Month: February 2020

Turkey lashes out at Syria for the vote on Armenian Genocide recognition

Baghdasarian Karlen
Public Radio of Armenia
Feb 14 2020

Turkey has condemned the Syrian Parliament over a resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy has described the resolution recognizing and condemning the Armenian Genocide as ” grim example in itself .”

“It is the picture of the hypocrisy of a regime which has indulged in every kind of carnage towards its own people including children for years, and which caused the displacement of millions of them and well-known for its dexterity in using chemical weapons,” Aksoy said in a statement.

The Syrian People’s Council voted unanimously on Thursday to adopt a resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide.

Syrian parliament recognises Armenian genocide

Garnik Tadevosian
The News International, Pakistan
Feb 14 2020
 
 
 
AFP
  
DAMASCUS: Syria´s parliament Thursday recognised the 1915-1917 murder of up to 1.5 million Armenians as genocide, as tensions run high with Turkey after deadly clashes in north west Syria.
 
“The parliament… condemns and recognises the genocide committed against the Armenians by the Ottoman state at the start of the twentieth century,” the legislature said in a statement.
 
The Armenians seek international recognition that the mass killings of their people under the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1917 amounted to genocide. They say 1.5 million died. Turkey strongly denies the accusation of genocide and says that both Armenians and Turks died as a result of World War I. It puts the death toll in the hundreds of thousands.
 
The move comes after weeks of tensions between Ankara and Damascus over deadly clashes between the two sides in northwest Syria that Ankara says has killed 14 of its soldiers.
 
DAMASCUS: Syria´s parliament Thursday recognised the 1915-1917 murder of up to 1.5 million Armenians as genocide, as tensions run high with Turkey after deadly clashes in north west Syria.
 
“The parliament… condemns and recognises the genocide committed against the Armenians by the Ottoman state at the start of the twentieth century,” the legislature said in a statement.
 
The Armenians seek international recognition that the mass killings of their people under the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1917 amounted to genocide. They say 1.5 million died. Turkey strongly denies the accusation of genocide and says that both Armenians and Turks died as a result of World War I. It puts the death toll in the hundreds of thousands.
 
The move comes after weeks of tensions between Ankara and Damascus over deadly clashes between the two sides in northwest Syria that Ankara says has killed 14 of its soldiers.
 
 
 
 

NGO: Armenian Journalists Under ‘Growing Harassment’

Ophelia Vardapetian
Voice of America
Feb 14 2020
By RFE/RL
07:29 PM

FILE – The Reporters Without Borders logo.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is raising alarm over an “increase in the harassment” of journalists in Armenia, who the watchdog says are being subjected to defamation suits and attacks on their right to protect their sources. 

“We are disturbed by the tendency for Armenian media to be sued or prosecuted,” Jeanne Cavelier, the head of RSF’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia desk, said in a statement Wednesday. 

Cavelier said Armenia’s judicial system “is being manipulated for partisan purposes to bring abusive legal proceedings designed to gag and obstruct media by forcing them to dedicate a lot of resources to defending themselves.” 

The number of lawsuits alleging defamation or insult has tripled in the past four years, with Armenia’s justice department reporting 74 cases last year compared with 24 in 2016, RSF said. 

It said the lawsuits against journalists and media outlets were usually brought by politicians or businessmen, and sometimes by other media. 

Nonjudicial methods urged

Cavelier urged the authorities to promote the use of existing nonjudicial solutions to settle disputes in order to “avoid criminalizing journalism.” 

RSF cited the case of Sona Harutyunian, a journalist working for the news website 1in.am, who was sued by pro-opposition news site News.am for suggesting in a Facebook post that News.am was owned by former President Robert Kocharian. 

A court has ruled that she should have “quoted her source” and “verified the facts” although she was “just expressing an opinion on an informal platform,” the Paris-based media freedom group said. 

As a result, Harutyunian had to post a retraction of her comments on Facebook on January 31. 

