Month: February 2015

ACTIVIST KIDNAPPED AND BEATEN BY MASKED MEN: POLITICAL OPPOSITION CONDEMN ACT CITING HIGH LEVEL INVOLVEMENT

02.09.2015 14:45 epress.am

On Saturday, February 7, masked men kidnapped Artak Khachatryan from
Tolstoy St. near Tashir mall and beat him up. He was later found in
an unconscious state in Nor Nork’s 8th district.

Khachatryan was heavily involved in the recent protests against the
Law on Turnover Tax and is a member of the Prosperous Armenia Party’s
(BHK) political council.

The activist’s brother, Artyom Khachatryan, told iLur.am that Artak
was kidnapped by 3 masked men with machine guns. He was found in Nor
Nork with serious injuries and had difficulty speaking and was later
sent to the Malatia Hospital.

“I spoke to him last night and there was nothing to be nervous about,
no suspicious talk, no one had called or threatened him. Artak has
no connection to the criminal world; they kidnapped him in broad
daylight on a street in Kentron (downtown). I’m assuming that this
was part of a plan by a special service,” said Khachatryan.

Certain political parties and political figures have condemned the
incident. The BHK’s political council considered the incident as an
impudent and cynical challenge directed toward the political forces
and society.

“It is clear hat the entire responsibility of the incident falls on
the country’s political authorities. The main culprit of the gangster
environment and impunity created in the country is the country’s elite
political power, who are also responsible for all this. We promptly
demand that law enforcement bodies discover in the shortest time
possible the culprits in this incident and all past ordered criminal
activities on political, civil officials and on activists. Let no one
think that the violence implemented against Artak Khachatryan and on
others is going to be left unpunished. Those who carried it out will
be punished, as well as those who ordered it. If law enforcement
does not (punish them), then the people will do it,” stated BHK’s
political council.

Armenian National Congress Party (HAK) considers Artak Khachatryan’s
kidnapping and the brutal violence against him was no coincidence,
stressing that there is a link to a chain of insidious terrorist
actions unleashed against the opposition by the authorities.

“These types of actions by the authorities only call for an adequate
answer by the people and political forces to collectively revolt for
a speedy regime change, to restore the constitution, to establish
legitimate authorities, and secure the supremacy of rights and the
law,” said the HAK’s statement.

The Free Democrat Party also condemned the violence against Artak
Khachatryan noting that Armenian citizens are not protected in their
own country and their constitutional rights are being openly violated.

“The nondisclosure of these incidents creates a vicious atmosphere
of impunity and becomes the cause of their recurrence,” said the
party’s statement.

HAK faction MP Nikol Pashinyan noted on his personal Facebook page that
if the ruling authorities do not quickly and convincingly discover
the monstrous attack on Artak Khachatryan, than the attack on Vilen
Gabrielyan (Navak Jojogh) and other violent incidents would mean
that any Armenian citizen could claim that those entities which are
supposed to prevent and reveal such incidents are responsible for
organizing and implementing them.

“If these incidents and their nondisclosure are not followed by
resignations of high level officials responsible for law enforcement,
then any Armenian citizen has the right to claim that violence is
organized by Serzh Sargsyan’s permission and approval, and maybe at
times directly addressed commands,” stressed Pashinyan.

According to Artyom Khachatryan, as of Saturday, “A group of
investigators came from the Kentron police department, now the head
of the criminal investigation unit has taken over the investigation.”

DAUGHTER AGREES TO EXHUMATION: CLAIMS HER FATHER WAS MURDERED AND DIDN’T COMMIT SUICIDE

Zaruhi Mejlumyan

09:54, February 9, 2015

Gayaneh Hovhanyan doesn’t believe that her father, whose body was found
hanging from a tree one day after he left his house in the Armenian ton
of Ararat, committed suicide as cited as the official cause of death.

And she’s agreed that her father’s body be exhumed to prove that he
was murdered.

Gyanjirov Hovhanyan’s body was found on July 26, 2013 near the village
ofAvshar, some three kilometers from Ararat.

The daughter believes that two brothers, Narek and Hovhannes Aslanyan,
who own a stone factory in Ararat where her father worked for a couple
of days, are implicated in the death of 65 year-old.

