Month: July 2007

KOSOVO CAN BE A PRECEDENT, NKR PRESIDENT CONSIDERS

armradio.am
03.07.2007 16:47

"Azerbaijan did nothing during the past 15 years to gain the trust
of the Karabakhi people, instead preferring the policy of threat and
blackmail," NKR President during the meeting with the students of the
Armenian-Russian (Slavonic) University. In his words, the Azeri side
is currently engaged in propaganda activity, not the solution of the
conflict, trying to present the conflict to the international community
as a solely a quarrel between Armenia and Azerbaijan. According to
Arkadi Ghukasyan, there is one way out of the situation, i.e. return
of the Karabakhi side to the bargaining table.

In his words, in this situation of mistrust speaking about mutual
concessions is impossible. "Compromises can be made to a friend,
not an enemy, not the one who has chosen the strategy of threat,"
NKR President said. He declared that if Azerbaijan upholds the policy
of propaganda, Nagorno Karabakh will "reconsider its approaches"
to the conflict.

Arkady Ghukasyan said that in this case NKr will activate the work
in the direction of being recognized by the international community.

Arkadi Ghukasyan is assured that Kosovo can serve as an example for
the resolution of the Karabakh issue. "If Kosovo can realize its
right for self-determination, why can’t Karabakh do the same? No one
has an answer to this question," NKR President concluded.

Frozen conflicts must be solved, says PACE President on eve of visit to
Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia

Strasbourg, 03.07.2007 – René van der Linden, President of the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), is to visit
Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia from 4 to 10 July 2007. This will be his
second visit to the three countries of the southern Caucasus during his
mandate.

Mr van der Linden will be in Armenia on 4-5 July, Georgia on 5-7 July,
and Azerbaijan on 8-10 July. On 7 July, he will visit South Ossetia for
meetings in Tskhinvali and Kurta.

Speaking on the eve of his visit, the President said: "This is an
important region for the Council of Europe, and my main aim in returning
here is to see how we can do more to solve the frozen conflicts in the
countries concerned. Only this will enable the peaceful development of
the region in the interest of all its peoples."

As well as the role of parliamentary diplomacy in solving conflicts, the
President intends to raise the rights of the opposition, freedom of
expression, the role of civil society, intercultural and inter-religious
dialogue, relations with neighbouring countries, and the building of one
Europe without dividing lines.

He is due to meet the Presidents and leading members of the parliament
and government in all three countries, as well as, among others, the
leaders of different political forces, representatives of civil society
and the media, and religious leaders.

Press conferences will be arranged in Yerevan (Wednesday 4 July),
Tbilisi (Friday 6 and Saturday 7 July) and Baku (Monday 9 July), times
and places to be confirmed.

Further information may be obtained from the offices of the Special
Representatives of the Secretary General in the three countries
concerned:

Armenia: +374 10 24 33 85 / 7, e-mail [email protected]

Georgia: +995 32 98 89 77 / 95 60, e-mail [email protected]

Azerbaijan: +994 12 497 54 93 / 89, e-mail [email protected]

Press Release
Parliamentary Assembly Communication Unit
Ref: 477a07
Tel: +33 3 88 41 31 93
Fax :+33 3 90 21 41 34
[email protected]
internet:

The Parliamentary Assembly brings together 318 members from the national
parliaments of the 47 member states.
President: René van der Linden (Netherlands, EPP/CD); Secretary
General of the Assembly: Mateo Sorinas.
Political Groups: SOC (Socialist Group); EPP/CD (Group of the European
People’s Party); ALDE (Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe);

EDG (European Democratic Group); UEL (Group of the Unified European
Left).
From: Baghdasarian

Haigazian University
From: Mira Yardemian
Public Relations Director
Mexique Street, Kantari, Beirut

HAIGAZIAN UNIVERSITY ARMENOLOGICAL REVIEW LAUNCHES ITS 27TH VOLUME

The launch of the 27th volume of the Haigazian Armenological Review was held
in the Haigazian University auditorium on Tuesday, June 26, 2007. In
addition to the Editor-in-Chief, the Very Rev. Father Antranik Granian, and
the other members of the Review’s editorial board, the Rev.-Dr. Paul
Haidostian, president of Haigazian University, members of the Board of
Trustees, Father Norayr Ashekian, representing His Holiness Aram I
Catholicos of the See of Cilicia, father Kehishian, representing His
Beatitude Arch. Kegham Khacherian, Prelate of the Orthodox Armenians of
Lebanon, principals of Armenian community schools, guests, friends and a
select group of devotees of Armenian literature and culture attended the
reception.

