Writers’ Union defends ownership of historic building

PanARMENIAN.Net - A court is reviewing a lawsuit filed by the prosecutor’s office challenging the registration of ownership rights over the building of the Writers’ Union of Armenia.

Commenting on the issue, Edward Militonyan, chairman of the Writers’ Union of Armenia, said the building located at 3 Baghramyan Avenue in Yerevan has served literature and writers for about 75 years, Panorama.am reports.

“This building was created for literature and for the Writers’ Union. Now they are challenging it — but for what?” he said.

Militonyan noted that the organization is presenting its position in court regarding the prosecutor’s claim to challenge the building’s ownership registration.

“We are presenting our truth. I believe it will be understandable to some extent,” he said when asked about expectations from the court proceedings.

He added that three court hearings are scheduled for April this year.

Since 2024, the authorities — represented by the Prosecutor General’s Office — have launched a process aimed at nationalizing the buildings of the Writers’ Union of Armenia and the Artists’ Union of Armenia.

According to the prosecutor’s office, studies have indicated that the registration of ownership rights for these buildings was carried out in violation of legal requirements.

Creative unions have filed lawsuits to challenge the prosecutor’s decision.

At the same time, the Prosecutor General’s Office has appealed to the Administrative Court, requesting that the ownership registrations of the buildings belonging to the Writers’ Union and the Artists’ Union be invalidated.

The prosecutor’s office argues that the buildings located at 16 Abovyan Street and 3 Baghramyan Avenue in Yerevan were illegally privatized in the 1990s and transferred to public organizations representing creative unions.