MOHAMMAD KHATAMI: RELIGIOUS FACTOR CAN’T CAUSE WARS
PanARMENIAN.Net
06.04.2009 21:52 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Wars break out because of political and economic
interests, former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami said.
"Religion is important for life, culture and development but it
is not the cause of wars," he told the Forum of the UN Alliance of
Civilizations.
EDWARD NALBANDIAN: NORMALIZATION OF ARMENIAN-TURKISH RELATIONS CANNOT QUESTION FACT OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
Noyan Tapan
Apr 6, 2009
YEREVAN, APRIL 6, NOYAN TAPAN. The normalization of Armenian-Turkish
relations is not connected with the Nagorno Karabakh settlement, and
that issue has never been a subject of discussion in negotiations
aimed at normalizing the Armenian-Turkish relations. RA Foreign
Minister Edward Nalbandian stated in response to Interfax agency’s
question. He also said that normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations
cannot question the fact of Armenian Genocide.
"I think statements on putting forward preconditions for normalization
of Armenian-Turkish relations can be considered an attempt of failing
the progress recorded in the negotiations," Edward Nalbandian said
commenting upon Turkish officials’ statements, according to which,
the normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations, in particular, is
conditioned by the Nagorno Karabakh settlement and the process of
international recognition of Armenian Genocide.
THE OBSERVATORY URGES THE GEORGIAN AUTHORITIES TO GUARANTEE THE RESPECT OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND FUNDAMENTAL FREEDOMS
AZG DAILY
07-04-2009
International; Georgia
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a
joint programme of the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT)
and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), requests
your urgent intervention in the following situation in Georgia.
The Observatory has been informed by the Human Rights Centre (HRIDC)
about acts of harassment against Mr. Arnold Stepanian, a defender
of the human rights of minorities in Georgia, Chairman of the human
rights NGO "Multinational Georgia" and co-founder of the Multiethnic
Resource Centre for Civil Education Development.
According to the information received, on March 19, 2009, a district
police inspector visited, for the first time, the offices of the
Multiethnic Resource Centre for Civil Education Development, though
they are located next to the Ministry of Defence in an area closely
monitored by law enforcement bodies, and asked questions about the
organisation and its leadership.
On the same day, a person, who refused to identify himself, called
and asked a staff member whether Mr. Arnold Stepanian was Chairman of
"Multinational Georgia", whether he was at the moment in the office
and when he would come to the office.
In addition, on March 19, 2009, the Tax Inspection Office of
the Ministry of Finance closed down a small business called
"Arnold Stepanian", which was established in 2000 and was run by
Mr. Stepanian’s father in his flat and a company called "Giperioni
Limited", which was co-established by Mr. Arnold Stepanian in 2006.
These acts follow the transmission to the Council of Europe,
early 2009, of a critical alternative report on the protection of
minority rights in Georgia, of which Mr. Stepanian, as Chairman of
"Multinational Georgia", is one of the authors. Mr. Stepanian is also
an expert in the field of inter-ethnic relations, an active member of
the Assembly of Tbilisi Armenians and Co-founder of the NGO Coalition
"For Democracy". Finally, Mr. Stepanian is a member of a group that
organised a demonstration held in Tbilisi on March 15, 2009 calling
for justice and freedom.
The Observatory expresses its deepest concern about these acts of
harassment against Mr. Arnold Stepanian, which seem to merely aim at
sanctioning his human rights activities.
The Observatory recalls that as a Participating State of the
Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Georgia
must conform with paragraph 8 of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly
Resolution on Strengthening OSCE Engagement with Human Rights Defenders
and National Human Rights Institutions, which states that the OSCE
Participating States recognise "the need for particular attention,
support and protection for human rights defenders by the OSCE, its
institutions and field operations, as well as by participating States".
The Observatory also urges the Georgian authorities to conform to the
Declaration of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on
Human Rights Defenders, so as to create an environment conducive to
human rights defenders, to take effective measures to protect, promote,
and respect them, to ensure their access to effective remedies and
to take action to prevent attacks and harassment against them.