In her welcoming speech Dr. Arshalouyse Topalian, a member of the Review’s
editorial board, thanked the audience for their presence notwithstanding the
uncertain situation in the country. She noted that their presence was an
encouragement and an acknowledgement of the efforts made by the Editorial
Board and the University authorities to promote Armenology, which they see
as a lever for the preservation of Armenian identity in the Diaspora. Dr.
Topalian emphasized that the Review made an effort to maintain its academic
standard through meticulous editing, and only after long work did the
Editorial Board put the 27th volume of the Haigazian Armenological Review to
the judgment of academic circles.

Die Welt Online 3. Juli 2007, 13:25 Uhr

Von Boris Kalnoky
Türkei
Geheimdienst in Mord an Hrant Dink verwickelt?

840/Geheimdienst_in_Mord_an_Hrant_Dink_verwickelt. html

Im Prozess gegen den Mörder des armenischen Journalisten Hrant Dink
untersucht das Gericht nun die Rolle der Sicherheitskräfte. Zwei Angeklagte
gaben an, im Auftrag des türkischen Geheimdienstes gearbeitet zu haben.
Spuren führen auch zu anderen Verbrechen.

Im Prozess gegen den Mörder des türkisch-armenischen Publizisten Hrant Dink
und 17 mutmaßliche Komplizen hat das Gericht die Ermittlungen ausgeweitet –
und zwar gegen die Sicherheitskräfte. Im Klartext bedeutet dies, dass
Elemente der Sicherheitskräfte in einem Fall impliziert werden könnten, in
dem einer der Anklagepunkte "Bildung einer Terrororganisation" lautet. Zwei
Hauptangeklagte, Yasin Hayal und Erhan Tuncel, gaben an, für einen
türkischen Geheimdienst gearbeitet zu haben.

Weiterführende links
a.. Ermittler untersuchen Rolle türkischer Behörden
b.. Bilderstrecke: Der Mord an Hrant Dink
c.. Hrant Dinks Mörder stehen vor Gericht
d.. Der zerbrochene Traum der Türken
e.. Christen als Freiwild
f.. Staatlich verordnete Hetze gegen Missionare
In den türkischen Medien macht ein Brief Furore, den Yasin Hayal am 9. Mai
an den Staatsanwalt geschrieben haben soll. Darin heißt es: "Eine Gruppe
innerhalb der Polizei, ob legal oder illegal, hat uns gelenkt. Das ist
offensichtlich. Obwohl Sie das erkannt haben, haben Sie unsere Rechte nicht
geschützt. Wenn wir einen Auftrag für den Staat erfüllt haben, müsste der
Staat dann nicht seine Aufgabe erfüllen und unsere Rechte schützen?"
Mit anderen Worten, Hayal, der dem Mörder, Ogün S., mit Geld half und ihn
auch zu der Tat angestiftet haben soll, versteht sich als ein Instrument der
türkischen Sicherheitsorgane und diese als die Auftraggeber für den Mord.
Der Hauptverdächtige will acht Geheimdienstler benennen
Ein weiterer Hauptverdächtiger, Erhan Tuncel, gab in einer dreiseitigen
schriftlichen Aussage an, er wolle die Namen von acht Geheimdienstlern
bekanntgeben, mit denen er in Kontakt gewesen sei. Er habe sie wiederholt
gewarnt, dass Dink ermordet werden sollte, sei aber immer mit den Worten
abgewiesen worden, man sei sehr beschäfigt.
Noch brisanter wird das Verfahren dadurch, dass aus der Gruppe der
Angeklagten Spuren zu anderen politischen Morden der jüngeren Vergangenheit
führen, etwa die Ermordung dreier Mitarbeiter eines Bibelverlages im
vergangenen Mai und der Mord an einem Verwaltungsrichter vor rund einem
Jahr. Auch die meisten problematischen politischen Prozesse der letzten
Jahre, etwa gegen Literatur-Nobelpreistraeger Orhan Pamuk, gehen auf einen
Mann zurück, der enge Verbindungen zur Gruppe der Angeklagten hat:
Rechtsanwalt Kemal Kerincsiz, der prolifischte Anzeigen-Erstatter des Landes
gegen Intellektuelle, meist wegen vermeintlicher "Beleidigung des
Türkentums".
Der türkische Staat als eigentlicher Mörder?
Der Prozess begann als Verfahren gegen einen zur Tatzeit 17-jährigen
arbeitslosen Jugendlichen, der Dink auf offener Straße erschoss. Inzwischen
ist daraus in weiten Kreisen der Öffentlichkeit und der Medien ein Prozess
gegen den türkischen Stat als eigentlichen Mörder geworden. Dinks Witwe
formulierte es dem Gericht gegenüber schriftlich: Das andauernde Gerede von
Separatisten und Staatsfeinden in der Türkei, propagiert von allen möglichen
staatlichen und mit dem Staat verbundenen Stellen, erziehe Kindern zu
potentiellen Mördern. Es sei diese Rhethorik, die an Dinks Tod schuld sei.
Schlagworte
Türkei Prozess Hrant Dink Christen
Im Prozess geht es somit von nun an um die Frage, ob es einen "tiefen Staat"
in der Türkei gibt, verwurzelt in den Sicherheitskraeften, der durch Worte
oder vielleicht sogar Taten aus vermeintlichem Patriotismus zum Mörder wird.
Das Verfahren ist bis zum 1. Oktober vertagt.

