The 44-day war became a double disaster for Hamest Bejanyan.

And it took her husband and the house. Samvel Bejanyan was killed in the positions; the house collapsed from the bombardment and was destroyed.

She appealed to the administration of Martakert and Stepanavan, asked, explained that she had nowhere to go, that the owner of the house calls every day and says, find another place, get out from here. They promised her that they would give her and her two children a home, but they didn’t.

“I have a disabled son, 20 years old, he doesn’t speak. 50,000 [about $120 today] for the disabled person’s benefit, they also give money for my dead husband, we live with it, but we can’t buy a house with it,” says Hamest.

Arsen Avanesyan, the head of the Martakert administrative district, told Forrights.am that Hamest Bejanyan is the second wife of the fallen soldier Samvel Bejanyan. “Samvel Bejanyan has four children from his second wife, now which woman will the state build a house for?” asks Avanesyan.

Let’s say it’s the second wife, but she lost her house, shouldn’t she be provided with a house? The head of the administrative region answered our question that all the inhabitants of Martakert who lost their homes during the war will be provided with housing. “Hamest has a dilapidated house, which she received as an inheritance. That house needs to be repaired. If that house is built, it will happen only next year. If the houses are not subject to restoration, we will provide the victims’ families with apartments,” said Arsen Avanesyan.

He promised that he will receive Hamest Bejanyan the next day and will try to solve her problem.

Martakert resident and journalist Karen Shirinyan says that there are many homeless people in Martakert, although you will not find anyone sleeping on the streets. “They also came from the regions, they say that they will give a house, but they don’t give it, or they only give it to their acquaintances. By not solving people’s problems, they force us to emigrate. Yes, according to the law they have to give a house, but according to the law they also have to cancel the loans. They are not doing it” says Karen.

He also lost his house. He lived in a house in the Maghavuz village of Martakert region, which the Shirinians received as the family of a fallen freedom fighter. For Karen, this house was the memory of her father who died in the Artsakh battles in 1992. After the war, one day in August, the house was burned with property and documents, money that Karen’s mother had collected in order to send her grandson to the first grade. Karen waited a long time for help from the state. The family stayed temporarily in the sister’s small house. But there was zero response.

Due to the state’s inattention, dozens of families are emigrating every day.”

Finally, Karen Shirinyan took his family, his wife and two young children and moved to Yerevan, where he lives on rent. The mother stayed in Artsakh.

Susan Simonyan

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