The Hovhanyan family claims that one day before the incident the two
brothers beat Mr. Hovhanyan, accusing him of theft. The family says
that prior to July 25, Mr. Hovhanyan returned home in a frightened
state and told them that the brothers were out to kill him.

Investigators looking into the death of Mr. Hovhanyan never implicated
the Aslanyan brothers in the case.

At a recent Court of Appeals hearing to reopen the case, when asked by
the judge if she suspected that her father had indeed been murdered,
and if so by whom, Gayaneh replied: “I am sure. It wasn’t Aslan
Avetisyan as much as his two sons. They attacked our house the day
before.”

Garik Malkhasyan, the attorney representing the Hovhanyan family,
then told the court that his clients have agreed to an exhumation of
the body of Gyanjirov Hovhanyan to expose the truth.

Ever since her father’s death was officially reported as suicide,
Gayaneh has been conducting an investigation on her own. Initially,
all her petitions to have the case reviewed were rejected. The
pre-investigative body and the state prosecutor found that no one was
guilty of inciting her father to commit suicide or of murdering him.

Gayaneh then filed an appeal against these decisions at the Ararat and
Vayots Dzor Provincial Court. Her appeal was partially sustained. The
court found that her rights, as the legal heir of the deceased,
had been violated.

The Ararat state prosecutor did not agree with the court’s findings and
petitioned the Court of Appeals, arguing that Gayaneh’s rights hadn’t
been violated and that an objective investigation had been conducted.

Before issuing his verdict, Appeals Court Judge Sevak Hambardzoumyan
said he wanted to hear the opinion of case examiner Artour Avetyan. He
will testify at the next court session.

Top photo: Gayaneh Hovhanyan and her mother.

ELECTRICAL NETWORKS OF ARMENIA PROMISES 8.4 BILLION DRAMS INVESTMENT THIS YEAR INTO UPGRADING OF SYSTEM

YEREVAN, February 9. / ARKA /. The Electric Networks of Armenia company
has pledged to invest 8.4 billion drams in 2015 into upgrading the
facility, the Public Services Regulatory Commission (PSRC) said today,
citing the company’s investment program.

Particularly, the company will spend 2 billion drams on maintaining the
current frequency of outages, on raising the safety of the facility
and replacement of outdated equipment. Another 5 billion drams are
to be spent on connecting new subscribers to the power grid and
implementation of special projects.

According to the ministry of energy and natural resources, the
Electric Networks of Armenia has $220 million in outstanding debts to
local banks. The Russian-owned company blames the current situation
on higher than planned losses (by 2 percent) that translates into
5 billion drams annually. Besides, it has to buy more expensive
electricity from thermal power plants because hydropower plants do
not operate at their full capacity.

Citing this ministry of energy and natural resources argues that the
current tariffs do not reflect the real costs of power generating
companies. It says it has developed a methodology for reduction of
losses and improving the efficiency of the system, which will allow
to reduce losses by 2% in the next two years.

In 2013 PSRC allowed the company to raise the energy price by
27 percent, ‘because of the increased cost of Russian natural
gas’, which is used to generates more than one-third of Armenia’s
electricity. The price went up by another 10 percent in July 2014,
‘to help the company to end mounting financial losses,’ according to
PSRC . ($ 1 – 477.46 drams). -0–

JULIAN COPE REVIEW – FROM RIPPING YARNS TO RAGGED POP

4/5stars

Brudenell Social Club, Leeds

Drug-fuelled epiphanies and enduring melodies abound in the psychedelic
raconteur’s career retrospective

Acid-fried biker … Julian Cope on stage. Photograph: Andrew
Benge/Redferns via Getty Images

Dave Simpson

Monday 9 February 2015 12.17 GMT

Julian Cope has been a pop star, an antiquary and a novelist, but this
two-hour set finds him in the favoured role of psychedelic raconteur.