Please write to the Georgian authorities urging them to:
– Take all necessary measures to guarantee, in all circumstances,
the physical and psychological integrity of Mr. Arnold Stepanian;
– Conduct a prompt, effective, thorough, independent and impartial
investigation into the above-mentioned acts of harassment against
Mr. Arnold Stepanian, the result of which must be made public, in order
to identify all those responsible, bring them before a competent,
independent and impartial tribunal and apply to them the penal,
civil and/or administrative sanctions provided by the law;
– Put an end to any act of harassment against Mr. Arnold Stepanian
as well as against all human rights defenders in Georgia;
– Comply with the provisions of the Declaration on Human Rights
Defenders adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 9, 1998,
in particular Article 1, which states that "everyone has the
right, individually or collectively, to promote the protection and
fulfilment of human rights and fundamental freedoms at the national
and international levels" and Article 12.2, which provides that "the
State shall take all necessary measures to ensure the protection by
the competent authorities of everyone, individually and in association
with others, against any violence, threats, retaliation, de facto
or de jure adverse discrimination, pressure or any other arbitrary
action as a consequence of his or her legitimate exercise of the
rights referred to in the present Declaration";
– Guarantee the respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms in
accordance with the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and other
international human rights instruments ratified by Georgia.
The Observatory, a FIDH and OMCT venture, is dedicated to the
protection of human rights defenders and aims to offer them concrete
support in their time of need. The Observatory was the winner of
the 1998 Human Rights Prize of the French Republic. To contact the
Observatory, call the emergency line: Tel and fax OMCT : + 41 (0)
22 809 49 39 / + 41 (0) 22 809 49 29, Tel and fax: FIDH : +33 (0)
1 43 55 20 11 / 33 (0) 1 43 55 18 8, Email: [email protected]
CITY’S WRONG REMAINS WRONG
By Zanku Armenian
1125_4/6/2009_1
Friday, April 3, 2009
The recent million-dollar-plus verdict against the city of Glendale
and two of its police officers has generated quite a bit of discussion
of late ("Group seeks to review man’s jailing," March 26). This issue
arose from a civil rights lawsuit brought by an innocent [Armenian]
man who was wrongfully accused of murder and who languished in one
of Los Angeles’ most violent and notorious jails for eight months.
As has been reported in the Glendale News-Press, after all the parties
had their day in court, a federal jury found the Glendale Police
Department and the individual Glendale police officers’ conduct so
egregious that they awarded the beleaguered young man roughly $1.16
million in damages, in addition to $150,000 in punitive damages from
the individual officers.
Despite a fair and lengthy trial, Councilmen Frank Quintero
and Dave Weaver have continued to profess the police officers’
innocence. Perhaps blinded by their own interests or biases, or
simply engaging in political pandering, these misguided gentlemen
have decided to personally reject the court’s verdict at the expense
of their wrongfully incarcerated and traumatized constituent.
Quintero and Weaver need to be reminded that the judicial process is
an integral part of our democratic system of checks and balances. Here,
a federal jury received the city’s evidence and heard their arguments,
issued its verdict, which the judge affirmed, making only an adjustment
in the amount of damages. This is the only opinion that now counts.
At this point, Quintero’s and Weaver’s self-serving opinions about
the validity of the case don’t matter and only serve to exacerbate a
bad situation. The rightful authority to adjudicate justice, a judge
and jury, spent considerable time examining the evidence and issued
their decision. For some, this may be a bitter pill to swallow, but
evidently our two council members need to be reminded that this is
how the judicial system works in democracies.
In addition to the suffering of the original murder victim and his
family, we now have the suffering of a man wrongly accused of the
crime, not to mention a murderer at large in our community. But the
damage our city incurred extends further beyond each of the victims
or the city’s financial loss. The fact is that this incident marks
yet one more fissure in the fragile social contract between Glendale
citizens and their city government..
If this situation lingers further, it will erode the trust and
confidence in our police department and other city institutions. In
addition, this incident can tarnish the entire police force and sully
the reputation of police officers who otherwise perform their difficult
duties capably, professionally and with distinction.
What is overdue is an immediate, independent, transparent and
comprehensive investigation that closely examines the many facets of
this case and addresses several issues and questions.
First, what exactly did the offending officers do or fail to do that
the jury found so abrogated their sworn duty to the victim? Since
the jury found the officers’ offenses warranted punitive damages
personally against the officers, the public deserves to know what
transpired and whether the problem was an individual or systemic one.
Moreover, to engender and restore trust and confidence, the city must
disclose the present status of the two officers and whether steps
have been taken to ensure accountability individually and within the
chain of command.
Second, what went wrong in our own city management and, specifically,
in the city attorney’s office in handling this case? Since Glendalians
will be footing the $1 million-plus bill, not to mention the cost and
manpower expended to pursue this case, we deserve to know whether
city management, the city attorney’s office or even the individual
attorney who handled the case acted prudently and competently. Were
there any conflicts of interests with the attorney assigned to the
case or the city attorney’s office such that the case should have
been sent to outside counsel for handling?
