More about tearing down Old Yerevan

I wrote a more in-depth article for Hetq Online about the razing of the neighborhood located just behind my apartment building on 3 Nalbandyan Street. Although construction on the site has momentarily been haulted and a few families still remain, the existing homes are slated to be demolished by mid-March. The family I am friendly with is still hoping they won't have to go elsewhere, assuming they will even be able to find a place affordable enough to live in somewhere in Yerevan. But they know that eventually it will be time to move on, even after being there for over 50 years.

I consider Hetq Online to be one of the most valuable as well as dependable news services based in Armenia, apart from ArmeniaLiberty.org. The online publication came into existence in 2001 and started publishing articles in English the following year. It is known for its investigative pieces, more recently focusing on traffiking of Armenian woman, the coverage of which has been ongoing for over a year. Edik Baghdasaryan, who is the editor-and-chief, is known as one of, if not the leading, investigative documentary filmmakers in Armenia, having covered issues ranging from widespread government corruption to the grim plight of earthquake survivors in Gyumri. He is one of the chiefs of the Association of Investigative Journalists NGO, which publishes Hetq Online.

My article may be translated into Armenian to be published in the near future.

You can read the article here.

Photo Caption: Me talking with Albert, who owns the home directly behind my building.