Die Welt Online 03-07-2007, 14:57 Uhr

Anmerkung zu "Geheimdienst in Mord an Hrant Dink verwickelt?"

cle993840/Geheimdienst_in_Mord_an_Hrant_Dink_verwi ckelt.html

alidemircan meint:
03-07-2007, 14:57 Uhr
DIALOG MIT DEN OPFERN DES GENOZIDES

In Vorderasien (Kleinasien) d.h. In der Türkei in der wir leben, geschah
1915 einer der ersten großen Genozide des 20.Jahrhunderts, und zwar gegen
die folgenden Völker: die Armenier, Assyrer-Aramäer, Pontius-Griechen,
Hellenen und kurdischen Yeziden. Sie wurden mit Zwang von ihrem Land
Kleinasien (Türkei) zum Auswandern gezwungen. Bis zum Jahr 1922 wurden in
ihrem eigenen Land planmäßig und systematisch vom Osmanischen Staat unter
Herrschaft der Vereinigungs- und Fortschritts- Partei manche massakriert,
manche massenweise ermordet, manche ins Exil ausgetrieben und land- und
heimatlos gemacht. Und diejenigen, die zurückgeblieben sind, sind nicht
human behandelt worden, sondern heimatlos gemacht und verstreut worden. Die
Frauen und die Kinder wurden usurpiert. Ihre Ländereien, Eigentum, Hab und
Gut wurden geraubt, ihre historischen Kulturen, Kulturguthaben wurden
geraubt und vernichtet. Der Genozid, der im Jahr 1915 geschah, wurde
politisch von der Führung der Vereinigung und Fortschrittspartei des
Osmanischen Reiches geplant und systematisch durchgeführt. Das Osmanische
und das deutsche Reich waren Alliierte und arbeiteten zusammen.In
wichtigsten und kritischen Positionen waren die deutschen im Osmanischen
großen Generalstabsapparat mitbeteiligt. Für imperialistische Zwecke der
beiden Länder, um nach Mittelasien einmarschieren zu können, war die
Vernichtung dieser Völker sehr bedeutungsvoll und wichtig. Diejenigen, die
diesen Mord geplant, praktiziert und vom Ergebnis Gebrauch gemacht haben,
sind bekannt und waren nicht nur die Osmanisch-türkisches-Nationalistische
Führung der Vereinigungs- und Fortschrittspartei, sondern auch die Diener
der strategischen Partnerschaft waren mitbeteiligt durch eine private
Geheimdienstorganisation, die Teskilati – Mahsusa hieß, die osmanische
Gendarmerie, das Militär, die Zivilbürokratie und die promilitärische
kurdische Organisation Hamidiye – Regiment sind in die Verantwortung zu
ziehen. Mitverantwortlich sind auch diejenigen, die Gründer der jetzige
Türkei waren, die Kemalisten und der kemalistische Staatsapparat . Sie waren
von der Mannschaft der Vereinigungs- und Fortschrittspartei und sind deren
Nachfolger . Sie kommen von der gleichen Belegschaft und haben die gleiche
Ideologie. Die Ideologie ist gleich geblieben und der jetzige Türkische
Staat ist auf Kosten und Ausrottung dieser oben genannten Opfer gegründet
worden. Der Genozid wurde auch in Zusammenarbeit mit Kurdenführern und
kurdischen Stämmen, mit der Osmanischen Reichspartei, mit den
Führungskräften der Vereinigungs- und -Fortschrittspartei durchgeführt. Die
Kurdenführer und ihre Angehörigen waren an Plünderungen und Massakern mit
beteiligt. Die gleichen kurdischen Führer und ihre Angehörigen waren in
Luzern mit Kemalisten zusammen und schlossen zusammen ein gegen die
Armenier. Danach, später ist das Bündnis gescheitert und die gleichen
Kurdenführer sind Opfer der Kemalisten geworden und damit ist auch dem
Kurdischen Volk Schaden zugefügt worden, und sie sind danach auch selbst
Opfer der kemalistischen Bürokratie im türkischen Nationalstaat geworden.
Obwohl sich das Massaker vor den Augen Tausender Menschen, Diplomaten,
Historiker, Juristen, westliche Hilfsorganisationen ereignet hat , und
obwohl in Archiven verschiedener Staaten die Unterlagen über die Ereignisse
als Beweise vorhanden sind, will der türkische Staat davon nicht wissen und
versucht, die Nachweise zu ignorieren. Und trotz internationaler Kritik
verteidigt er bis jetzt zum Einsturz bringen, die Heimatlosigkeit der
Völker.Außerdem ist die Thematik dieses Geschehens in der Türkei ein Tabu
und darüber zu reden ist untersagt. Die Universitäten, die wissenschaftlich
forschen und unabhängig sein sollen, sind leider Anhänger der kemalistischen
Ideologie, sind in Dienst der Kemalisten gestellt und sie ignorieren oder
leugnen. Das Wichtigste ist, dass das Volk in der Türkei mit seiner eigenen
Geschichte und seinem Verhalten noch nicht konfrontiert worden ist.
Erstaunlich ist, dass die Intellektuellen , Demokraten und fortschrittlich
gesinnten Leute das Geschehen nicht diskutieren.Der Genozid hat unser Land
historisch, soziologisch, ökonomisch, anthropologisch, kulturell usw.
geschadet und hat sehr negative, nichtheilbare Wirkungen auch auf
nachkommende Generationen der Opfern gehabt.Der auf Blut und Plünderung der
Opfern gegründete Staat bzw. Regierung hat bis jetzt keinen Fortschritt
gemacht, ist widerlich, im Wachstum zurückgeblieben, unfruchtbar und nicht
produktiv. Der Genozid von 1915 ist für unsere Völker ein Schandfleck.
Dieser Schandfleck kann nur gelöscht werden, wenn unser Volksgemeinschaft
diesen Genozid, diesen Schandtat in ihrem Verantwortungsgefühl in sich trägt
und verurteilt. Solange das Geschehen geleugnet wird, wird zwischen uns und
zwischen Angehörigen der Opfer die Atmosphäre vergiftet und verursacht ein
Sumpfland für Chauvinismus und Fanatismus in unserem Land.Die größten
Ursachen der soziologischen und politischen Probleme der Türkei sind
gründlich das fortschrittsfeindliche Militärsystem, der Volkermord von 1915
zurück zu beziehen.Wenn wir auf den Völkermord von 1915 nicht eingehen, dann
können wir weder eine richtige Demokratie werden, noch ein friedliches Leben
zwischen unseren Völkern führen, die von verschiedene Rassen, Glauben und
Kulturen sind.Der Genozid ist eine historische Realität, ohne das zu
verurteilen, ohne das als ein Verantwortungsgefühl in uns zu tragen, können
wir in unserem Land Türkei keine politische Stabilität schaffen und die
Demokratie realisieren.

