the right to hold gatherings is not absolute and cannot be carried out anywhere, in this case, on private property, without the permission of the lawful owner. The Police have been instructed to remove the intruders and their property from the Company's area. The court's decision will enter into force one month after its publication unless appealed. To date, the blockade of Amulsar has not been lifted, and the protesters have not been removed. Lydian expects the Police to promptly carry out the court's decision.

Lydian’s President and CEO, Joao Carrelo, commented on this occasion: “Lydian's Amulsar project has been under illegal blockade since June 22 of last year. We respect people's right to free expression; however, we are confident that this right should not be exercised unlawfully and at the expense of others, in this case, Lydian's shareholders, creditors, employees, local community members, and other parties' rights. Since July 2018, Lydian has initiated several legal processes to protect the Company’s rights. We hope that this long-awaited court decision will become an important turning point towards the elimination of the violations and discrimination that Lydian has faced since June 2018. We anticipate that the police will expedite the implementation of the court’s decision.”

Lydian reserves the right to fully utilize all legal protection measures provided by Armenian and international legislation concerning the resolution of all disputes. Until the Armenian authorities comply with the Administrative Court's decision and remove the intruders from the Amulsar area, Armenia will continue to be in contradiction with its obligations under Armenian and International law.