August 1, 2005 - 13:11 AMT
THOSE GUILTY IN DESTRUCTION OF ARMENIAN GRAVES IN KRASNODAR TO BE FOUND
At their meeting Verkhny Yurt village residents (Khosta district of the city of Sochi) decided to send official letters to chiefs of the city administration and law-enforcement bodies. These are intended to express indignation over the act of vandalism taken place at the village cemetery, as well as to demand urgent measures to catch and punish those guilty. The residents gathered July 31 to discuss the vandalism act of destruction of 29 graves (28 Armenian graves and a Russian one), reported the Yerkramas newspaper of Armenians of Russia. The meeting was held in the presence of Khosta region head Igor Seleznyov, representatives of law-enforcement bodies and leaders of Sevan Armenian community of the city. As noted by I. Seleznyov, the investigation is under way and law-enforcement bodies say they have a "hook" that will help to find those guilty in acts of vandalism at the Armenian cemetery. In his words, the city budget will compensate the material harm. It should be reminded that July 29, 2005 reports were received by the Khosta region section of domestic affairs from residents of Verkhny Yurt village populated by Armenians that a large number of graves is demolished in the cemetery 5 km away from the settlement, reported the Yerkramas newspaper of Armenians of Russia. In the course of examination of the cemetery 29 demolished graves were discovered most of them being Armenians'. The word "Schizophrenia" is written on the headstones of each of the destroyed graves. The graves were supposedly demolished with a sledgehammer or some other heavy object.