Kontaktpersonen:

Recep MARAŞLI 10787 Berlin [email protected]

Özcan SOYSAL Gutenbergstr.46 47803 Krefeld [email protected]
Tel:0049-2151-363939 Handy: 01628527875 Lehrer

Şükrü GÜLMÜŞ Wildpferdehut 2 45326 Essen [email protected]

Unterschrieften :

1 Recep MARAŞLI Berlin Germany [email protected]
2 Özcan SOYSAL
Gutenbergstr.46 47803 Krefeld/ Germany Tel:0049-2151-363939 Handy:
01625283119 Ögretmen [email protected]
3 Şükrü GÜLMÜŞ Wildpferdehut 2 45326 Essen/ Germany
[email protected]
4 Yılmaz DEMIR Bad Kreuznach/ Germany [email protected]
5
Necati GÜL Köln Germany
6 Mahmut KILINC Düsseldorf Germany [email protected]
7 Nuran ÇAMLI (MARASLI) Berlin Germany [email protected]
8 Ciwan TENGEZAR Berlin Germany [email protected]
9 Ali USTA Germany [email protected]
10 Ceyhun SUNSAY Indiana USA [email protected]
11 Metin ESEN Paris Frankreich
12 Ali ÜLGER Duisburg Germany
13 Antires MANSUR Österreich [email protected]
14 Av.Gıyasettin TASER Denizli Türkiye [email protected]
15 Cesim ELDEN Holland [email protected]
16 Murat ÖZTÜRK Norwegen [email protected]
17 Necmettin ALP Dänemark [email protected]
18 Av. Mustafa ALADAĞ İzmir Türkiye [email protected]
19 Fatma KAYHAN 66 The Grates Oxford OX4 3YJ England/UK Tel.: 0044 1865 775
185 [email protected]
20 Amed DEMIRHAN Florida USA [email protected]
21 Ferhat SAGNIÇ Ankara Türkiye [email protected]
22
Munzur ÇEM Berlin Germany [email protected]
23
Ibrahim DEMIR Basel Schweiz [email protected]
24 Cemal Aga YILMAZ Ankara Türkiye
25 Elif ORHAN Bochum Germany [email protected]
26 Zeynep BARAN Berlin Germany [email protected]
27 Nedim BARAN Berlin Germany [email protected]
28 Sebahattin MESE Frankfurt/ Germany mailto:[email protected]
29 Kazim KOCA Enschede Hollanda [email protected]
30 Hülya GÜRLER Berlin Germany [email protected]
31
Gülali DOXAN Hamburg Germany
[email protected]
32 Dr.Erhan ÖZEL
AMED Türkiye

