The Karen Demirchian sports complex was recently privatized
YEREVAN (RFE/RL)—The wife of the late Karen Demirchian spoke out on Tuesday against the planned opening of a casino at Yerevan’s main sports and concert arena bearing the name of Armenia’s longtime Soviet-era leader.
The sprawling arena commonly known as Hamalir (Complex) was built in 1983, becoming one of the most modern facilities of its kind in the Soviet Union. Demirchian, Soviet Armenia’s top Communist leader from 1974-1988, was instrumental in its expensive construction. This is why it was named after Demirchian shortly after he was assassinated in October 1999, just a few months after becoming parliament speaker.
According to Demirchian’s widow Rima, he cried when Hamalir was seriously damaged by a fire in 1984. “Hamalir was a piece of his soul and his body. It was his brainchild,â€
