Month: December 2008

MASS VIOLATIONS CONTINUE

A1+
[05:24 pm] 10 December, 2008

Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly – Vanadzor office (HCAV) issued a statement
today which holds,

We receive December 10, International Human Rights Day, with numerous
human rights violations taken place during 2008.

This year the situation of human rights did not make any
progress. There have been mass violations, moreover the warnings for
human rights violations were deliberately out of attention. Tens of
citizens were pursued for their political views. Ashot Manukyan, the
head of Pan Armenian Movement-Lori regional council was sentenced
to a 6-year imprisonment based on obviously false testimonies. 47
citizens of Lori region, who were representatives of the opposition,
were illegally brought to police departments and their houses
were illegally searched. The well known murders, the murders of
Lori regional Prosecutor and of the 4 citizens in Spitak town are
still unrevealed. Since 2000 about ten cases of murder have not
been disclosed.

With this statement we are expressing not only our concern about the
extremely bad situation of human rights, but also deliberate inactions
of authorities in restoring the violated human rights. This will lead
to legally formed totalitarianism in the country.

We cannot tolerate existence of such a situation and call all the
citizens, public and political organizations not to lose their hope and
become disappointed, but to be decisive in the fight for establishing
a state system defending human dignity in Armenia.

Totalitarianism won’t work.

ARMENIAN INTELLECTUALS APPEAL TO GUL FOR GENOCIDE RECOGNITION

AZG Armenian Daily
10/12/2008

Armenian Genocide

Nearly 300 Armenian intellectuals and other public figures have
appealed to Turkey to acknowledge that the 1915 mass killings of
Armenians in the Ottoman Empire constituted genocide, saying that is
a necessary condition for Turkish-Armenian reconciliation, "Azatutyun"
radio-station reported.In an open letter to Turkish President Abdullah
Gul made public on Tuesday, they said modern-day Turkey bears
"hereditary responsibility" for what they consider an "monumental
crime against humanity." "Genocide is a crime against humanity and
present civilization values, and no individual, organization or even
state authority can cast doubt on what happened," the letter said,
challenging Ankara’s vehement denial of any government policy to
exterminate Ottoman Turkey’s Armenian population. "Your generation
of Turkish leaders must accept the undeniable truth and recognize
the fact of the Armenian Genocide … Only in that case can there
be a sincere dialogue and a process of real reconciliation between
our peoples," it said. The letter was apparently initiated by
prominent writers, musicians and artists close to Armenia’s ruling
establishment, suggesting that it was approved by President Serzh
Sarkisian. The latter has been instrumental in an unprecedented thaw
in Turkish-Armenian relations observed in recent months. Sarkisian has
won plaudits in the West for inviting Gul to visit Yerevan and watch
with him a September match between Armenia’s and Turkey’s national
soccer teams. The so-called "football diplomacy" was followed by
a series of further negotiations between the Turkish and Armenian
foreign ministers. It is still not clear, however, whether Ankara is
ready to normalize relations with Yerevan before a resolution of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

NA CHAIRMAN: "IMPROVE LIFE BY RULE OF LAW"

Panorama.am
16:38 10/12/2008

Today it is the international day of defending human rights. In
this regard the Chairman of National Assembly Hovik Abrahamyan sent
a message which says: "In 1948 the UN General Assembly adopted the
declaration of human rights.

Since December 10, 1950 Human Rights’ day is celebrated. During the
last 60 years the world is changed, and the people are also changed,
but our imaginations about human rights have been unchanged since
the antic times of Greek history."

The Chairman says that after the independence, the Constitution of
Armenia has defined the human rights and its basic liberties. After
Constitutional reforms Ombudsman office has been established in
Armenia. The NA Spokesman says that the National Assembly will keep
an eye on rule of law of human rights and mentioned that to improve
life rule of law is of great importance.

OMBUDSMAN BELIEVES HUMAN RIGHTS TO BECOME ESSENTIAL IN ARMENIA

Panorama.am
16:39 10/12/2008

The Defender of Human Rights of Armenia Armen Harutyunyan has made an
announcement which says that the Ombudsman believes that human rights
will become state and national significant values and that political,
personal interests will subordinate it.