33
Süleyman TEKIN Germany [email protected]
34 Hüseyin GÜLEN Bad Salzsuflen Germany Isci
35 Ali ROJPERWER Münster Germany Politolog [email protected]
36 Mehmet Ali GÜNDOGAN Krefeld Germany Ingenieur [email protected]
37
Özcan KAN Ankara Türkiye

38
Gazi EKE Ankara Türkiye mailto:[email protected]

39
Kudret KÖKSAL Istanbul Türkiye [email protected]
40 Süleyman DEPREM Izmir Türkiye [email protected]
41 Haluk AGABEYOGLU Istanbul Türkiye [email protected]
42 Hatice Erbay CALAGAN Ankara Türkiye [email protected]
43 Okan KÜCÜKERSAN Ankara Türkiye [email protected]
44 Emrah ÖNER Ankara Türkiye [email protected]
45 Kenan Demirtas Holland [email protected]
47 Haydar EREN Berlin Germany
[email protected]
48 Cihangir Gültekin Berlin Germany
49 Hulki Baytekin Berlin Germany
50 Cetin Coskuner Berlin Germany
51 Eyup Türkyilmaz Berlin Germany
52 Av. Medeni Ayhan Ankara Türkiye G.M.K Bulvarı Onur
İşhanı 12/53 Kızılay Ankara 05422735955
[email protected]

Magnolia Sets Dates for "Cashback" and "Closing Escrow"

Indiewire
July 3, 2007
by Eugene Hernandez

Magnolia Pictures has announced plans for Summer day-and-date releases
of Sean Ellis’ "Cashback" and Armen Kaprelian’s "Closing Escrow."
Ellis’ "Cashback," which debuted at 2006 Toronto International Film
Festival, will debut on HDNet on July 18 and in theaters two days
later, hitting DVD on July 24th. "Closing Escrow," an award winner at
last year’s U.S. Comedy Arts Film Festival, will hit HDNet on August
22nd, debut in theaters two days later and receive a DVD release on
August 28th.

NY Times Online, July 3, 2007
Trial in Editor’s Killing Opens, Testing Rule of Law in Turkey

rope/03turkey.html

By SABRINA TAVERNISE

ISTANBUL, July 2 – Eighteen young men charged in the assassination of the
newspaper editor Hrant Dink went on trial here on Monday in what has been
described as a test of the rule of law in Turkey.
Mr. Dink, a Turkish citizen of Armenian descent, was shot dead in front of
his office on Jan. 19. A day later, a Turkish teenager, Ogun Samast, was
arrested and charged with the murder. The government has brought charges
against 17 other people.
Mr. Dink, the editor of Agos, a bilingual newspaper, challenged the official
Turkish version of the 1915 Armenian genocide, which holds that hundreds of
thousands of Armenians perished because of hunger and suffering in World War
I.
But he was working to mend relations between Turkey and Armenia and had even
taken issue with Armenians who insisted that Turkey’s entry into Europe
hinge on its acknowledgment of genocide.
The trial’s verdict will have broad implications for free speech.
Ultranationalist Turks have used an article of the country’s criminal code
that forbids "insulting Turkishness" to push the government to bring charges
against Turkish writers, including Orhan Pamuk, the Nobel Prize-winning
novelist. Mr. Dink received a suspended sentence under the statute. His
supporters argue that a limp prosecution of his killing will embolden
nationalists.
At the trial, closed to the public because some of the defendants were
minors, Mr. Samast exercised his legal right to silence, said Fethiye Cetin,
a lawyer for Mr. Dink’s family, according to the state-run Anatolian News
Agency.
Four defendants, Erhan Tuncel, Yasin Hayal, Ersin Yolcu and Ahmet Iskender,
testified, and two others asked for lawyers before speaking, Ms. Cetin said.
Mr. Samast previously confessed to the killing, according to Turkish
authorities, saying he had been angered by Mr. Dink’s columns on Armenian
history and had come to Istanbul from the Black Sea town of Trabzon to kill
him.
A crowd of Mr. Dink’s supporters stood a short distance from the
mustard-colored courthouse, which was used as a military court for years but
is now a criminal court as part of a legal reform in preparation for Turkey’s
bid to join the European Union.
His lawyers’ main concern is that the trial will not get to the heart of the
hate crime they say was highly organized by a network of ultranationalist
Turks in collaboration with Turkish authorities. Shortly after the killing,
a video surfaced showing the main suspect posing with Turkish police
officers. Security officials were fired over the incident.
"The gang does not consist of these suspects only," Ms. Cetin said of the 18
defendants, according to the news agency. "It is far more planned and
organized. There is almost an intentional misconduct of the gendarmerie and
police in this incident."
Lawyers for the defendants say the attention to the case will make a fair
trial impossible.
Liberal Turks are skeptical that the trial will result in justice for Mr.
Dink. The country’s establishment, which encourages nationalism, was deeply
suspicious of him.
"The judgment will not be free," said Aydin Ozipek, an economics student at
Fatih University in Istanbul. "There is a ruling class of people who want
everybody to be the same – no Kurds, no Armenians, no head scarves."
In a petition to the court to allow him to take part in the trial, Mr. Dink’s
brother, Hosrof Dink, described their childhood in an orphanage and a
lifetime of discrimination.
"We thought we were born as human beings," he wrote in the petition,
circulated by a group of his brother’s supporters. "In time, against our
will, we were given many identities; we were labeled."
The trial, he said, "will be between the people who believe in the rule of
law and the people who say: ‘We are the law. We are the state.’ " His
request to take part was granted.
The court worked well into the evening, then adjourned until Oct. 1. Charges
continue against all 18 defendants, but only eight were kept in custody,
Turkish television reported.