With his wild hair, wilder beard, military cap and leather jacket
making him look like a acid-fried biker, highlights from his long
music career intersperse with entertaining gags and yarns. He explains
that he can happily strum his old Teardrop Explodes songs, such
as The Culture Bunker “now that Kate Bush has reformed”. He recalls
psychedelic epiphany arriving in Liverpool city centre in 1980, when a
£2 LSD tab got him “out of my mind for 16 hours”. After subsequently
quitting drinking for 21 years, he has returned to the sauce after a
strange encounter in an Armenian cave: “Seven mulberry vodkas later,
I was back!”

He’d make a decent stand-up, but behind the shades and self-styled
“Arch Drude” persona lurks a great British pop tunesmith. Delivered
with just a guitar and his (surprisingly unravaged) voice, new songs
and old classics such as Sunspots, Treason and The Greatness and
Perfection of Love demonstrate his enduring gift for melody. Perhaps
had Cope not taken so much acid, or posed naked except for a turtle
shell on the cover of the Fried album, he wouldn’t have alienated
so many record companies or bade a seemingly permanent farewell to
the charts.

Still, he seems happy enough in his unique niche, bashing out tunes
that marry personal concerns (the environmental cost of motoring;
substance use among ancient civilisations) with eyebrow-raising titles
(Autogeddon Blues; They Were All on Hard Drugs; Out of My Mind on Dope
and Speed). He is particularly proud of his latest state-of-the-world
address, which has a melody “so sweet Brotherhood of Man would reject
it” and a “Christmas ending”. It’s called Cunts Can Fuck Off.

ARMENIA SEEKS MORE VISIBLE PRESENCE IN INDONESIA: AMBASSADOR

13:28, 09 Feb 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

Armenia is a relatively new face on the Indonesian diplomatic scene,
having opened an embassy here in late 2013. As a whole, Indonesian
awareness and interaction with part of the former Soviet republic
has been minimal at best. Armenian Ambassador to Indonesia Anna
Aghadjaniantalked to The Jakarta Post’s Dylan Amirio on Armenia’s
determination to promote more visible ties with Indonesia.

Question: What can Armenia do to boost its presence in Indonesia’s
diplomatic scope?

Answer: It’s not really about boosting Armenian presence but rather
letting Indonesians know that we exist. I understand that Armenia
has not been part of Indonesia’s main geopolitical focus. Therefore,
my task is to raise awareness in both countries about each other. We
have been working with various government institutions and academia
to discover opportunities and trying to create cooperation at regional
levels.

As a whole, what can Armenia offer Indonesia and vice versa?

The main Indonesian imports are coffee and rattan furniture, which are
popular because of our long nice summers. Our trade volume is not big
but we are also researching the distance our products need to travel
[…] and are still looking at other things that can be traded as well.

There are certain fields that are currently being discussed.

With a growing middle class in Indonesia, what tourism potentials
can be offered?

Armenia offers a rich, diverse history and fascinating nature, being
a small and mountainous country. Our culture had been historically
centered on Christianity due to the fact that [the Kingdom of] Armenia
was the first country to adopt Christianity as a state religion in
301 AD.

Besides old churches, monasteries and temples that are preserved and
still standing, you can also trace the heritage of different cultures
and empires, including the Byzantine, Arab, Ottoman, Roman etc.

How is Indonesia perceived by Armenian eyes and ears?

Bali is already familiar to Armenian ears, but as much as it happens
with many of my colleagues from foreign nations here, I still hear
a lot of that “Bali is Indonesia” thing.

I would say the older generations of Armenians are more familiar with
Indonesia due to its history with the Soviet Union. But the younger
generation knows more about the tourism.

However, not many Armenians visit Indonesia mainly because of technical
visa problems. Indonesia has no embassy in Yerevan, and those who
wish to get one need to cross over to the Indonesian Embassy in Kiev,
Ukraine, so it’s not a conducive process. Meanwhile, Indonesians are
able to obtain a visa on arrival upon reaching Armenia.

What other bilateral issues can be discussed between the two countries?

We are trying to promote legislative cooperation because they are
crucial in representing their people. Legislative diplomacy has a more
widespread constituency and can sometimes be more important than the
diplomacy I do.

Armenia went through reform after its independence from the Soviet
Union and Indonesia was also reforming itself in its own way. We’re
going through the same process and trying to achieve the same goals.

One of my plans is to conduct a meeting with members of the legislature
or academicians [from the two countries] to compare their experiences.