The press service of the Ombudsman office informs that the
international organizations of human rights call on the states to make
improvements in their attitudes and approaches. Amnesty International
reports that people are being arrested by their state and laws are
ignored.

INTERNET CABLE THROUGH TURKEY

Panorama.am
17:23 10/12/2008

Armenia holds negotiations with Turkey to install internet-cable
through the territory of Turkey, said Nerses Yeritsyan the Minister
of Economy during a meeting with the entrepreneurs of Information
Technologies field.

"Armenian authorities hold negotiations with Turkish authorities
to fix that problem. The President of Armenia has discussed this
question during every meeting he has had in European countries. The
Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan talked about it during his visit to
the USA," said the Minister.

The Minister says that the demand of the IT companies is not ignored,
he says that possibly the question will be fixed in a year or three
but they do work on it.

TURKEY TO AVOID TROUBLES

Panorama.am
18:11 10/12/2008

"The authorities of Turkey acknowledge that closed border with
Armenia is not normal and that it has only political significance
which is directed to Azerbaijan. Turkey wants Azerbaijan to see that
having a closed border with Armenia the relations with this country
are broken," says Bagrat Estukyan, "Akos" daily, editor of Armenian
section, during a press conference.

Regarding the small amount of football fans who arrived in Armenia to
be present at the football game of Armenia-Turkey, he said that they
were not prohibited by the law. According to him they just wanted to
avoid troubles.

He mentioned that even those who arrived in Armenia were not
football fans but the representatives of NGO-s who were willing to
set communication with local Armenians.

PRESIDENT AWARD REPRESENTATIVES OF CONSTRUCTION ORGANIZATIONS

Panorama.am
16:37 10/12/2008

The President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan signed a decree on awarding
medals to the representatives of construction organizations for
their investment, activities and personal devotion, reported the
press service of the President’s Administration.

By the decree of the President Harutyun Sasunyan of "Lins" foundation
has been awarded a medal, Edward Bezoyan for implementation of
"Road constructions," Hrayr Sargsyan for implementation of "School
construction", etc.

In the frames of "Lins" foundation projects 16 people have been
awarded letters of thank from the President of Armenia.

INVESTIGATOR ARRESTED

A1+
[08:46 pm] 09 December, 2008

Investigator of the investigative department of Tumanyan of the Lori
Marz investigative department of the RA Police General Investigation
Department, Lieutenant Samvel Tandilyan was arrested at the scene
of taking a 1,000 dollar bribe through the operative/investigative
measures taken by the RA Police and National Security Service officers.

According to the press release of the National Security Service,
Tandilyan had bribed resident A of the Lori Marz in exchange for
concealing his blame for theft.

A case has been instituted based on the points of article 311 of the
RA Criminal Code and preliminary investigation is underway.

FRENCH DEPUTIES AT ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT

Panorama.am
20:53 08/12/2008

Today the spokesman of National Assembly of Armenia Hovik Abrahamyan
received French deputies and the chairman of France-Armenia relative
group. They have been invited by the NA Chairman Hovik Abrahamyan
to take part in the ceremonies of the massive earthquake of December
7, 1988.

H. Abrahamyan said that inviting them to Armenia he would like to
express the feeling of gratitude towards French people for their
support and assistance to Armenians.

Regarding the development of Armenian-French business communication,
H. Abrahamyan said that some French companies, in particular,
"Perno-Rickar", "Violla", "Sore" and "Orange" run business in Armenia.

During the meeting the officials talked about the cooperation of
Armenian and French deputies in PACE and other questions.

CONFERENCE ON CORRUPTION

Panorama.am
17:50 09/12/2008

"Corruption is an important problem in Armenia, though it is not only
the problem of Armenia. Even today we have this problem in the USA:
I mean high ranking officials who are involved in this problem,"
said the Ambassador of the USA Marie Yovanovich during a conference
on corruption.

The conference has been organized by the justice department of the
USA in Yerevan. The Ambassador encouraged Armenian officials to prove
the society that those who are busy with corruption are punished
irrespective of position.

The Ambassador said that congressmen, high ranking officials have been
sentenced in America for commiting corruption. She said that people
should believe in justice system if we want corruption to be managed.