Sebnem Arsu contributed reporting.

IFEX – News from the international freedom of expression community
________________________________________ _________________________

ALERT – ARMENIA

3 July 2007

Proposed laws would curb media freedoms and effectively ban regional radio
station, says Human Rights Watch

SOURCE: Human Rights Watch

**For further information on the A1+ case, see IFEX alert of 25 June 2002;
for the Babajanian case, see alerts of 12 September and 7 July 2006; please
note that in previous alerts the journalist’s name was spelled
Babadzhanian**

(HRW/IFEX) – The following is a 29 June 2007 Human Rights Watch press
release:

Armenia: Parliament Must Not Silence RFE/RL
Strike Down Proposed Laws Curbing Media Freedoms

(New York, June 29, 2007) – The Armenian parliament should not adopt two
draft laws that would effectively ban future broadcasts of Radio Free
Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), a key source of independent information in
that country, Human Rights Watch said today.

The first, an amendment to the law "On Television and Radio", prohibits
retransmission of foreign broadcasts on Armenian public television and
radio frequencies. The second, an amendment to the law "On State Taxes",
establishes heavy fees for private companies that air foreign broadcasts.

Both draft laws passed a first reading on Friday in the National Assembly
of Armenia, but must undergo a second reading, expected on Monday or
Tuesday, before they become law.

"These new laws clearly restrict access to a crucial independent news
source for many Armenians and deal a serious blow to RFE/RL and to freedom
of the media in general," said Holly Cartner, Europe and Central Asia
director at Human Rights Watch. "The parliament should under no
circumstances pass this bill in the second reading."

The parliament’s actions appear to specifically target RFE/RL’s Armenian
service, the only foreign broadcaster that relies on Armenian National
Radio, the country’s public radio station, to reach the majority of its
audience.

RFE/RL is one of the only independent broadcast media outlets remaining in
Armenia. Although there is a vibrant print media, the government maintains
close control over the much more accessible broadcast media, and recently
closed the last independent television station, A1+, in 2002.

RFE/RL is also occasionally broadcast via some private radio stations in
the country’s capital, Yerevan, and surrounding regions, but under the
proposed laws, private Armenian broadcasters would pay more than US$200 in
taxes each time they retransmit a program produced by a foreign media
organization. This fee is 70 times more than broadcasters must pay for a
locally made program.

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s (OSCE)
representative on freedom of the media, Miklos Haraszti, criticized the
bills, saying that they infringed Armenia’s commitments to safeguard media
pluralism and access to information, and called on the Armenian authorities
to drop them. Opposition politicians in Armenia lamented the parliament’s
decision to pass the bills and charged the government with trying to
control the media.

The two bills are incompatible with Armenia’s obligations under the
European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). Article 10 of the ECHR
guarantees the right "to receive and impart information and ideas without
interference by public authority and regardless of frontiers." This right
can only be restricted for limited and specific reasons such as national
security or public safety. The restrictions placed on the rights of
expression and imparting of information by the bills do not meet these
requirements. The importance of the rights protected by Article 10 has been
repeatedly emphasized by the European Court of Human Rights. The court
maintains that freedom of expression is one of the essential foundations of
a democratic society and that the media plays a pre-eminent role in a state
governed by the rule of law. The court insists that any efforts by a
government to restrict freedom of expression be strictly scrutinized and
the reason convincingly established.