Aside from that, we must focus on people-to-people cooperation. No
matter how cliche that may sound, but it is the truth.

CANADIAN ANYA POGHARIAN INVENTS NEW DIALYSIS MACHINE

February 9, 2015

CBC, Montreal – Seventeen-year-old Anya Pogharian’s high school science
project could end up changing the way dialysis care is delivered.

After poring over online dialysis machine owner’s manuals, she
developed a new prototype using simple technology.

While machines currently cost about $30,000, hers would cost just
$500 — making it more affordable for people to buy and have at home.

Pogharian was inspired by volunteering at a hospital dialysis unit.

When she was assigned a high school science project, she chose to work
on a new kind of dialysis unit. She spent 300 hours on her invention —
well above and beyond the mandatory 10 hours.

Dialysis is the process of cleaning waste from the blood. It’s
typically used for people who have kidney disease. The treatment
takes about four hours a couple times per week.

Pogharian said she wanted to find a way to improve the procedure,
which can be hard on patients.

“It takes a lot of energy out of them,” said Pogharian. “They’re very
tired after a dialysis treatment.”

“You wouldn’t have to make your way to the hospital, which is a
problem for a lot of patients. It’s not necessarily easy to make
your way to the hospital three times a week, especially it you have
limited mobility,” she said.

Testing it out

Her project has earned her a slew of scholarships and awards. Now,
Hema-Quebec has offered her a summer internship, to try out her
invention with real blood.

“All the population will benefit from that kind of instrument that
will reduce medical care cost, hospitalization stays. Basically,
it’s a great idea,” said Louis Thibault, director of applied research
at Hema-Quebec.

Pogharian said she hopes one day, her invention will be used overseas.

“Ten per cent of patients living in India and Pakistan who need
the treatment can’t afford it or can’t have it in any way. It’s not
accessible. So that motivated me.”

But Pogharian says she’s focusing on doing well on her CEGEP midterm
exams.

GARNIK ISAGULYAN: GOVERNORS AND GUESTS STAND UP TO DRINK A TOAST TO SERZH SARGSYAN (VIDEO)

13:00 | February 9,2015 | Politics

Chairman of the National Security Party Garnik Isagulyan finds it
unacceptable that regional governors and guests in Armenia usually
stand up to drink a toast to Serzh Sargsyan.

Without giving any names, Mr Isagulyan said he had witnessed such
a welcome personally and was surprised to see everyone stand up to
give a toast to Serzh Sargsyan.

Speaking about the weekend attack on Artak Khachatryan, a member of
the Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK), Mr Isagulyan said the violence
showed that the authorities are in agony, and nothing can prevent
them from realizing their plans.

The chairman of the National Security calls on all political
forces to unite. He says the acting authorities in Armenia bear full
responsibility for all ceasefire violations on the Armenian-Azerbaijani
border, as well as foreign and domestic incidents.

“”The government does not care about the fate of the Armenian people,
they only want to retain the power. Serzh Sargsyan’s main concern is
to perpetuate his power,” he said.

HUGE ‘ODAR’ CROWD AT GENOCIDE COMMEMORATIONS

Keghart.com Reporter, 26 January 2015

In the past year Keghart.com has promoted the idea that when
commemorating the centennial of the Genocide Armenians should make
an effort to invite non-Armenians to participate or at least tell
the story to them. The below gathering in Toronto had more than 900
attendees with 90% non-Armenian.–Editor.

“We have a moral obligation of memory for the century of tears
which began with the genocide of Armenians,” said Hon. Jason Kenney,
the Minister of Employment and Social Development and Minister of
Multiculturalism at a Toronto gathering, on January 25, for the
centennial commemorations of the Genocide of Armenians which was
attended by more than 900 people. Mr. Kenney also said that Canadians
have a special obligation to join the “Armenians across the world in
a sacred act of memory.”

The gathering, organized by Majed el-Shafi, founder and president
of One Free World International (OFWI), took place at the Catch the
Fire revivalist congregation’s centre west end of the city. Three
members of parliament, including the parliamentary secretary; Armenia’s
Ambassador to Canada Armen Yeganian; and representatives of more than
a dozen ethnic, religious and human rights groups took part in the
remembrance gathering.