Another victim of harassment is Qnar Manukian, the editor of the daily Zhoghovurd, who is facing criminal proceedings for refusing to reveal her sources, RSF said. 

“More and more journalists are being summoned for questioning about stories they have covered although Article 5 of Armenia’s mass-media law supposedly guarantees the confidentiality of their sources,” according to RSF. 

More than 16,000 antiquities stolen from Turkish-occupied Cyprus, even found in Japan

Dabaghian Diana
Orthodox Times
Feb 12 2020
 
 
 
Feb 12, 2020 | 10:49
 
© KYPE-CNA
 
More than 16,000 Christian icons, mosaics and murals dating from to 6th and 5th centuries have been forcibly stolen and sold abroad since the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974, according to the Director of the Office for Combating Illegal Possession and Trafficking of Antiquities, Michalis Gavriilidis.
 
In a lecture he gave on Monday night at the University of Cyprus Archeology Research Unit, Michalis Gavriilidis said that after the Cyprus invasion in 1974, Byzantine artworks were even found in Kyoto, Japan (Fragments of Royal Doors from Peristeronopigi were fund in Kanazawa College of Arts). He added that efforts are being made to repatriate them and he hoped to return to Cyprus soon.
 
As Gavriilidis pointed out, illicit trafficking of cultural property is one of the most serious forms of crime today. “The annual cost of illicit trafficking and trade of artifacts and cultural goods worldwide is estimated to be more than $ 10 billion,” he said.
 
“Illegal trafficking of cultural heritage is an international crime that many countries suffer from, including Cyprus, especially after the 1974 Turkish invasion. It is a scourge affecting the countries of origin and the countries of transit and final destination of the stolen works. Just by listing the countries whose cultural heritage has been plundered by traffickers in recent years, the magnitude of the crime will be ascertained: Syria, Egypt, Afghanistan, Iraq and Cyprus and many more countries all over the world,” he said.
 
Gavriilidis also noted that the international community had become more sensitive about this issue, especially after the disaster in Palmyra, Syria, which put other countries that had suffered a similar disaster on the spotlight, such as Cyprus. The Council of the European Union, INTERPOL, EUROPOL and other international organizations, such as UNESCO, WCO, etc., have undertaken work in this respect, something which assists our efforts, he noted.
 
Source: KYPE-CNA
 

Edmon Marukyan: Society continues to be divided into "blacks" and "whites"

Maral Takmazian
Arminfo, Armenia
Feb 14 2020

ArmInfo.Due to the fact that we do not agree with the position of the authorities in the  referendum, persecution began against us. This was announced on  February 14 during a briefing at the National Assembly of Armenia by  the head of the Enlightened Armenia faction Edmond Marukyan.

He noted that everyone who does not agree with the point of view of  the authorities is immediately labeled.  “They immediately begin to  say that this person is corrupt, is a representative of the interests  of the previous regime, etc. After all, in fact, there were no  significant contradictions or quarrels between us, we simply did not  agree with them on the issue of holding a referendum,” stressed the  deputy.

Marukyan stated that the policy of dividing the society into “blacks”  and “whites” continues. “I don’t like the fact that hate propaganda  is very active in the country. I believe that labeling another person  is very low only because their positions diverge,” he said.

The head of the PA also emphasized that constant statements that  people are trying to take away the achievements of the revolution are  not true. “The achievements of the revolution belong to the people,  and no one can take them away. But constantly calling people to the  streets if something goes wrong you want is simply absurd. Some kind  of kindergarten,” the deputy said.

It should be noted that on February 6, the parliament decided on a  referendum, at which the citizens of Armenia will decide whether they  agree to amend the Constitution of the country. On April 5, a  constitutional referendum will be held in Armenia, at which the issue  of judges of the Constitutional Court will be decided. Many deputies  (including those from the Enlightened Armenia – Ed. Party) and human  rights activists said that this decision was unconstitutional, since  initially the deputies had to send their proposal to the  Constitutional Court.

According to the decision adopted on February 11 at the CEC meeting,  the campaign will be held from February 17 to April 3.

