Trchkan activists address letter to Chief of Police
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.
