Residents of Shnogh, a community in Armenia’s northern Lori Province, have blocked the road leading to the offices of Teghut CJSC, demanding that those workers from the local area who were dismissed on April 1 and replaced by others brought in from afar be rehired.

In February of this year the mining conglomerate Vallex Group issued a statement saying that a skeleton staff of 300 workers would remain on the payroll of Teghout CJSC, one of its subsidiaries operating the controversial Teghout copper and molybdenum mine in Armenia, after dismissal notices were sent to 85% of employees.