Armenia Now has more on the detention of the human rights lawyer arrested by the former KGB allegedly on fraud charges. It’s probably only coincidence that Vahe Grigoryan stood in the way of the massive land grab in central Yerevan that will enrich corrupt officials and oligarchs still further.

Residents of Yerevan’s Buzand Street – holding out against what they see as violations of the Constitution against them – have received another blow now that their attorney, Vahe Grigoryan, has been jailed with a two-month sentence.

Grigoryan has been charged with extortion and forgery of documents (unrelated to Buzand), in what other lawyers, some public figures who sympathize with the Buzand residents, and his clients are saying are fabricated charges made up to deter his defense of Buzand.

[…]

On March 1, Grigoryan stopped bailiffs from entering the Buzand 15/9 apartment where according to the court’s decision they wanted to fix an obligatory price. Grigoryan insisted that the bailiffs were outside the law in demanding to enter.

The result was that Grigoryan and the owner of the apartment were beaten, but Grigoryan was singled out for special force. Yerkir Media TV showed Grigoryan with a bloody face after the beating.

“They mainly beat Vahe. If we got one blow then Vahe got 15,” says Zhorik Vahanyan, a resident.

Grigoryan has also been victimized by the National Security Service (the former KGB).

On May 31, two NSS agents entered Grigroyan’s office, claiming to be representatives of the Ombudsman’s Office, and demanding data on clients.

The “agents” were acting on information they had obtained after a raid on the Ombudsman’s Office, during which computer files were taken.

Armenia Now also has more on classical musicians joining environmentalists making a stand against the continuing illegal construction of cafes in central Yerevan by officials, their relatives and government-connected businessmen.

Members of the National Chamber Orchestra of Armenia, other classical musicians, advocates of culture, and residents of the neighborhood near the Komitas Chamber Music Hall are angry about the construction of yet another café in Yerevan’s city center and concerned with the general disregard it represents towards the arts in Armenia.

[…]

Members of the National Chamber Orchestra of Armenia, other classical musicians, advocates of culture, and residents of the neighborhood near the Komitas Chamber Music Hall are angry about the construction of yet another café in Yerevan’s city center and concerned with the general disregard it represents towards the arts in Armenia.

[…]

It is known that many of the properties in the area have “shadow” ownership, while in fact they are owned by oligarchs and high-level officials, including Government ministers and Members of Parliament. Asked who he suspects to be the “real” owner of the property, Gharabekian told ArmeniaNow:

“I don’t care if the Pope owns it; it’s still wrong.”

[…]

It is known that many of the properties in the area have “shadow” ownership, while in fact they are owned by oligarchs and high-level officials, including Government ministers and Members of Parliament. Asked who he suspects to be the “real” owner of the property, Gharabekian told ArmeniaNow:

“I don’t care if the Pope owns it; it’s still wrong.”

Since the 2003 presidential and parliamentary elections, the outcome of which are disputed by nearly every single citizen of the Republic, the rule of law has deteriorated still further, corruption has increased, and the oligarchs and officials act with impunity. Maybe it’s not business as usual after all. Perhaps the situation is getting worse.