Mr. Kenney said Armenians are the first nation to adopt Christianity
as state religion and that they had “suffered waves and waves
of persecution” for their religion. “They are among the greatest
underdogs of history…they are a people who have tasted the bitter
pill of violence and persecution” he added.

“When I visited Armenia last year, I was greatly impressed by the
fidelity and courage of Armenians,” Mr. Kenney said. After condemning
the current persecutions of Christians in Iraq, he pointed out that
Armenians were once again being victimized for their religion and
ethnicity but this time in Iraq where forefathers had sought shelter
after the Genocide. In closing his speech, the minister reconfirmed
Canada’s recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

Rev. Shafie, who was jailed and tortured in Egyptian jails because
he had converted from Islam to Christianity, established the OFWI
after settling in Canada. The mission of his organization is to
defend religious freedom and human rights around the globe. He has
toured Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Turkey, India, and Bangladesh
and confronted officialdom everywhere he has gone and assisted
individuals and groups who are persecuted for their ethnicity and
religious beliefs. He also visited Armenia last year and met Foreign
Minister Edward Nalbandian and visited Echmiadzin. Clippings from
the video he made of his Armenia and Iraq trips were screened at the
beginning of his presentation.

After talking about the importance of forgiveness, Rev. Shafie said
the Canadian government should “press Turkey to open the border with
Armenia and persuade Israel, the United States, Australia and the
United Kingdom, to recognize the Armenian Genocide.” He also said he
looks forward to the opening of a Canadian embassy in Yerevan.

As a token of appreciation and gratitude for his work, Rev. Shafie
was presented by certificate of citation by the Armenian Canadian
Conservative Association. The presentation was made by Vache
Demirdjian, the national chair of the group.

Other speakers included lawyer Chantal Desloges and Egyptian-born Rev.

Hany Bogossian, pastor of The Well on Bayview Church in Toronto. In his
message about the importance of forgiveness, Rev. Bogossian quoted the
12th century Armenian religious leader and writer St. Nerses Shnorhali.

Ambassador Yeganian demanded that Turkey acknowledge Genocide and
listed the reverberating and tragic consequence of the Genocide. He
said that despite the attempt to exterminate them, the Armenian people
had risen again and founded an independent state.

Ambassador Yeganian said the Armenian Genocide was the model for ethnic
group extermination as political strategy. He said that the Ukrainian
Holodomor, the Holocaust, the Cambodian and Rwandan Genocide had
their origins in the Armenian Genocide. The ambassador also indirectly
condemned politicians and historians for not including the 1.5 million
Armenian dead in their count of WWI casualties. He said that about
three-quarters of the Armenian nation were slain during the Genocide
yet that almost-mortal hurt was not even considered as casualty. He
added that Assyrians and Greeks also suffered genocide as a result
of Ottoman ethnic cleansing. The ambassador said that there will be
at least 60 Genocide commemorations in Canada this year.

Archpriest Zareh Zargarian of the Holy Trinity Armenian Church thanked
Canada for recognizing the Genocide.

Final speaker Hakan Tastan, pastor of the Life Church in Istanbul,
added further drama to the gathering by his presence and by what
he said. It was the first time anyone had made a Christian Turk. A
convert to Christianity, he had specially flown to Toronto to
participate in the commemorations. Rev. Tastan said he converted 19
years ago while visiting an Armenian church in Svaz, Turkey. He added
that his grandfather, who as a child had witnessed the Genocide,
had described graphically the killing of Armenians. Rev. Tastan
apologized to Armenians on behalf of the Turkish nation and exchanged
a Turkish Bible and Armenian Bibles with Rev. Bogossian. The Turkish
clergyman said that he looked forward to building an Armenian/Turkish
association to be called ArTur which would act as a bridge between the
two nations. Writer Raffi Bedrosyan translated Rev. Tastan’s message.