"By passing these laws, Armenia risks violating its international
commitments to freedom of expression and the media," said Cartner. "As
Armenia prepares for presidential elections in 2008, the world will
certainly be watching to see if the government respects freedom of the
media and other freedoms necessary for a free and fair vote."

The move is not the first effort by the Armenian government to limit
independent media. The independent television station A1+ lost its
broadcasting license in 2002, after regularly airing criticism of the
government, and lost 12 subsequent tenders for television and radio
frequencies. In June 2006, A1+, which produced a weekly newspaper and
maintains a website, was forced to vacate its offices, after losing a court
case in 2005 challenging a notice of eviction.

Human rights groups have reported violence against journalists in
retaliation for their work, and in September a court sentenced Arman
Babajanian, editor of the opposition newspaper Zhamanak Yerevan, to four
years in prison for failing to serve the compulsory two years of military
service. Although Babajanian admitted to forging documents in 2002 in order
to evade military service, the harsh sentence is suspected to be
retribution for the journalist’s persistent criticism of government
policies (draft evaders are usually sentenced to between two and three
years in prison).

For further information, contact Jane Buchanan, (English, Russian), New
York, tel: +1 212 216 1857, mobile: +1 917 553 4315; or Human Rights Watch,
350 Fifth Ave., 34th Floor, New York NY 10018-3299, U.S.A., tel: +1 212 290
4700, fax: +1 212 736 1300, e-mail: [email protected], Internet:

The information contained in this alert is the sole responsibility of Human
Rights Watch. In citing this material for broadcast or publication, please
credit Human Rights Watch.
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Armenia Solidarity
British Armenian All Party Parliamentary Group
Nor Serount Publications
The Armenian Genocide Trust

Report on House of Commons Meeting on
Genocide Denial and the UK Government’s "Ethical Foreign Policy"
Held on 22 June 2007

Tel 07876561398 or 07718982732
e-mails : [email protected], [email protected]
norserount@btconnec t.com [email protected]

The meeting was convened on the day that a new Prime Minister took up
the seals of office and in anticipation of a subsequent cabinet
reshuffle. Its purpose was to focus on the present UK government policy
as it affected both the Armenian Genocide recognition and the current
genocide in Darfur in the hope that it could become more effective and
ethical.

The meeting was sponsored by David Drew MP and chaired by John Bercow
MP. The chairman gave an overview of the terrible events in Darfur and
the lack of effective international action to stop the carnage. He
proposed that the inability to clearly condemn earlier genocides was one
factor that allowed more than 60 repetitions of such crimes against
humanity in the essentially genocidal 20th century.

Ruth Barnet, a survivor of the Holocaust who works with genocide
survivors, stated that a diaspora remains troubled by genocide until it
is recognised by the perpetrator. Denial consists of attempts to cover
the evidence and to argue the events never happened. This worsens the
psychological impact as true mourning cannot commence and survivors who
carry the burden of memory cannot live their lives to their full
potential. These feelings spread down the generations and are carried
until the proper acknowledgement is given. The murdered ancestors are a
loss to the whole of humanity, not just to their own people. A ‘genocide
footprint’ can measure the destruction of humanity just as a carbon
footprint the destruction of the environment. Each time there is no
protest at genocide, a footprint is made on the human soul for the loss
of the living and the unborn. What is needed for sufficient people to
protest so as to make a difference to the direction of governments and
other state organisations.

Dr James Smith, Chief Executive of the Aegis Trust, brought out the
startling similarities between the Armenian Genocide and Darfur even
though these are over 90 years apart. Both have a victimising power
that claims to be responding to a threat from a minority in the context
of external conflict (1st World War, fight against terrorism), the use
of irregular forces against civilians coordinated by government forces,
the use of privation and violence as a means of extermination, good
communication of the unfolding events to the outside world who response
is high on rhetoric and low on action. In both cases, the perpetrators
have not been held effectively to account, and denial continues despite
the wealth of information to the contrary from reliable independent
sources. The Armenian Genocide can be seen as a good prototype for
denialism and Darfur follows the Turkish model of obfuscation and
dissemination of confusion. Even today, Turkish denialism is rampant
having temporarily closed a New York exhibition on the Rwandan genocide
(because of a single reference to the Armenian Genocide) and the
activities of TARC (Turkish Armenian Reconciliation Committee) aimed at
diverting attention from the real issues. Denial legitimises the
original murders and avoids addressing prevention. It must be met
head-on.