Gohar Meloyan: We are going to form the "NO" campaign group

Mary Lazarian
Arminfo, Armenia
Feb 14 2020

ArmInfo. Guarantee of legal security is a vital condition for the existence of any state.  Constitutional Law Specialist Gohar Meloyan said on February 14 in  the discussions “Constitutional Security. Challenges and Solutions”.

“It is a pity that in the 21st century, when there are so many  different challenges in the world, such as possible environmental  disasters or threats of the coronavirus, we are faced with the  problem of legal security in our country. Guaranteed legal security  is a vital condition for the existence of any state. Legal security  is to ensure the constitutional security of the country, “she  stressed.

Meloyan also spoke about threats to legal security. “The threat to  legal security is a possible lack of constitutionality, which we  witness today. This is such a situation when there is a gap between  constitutional norms in the country and the factual situation. That  is, when a political force leaves these circles, acting out of its  interests, “the expert said.

According to her, another threat is the inconsistent enforcement of  the rule of law. “The rule of law is one of the most important  pillars of any legal state, the elements of which are law, the  prohibition of arbitrariness, the creation and maintenance of justice  by impartial courts. Of course, we are witnessing the violation of  all these important pillars,” Meloyan emphasized.

If the “Yes” initiative wins, then the situation will actually arise  that the powers of seven judges of the Constitutional Court will be  terminated. “We do not have domestic court, which judges could apply  to restore their violated rights. In this case, such a body would be  the European Court of Human Rights. There is some practice when the  powers of judges in different countries have been suspended. In such  cases, the ECHR not only obliged to compensate for material and moral  damage, but also obliged the state to restore the powers of these  judges, “said the expert.

Meloyan noted that in this case a situation will arise when a new  Constitutional Court will be formed, and it will be unclear how the  ECtHR requirement will be implemented. “In addition, a situation will  arise when the Constitutional Court is formed solely by one political  force, which leads to a violation of the impartiality and objectivity  of the court, as well as to the destruction of the principle of  delimitation of branches of government,” she said.

Meloyan also stated that representatives of the legal community will  form a ”No” campaigning group, but will not submit a political  application.

It should be noted that on February 6, the parliament adopted a  referendum decision at which Armenian citizens will decide whether  they agree to amend the Constitution of the country. On April 5, a  constitutional referendum will be held in Armenia, at which the issue  of judges of the Constitutional Court will be decided. Many MPs and  human rights activists said that this decision is unconstitutional,  since initially the MPs had to send their proposal to the  Constitutional Court.

According to the decision adopted on February 11 at the CEC meeting,  the campaign will be held from February 17 to April 3.

Nikol Pashinyan and Ilham Aliyev will take part in the discussion on the Karabakh conflict

Karagyozian Lena
Arminfo, Armenia
Feb 14 2020

ArmInfo.On February 15, as part of the Munich Security Conference (MSC), a round table will be held on the Karabakh conflict. According to information posted on the  MSC official website, the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan  and President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev will participate in the  event.

The round table “New developments in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict”  will be held from 5:30 to 6:15 pm local time. Celeste Wallander,  President and CEO of the U.S.-Russia Foundation, will moderate the  discussion.

The Munich Security Conference kicked off on February 14. In  particular, the conference is attended by Armenian President Armen  Sarkissian, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, French President  Emmanuel Macron, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Austrian Chancellor  Sebastian Kurz, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, US Secretary  of State Mike Pompeo, Speaker of the House US Representatives Nancy  Pelosi, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, NATO Secretary  General Jens Stoltenberg, OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger. 

March of Gratitude to the Syrian Embassy to take place in Yerevan

Chmshkian Vicken
Panorama, Armenia
Feb 14 2020

ARF Supreme Council of Armenia and Consultation Office for Diasporan Armenian Repatriates organize “A March of Gratitude to the Syrian Arab Republic in Armenia” in Yerevan. The March will take place on February 16 and is aimed at expressing gratitude for the resolution passed by the Syrian parliament on recognizing and condemning the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire.