The commemorations were opened by Pastor John Arnott of the Catch the
Fire congregation. Also attending the gathering were representatives
of the Evangelical Asian Church, the Bahai community, the United
Christian Federation, Chaldean, Syriac, Assyrian, Alevi communities,
Federation of Democratic China, B’nai Brith, Ahmadiyya Muslim
Jammat, Emergency Relief and Development Overseas, Yazidi Human
Rights Organization International, the Archdiocese of Toronto, the
International Christian Embassy, Jerusalem, Falun Dafa Associations
of Toronto and Ottawa, the International Centre for Human Rights in
Canada, Canadian Ethnocultural Council.

The Turkish ambassador and consul general had been invited to the
gathering but they refused to participate because the word “genocide”
was mentioned in the invitation. Concerned in Turkish agitation, Rev.

Shafi had hired a security service.

Representatives from the Armenian Canadian Conservative Association,
the Armenian Community Centre, Social Democrat Hunchagian Party, the
advisor to the Armenia’s Minister of Diaspora, Hayastan All-Armenia
Fund, Armenian Evangelical Church of Toronto and many other individual
Armenians were present at the two-and-a-half-hour gathering.

Later the same day pastor Tastan delivered a speech titled “The
Church in Turkey and Armenian/Turkish Reconciliation” at the Armenian
Evangelical Church of Toronto.

Commemoration ceremonies at 19:30 His Excellency Armen Yeganian,
Ambassador of Armenia at 40:45 Hon. Brad Butt MP at 54:44 Hon. Jason
Kenney MP, Minister of Employment and Social Development and Minister
for Multiculturalism at 57:12 Mr. Vache Demirdjian, Chair of ACCA
at 2:02:59

From: A. Papazian

IF THE CASE ISN’T REVEALED, IT MEANS THAT THE AUTHORITIES STAND BEHIND IT -SAYS ARTAK KHACHATRYAN’S BROTHER (VIDEO)

12:25 | February 9,2015 | Politics

The kidnapping and beating of Artak Khachatryan, a member of the
opposition Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK), was an organized crime,
Khachatryan’s brother Artyom Khachatryan told reporters in Yerevan
on Monday.

“Artak has nothing to do with the criminal and oligarchic system. He
has been engaged in social activities only in recent years,” said
Artyom Khachatryan.

He believes that the incident that occurred to his brother declared an
outright war against society. “It does not matter whether they targeted
at Artak or someone else, wether it was a BHK member or a member of
some other party, e.g. Armenian National Congress (HAK). The attack
comes to prove that the criminal and oligarchic system is interwoven
with the government,” he said.

Artyom Khachatryan calls on law enforcement agencies to immediately
reveal the details of the incident; their negligence will prove that
the attack was ordered by the authorities.

He also said that new evidence has emerged in connection with the
incident. They already have a footage which fixed the car, its license
plate number and colour and the time of the incident. The video will
be sent to law enforcement agencies and the Investigative Committee.

Artak continues to remain at the intensive care unit. He is in a
critical but stable condition.

Artak Khachatryan was attacked Saturday afternoon in Yerevan by
three masked men who forced him into a car and took him to an unknown
direction. He was later found near his home in an unconscious state.

From: A. Papazian

RELATIVES OF SLAIN SOLDIER JOIN RALLIERS OUTSIDE GOVERNMENT BUILDING

14:06 | February 9,2015 | Politics

Hundreds of citizens carrying posters “We are all Artak” and Armenian
tricolour (the national flag) have gathered outside the Government
building in Yerevan, demanding to punish the people who ordered the
kidnapping and beating of activist Artak Khachatryan on Saturday,
February 7.

Vardan Oskanian, a lawmaker representing the Prosperous Armenia Party
(BHK) says this is a war announced not against the political parties
but against the people.

“The real perpetrators must be revealed and punished at once,” he said.

A group of BHK lawmakers have joined the ralliers outside the
government building. Aram Manukyan and Lyudmila Sargsyan from the
Armenian National Congress (HAK) are also there.

Artak Khachatryan was attacked Saturday afternoon in Yerevan by
three masked men who forced him into a car and took him to an unknown
direction. He was later found near his home in an unconscious state.

The relatives of Haykaz Barseghyan who was found killed at the
Vazgen Sargsyan Military Institute, have grouped near the government
building. They say Haykaz Barseghyan is also joining the rally in
support of Artak Khachatryan.