Yet today there is an International Criminal Court which may have to
wait decades before it is given the powers to prosecute the indicted of
Darfur. Meanwhile, the Sudanese authorities still benefit from
significant oil revenues using it to buy the hardware for repression,
continue to control the irregular forces that brutalise civilians and
the much talked about no fly zone has not been implemented. One wonders
if the world had acted in concerted effort to stop the killing of
Armenians in 1915, the 20th century may have been a different place.

Turkish society is beginning to change with some of the new generation
becoming more aware of the past and challenging radical
ultra-nationalistic views. The UK government is not helping this
process by supporting the position of the Turkish government. The Aegis
Trust would welcome an enquiry not only into the impact of the British
foreign policy in failing to identify and stop the killing of Armenians
during the 1st World War but also the behaviour of the British
government in all subsequent genocides such as Rwanda and the Bosnia.
Until we really understand the failings and lessons of these events, and
bring the decision makers to account for the failure that leads to
unnecessary mass murder of innocents, we will not change the future. We
do have to look at history and combat denial to apply these lessons.

HE Dr Vahe Gabrielyan, Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia, applauded
the convergence of many organisations to focus on all genocides and the
relationship between them. The outcome of the recognition of past
genocides should be not only be the moral and ethical tribute to the
survivors but also lead to the prevention of potential future
repetition. Because the Armenian Genocide has not been condemned,
further appalling events could not be stopped. There should be a united
front against all genocides across all nations backed by huge
cross-border and cross-people pressure on all governments. Only then
will governments, including the UK, act to the required measures.

The government of Armenia with its people adds voice to the
international community to stop the atrocities in Darfur. The lessons
from the Armenian Genocide should be input to this initiative so as to
achieve effective action.

PRESS RELEASE
Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, Information Services
Address:  Vagharshapat, Republic of Armenia
Contact:  Rev. Fr. Ktrij Devejian
Tel:  +374-10-517163
Fax:  +374-10-517301
E-Mail:  [email protected]
Website: 
July 4, 2007

Opening of Renovated Guest House of the Mother See

On Saturday, June 30, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and
Catholicos of All Armenians, presided during the opening ceremonies of the
newly renovated Guest House of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.  The
Guest House, also known as the `Vanatun’, was constructed in 1978 through
the generosity of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, during the pontifical
of His Holiness Vasken I of blessed memory.  The building has been used for
the past 30 years to house Armenian clergymen and ecumenical delegations
during their visits to the headquarters of the Armenian Church.

The comprehensive reconstruction of the three-story building was sponsored
by Deacon James Kalustian in honor and love of his parents, Mardiros and
Mariam Kalustian, who had traveled to Armenia to be present for the
opening.  James Kalustian is a member of the Supreme Spiritual Council of
the Armenian Church, as well as the Diocesan Council of the Diocese of the
Armenian Church of America (Eastern).

His Holiness Karekin II offered the Home Blessing Service with the
participation of the members of the Brotherhood of Holy Etchmiadzin.  Also
present for the service and ceremony were His Eminence Archbishop Khajag
Barsamian, Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America
(Eastern); His Eminence Archbishop Vicken Aykazian, Diocesan Legate for the
Eastern Diocese; Oscar Tatosian, Eastern Diocesan Council Chairman; members
of the Eastern Diocesan Council; members of the Board of Directors for the
Fund for Armenian Relief (FAR); and faithful pilgrims from the United
States.

Following the short service, His Grace Bishop Ararat Kaltakjian, Grand
Sacristan of the Mother See, invited Abp. Khajag to share his thoughts on
the occasion.  The primate of the Eastern Diocese expressed his pleasure
that upon every visit to Holy Etchmiadzin, he witnesses the opening of
another sanctuary or building which benefits the mission and activities of
the Mother See.  He also stressed his contentment to see a faithful son and
deacon of the Church honoring his parents and his community with steadfast
devotion to his faith and nation.

The Pontiff of All Armenians addressed his message of blessing to those
present, placing great importance on the ties and relationship of every
individual Armenian to Holy Etchmiadzin.  `The Mother See lives in every
Armenian heart, and therefore, every son or daughter of our nation hopes
with all hope that she blossoms and flourishes, that her appearance and
condition causes every Armenian soul to soar with pride and happiness.  Each
visitor who enters this monastery, will give thanks to God that the Mother
See, with her past, present and future, is beautiful, strong and increasing
in its scope and mission day by day’, stated His Holiness.  The Catholicos
also expressed his words of appreciation and thanks to the benefactor, for
the noble and kind initiative he undertook out of respect and love for his
parents.  At the end of his remarks, His Holiness bestowed James Kalustian
with the highest award of the Armenian Church – the Order of Saint Gregory
the Illuminator, and presented him with the medal of St. Gregory.