As the source, said, the march will start at 12:30 from Martiros Saryan statue. The participants will hand in a gratitude letter to the embassy representatives.

Anna Astvatsaturian discussed the importance of remembering the tragic events which displaced thousands of Armenians in Baku 30 years ago

Karakhanian Suren
Aravot, Armenia
Feb 14 2020

                                                       
February 14,2020 11:10 49

30th Anniversary of Baku Pogroms Commemorated in Nation’s Capitol

WASHINGTON, D.C. – To mark the 30th anniversary of the violent pogroms against Armenians in Baku, the Congressional Armenian Caucus held a commemorative event on Feb. 12 in the Capitol with the participation of Armenian advocacy groups, community leaders and supporters.

Keynote speaker Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte, an author, human rights activist and survivor of the Baku pogroms discussed the importance of remembering the tragic events which displaced thousands of Armenians in Baku 30 years ago, igniting a movement of xenophobia against Armenians which still exists today in Azerbaijan.

She drew a parallel between the atrocities committed against Armenians during the Genocide and compared it to the pogroms of Baku and Sumgayit as a way of history repeating itself and the victims being voiceless in a time of great injustice and terror.

Founding Co-Chair of the Congressional Armenian Caucus Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ), along with Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA) and Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA), all of whom have visited Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh), spoke about the importance of commemorating and speaking out against the horrific acts of the Baku pogroms and reminding the world that Azerbaijan continues to carry out their campaign of hate, discrimination and intolerance. Advocating for more funding through USAID, they reiterated the importance of the de-mining efforts of the Halo Trust in Artsakh and pledged to continue to fight for more funding, as well as hold Azerbaijan responsible for human rights and rampant cease fire violations in the absence of OSCE monitors at the border.

“We are grateful to the Congressional Armenian Caucus and all supporters on the Hill for giving a proper importance to the issue of persecutions and massacres of Armenians in Sumgayit, Baku, Kirovabad and many other cities and villages across Azerbaijan,” said Congressional Armenian Co-Chair Gus Bilirakis (R-FL).

“I stand with people of Artsakh and their rejection of the repeated attempts by the Azerbaijani government to bring them back under oppressive rule. They fought for their freedom, their right for self-determinization, and the opportunity to be greater than second-class citizens. I’m glad to be here today as we recognize the 30th Anniversary of the Baku pogroms and stand in solidarity with the people of the Republic of Artsakh,” added Congressman Bilirakis.

Additional members of Congress who expressed their support for the Armenian community condemning the Baku pogroms were Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Rep. TJ Cox (D-CA), Rep. Andy Levin (D-MI), Rep. Jim Acosta (D-CA) and Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL).

“By 1991, facing no international condemnation or sanctions, Azerbaijan’s authorities have escalated attacks on Armenians to the level of a full-scale military aggression against the Republic of Artsakh,” said Robert Avetisyan, Permanent Representative of Nagorno Karabakh.

“Those atrocities and attacks have become another unfortunate evidence that lack of a timely condemnation of any demonstration of aggression and fascism can lead to even greater human tragedy and unpredictable developments. We are grateful to the US legislature, our compatriots in the Armenian American organizations like the Armenian National Committee of America, Armenian Assembly of America, Armenian Council of America, and all organizations and structures who share our vision of a safe, strong and democratic Republic of Artsakh in a peaceful and prosperous South Caucasus,” added Avetisyan.

Armenian Council of America 

‘The new Constitutional Court will always be in agreement with the authorities’: Davit Harutyunyan

Baghdasarian Karlen
Aravot, Armenia
Feb 14 2020

                                                       
February 14,2020 21:30 13

The former Minister of Justice, Davit Harutyunyan, believes that the upcoming referendum on April 5th regarding the president of the Constitutional Court, Hrayr Tovmasyan, and the other “old” judges is a crime against the state.

“We are losing our statehood and I do not want to participate in that. We need to make sure that the public understands this idea,” Davit Harutyunyan said during a briefing with journalists.

Luiza Sukiasyan