Our public servants are an extension of the people of this great
city. In this case, a jury of our peers heard the evidence and
concluded that our public servants and institutions failed in carrying
out their duties on behalf of the citizens of Glendale.
Our police chief, city manager, city attorney and City Council need
to step forward and demonstrate real leadership.
Only by taking concrete steps can the city leadership preserve or
restore their credibility with those who they have been entrusted to
represent. We owe it to our citizens and to all our courageous and
committed police officers to do the right thing.
The city of Glendale is being judged by both the actions that led to
the jury verdict and the subsequent response.
It is our leadership’s actions during such a crisis that will reveal
their true character.
An immediate public accounting for this unacceptable failure is the
unavoidable duty of our city’s leadership.
They can no longer shirk their duties. The public needs answers.
The city of Glendale is being judged by both the actions that led to
the jury verdict and the subsequent response.
It is our leadership’s actions during such a crisis that will reveal
their true character.
An immediate public accounting for this unacceptable failure is the
unavoidable duty of our city’s leadership.
They can no longer shirk their duties. The public needs answers.
La Verne Community News
April 4 2009
DR. DER YEGHIAN TO SPEAK ON `PEACE ON EARTH’ AT LA VERNE ROTARY
Dr. Garbis Der Yeghian, Past Rotary International District Governor,
will address La Verne Rotarians on Thursday, January 8th, 2009 at
12:00 noon. Dr. Der Yeghian will present an overview of the current
situation in the Middle East and the Caucasus, especially
Armenian-Turkish relations, sharing his impressions of his most recent
visit to the region. The lecture will be complemented by a power-point
presentation.
Dr. Der Yeghian joined the Rotary Club of La Verne in 1981 and served
as its president in 1984-85. In addition to the District Governorship,
he has occupied numerous high-ranking positions in Rotary International.
In June 2002, he was recognized as "Rotary International Champion and
Most Distinguished District Governor" at the Rotary International
Annual Convention held in Barcelona, Spain. In 2007, he received
Rotary’s highest honor, the "Service Above Self" award in appreciation
of his global peace efforts. Dr. Der Yeghian is a distinguished
educator. He served as President and Dean of the American Armenian
International College at the University of La Verne, 1976-1992, and
currently serves as President of Mashdots College in Glendale,
California and the global American University for Humanities. He and
his family have been La Verne residents since 1976.
La Verne Rotarians extend a cordial invitation to interested
individuals to attend this most interesting luncheon meeting. The
Rotary Club of La Verne meets at the Sierra La Verne Country Club,
6300 Country Club Drive. For reservations or further information,
contact Matthew Neeley at (909) 392-4321.
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AMENDMENTS TO ARMENIAN CRIMINAL CODE ARE WELCOMED BY PACE CO-RAPPORTEURS FOR ARMENIA
ArmInfo
2009-04-03 12:32:00
ArmInfo. The co-rapporteurs for Armenia of the Parliamentary
Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Georges Colombier (France,
EPP/CD) and John Prescott (United Kingdom, SOC), today welcomed
the adoption of amendments to Articles 300 and 225 of the Armenian
criminal code. The co-rapporteurs underlined that, in its opinion,
the Venice Commission considered that these amendments would be a
clear improvement to the Law, and considerably reduce the scope for
over-broad and abusive interpretation. "We note that the changes
introduced to the Law within the agreed timeframe, on the basis of
proposals by the special working group set up by the Speaker of the
National Assembly, are fully in line with what was indicated to us in
January this year. This is a clear signal from the Parliament that
it wants to avoid any politically-motivated application of these
articles. It is clear to us that this should have a considerable
effect on the cases in relation to those deprived of their freedom
in relation to the events of 1 and 2 March 2008 which are currently
before the courts," said the co-rapporteurs.
However, they stressed that it is the application of these amendments
that will ultimately count. We hope that the authorities, and
especially the Prosecutor General, will now follow the clear signal
made by the National Assembly," said the co-rapporteurs. "We repeat
that the Assembly has demanded that all persons deprived of their
liberty in relation to the events of 1 and 2 March, and who did not
personally commit violent crimes, should be released. These amendments
offer an effective mechanism for Armenia to comply with that demand,"
said the corapporteurs. "However, we want to stress that there are also
persons deprived of their liberty who are not covered by Articles 300
and 225 of the Criminal Code. We will therefore continue our dialogue
with the authorities, and the National Assembly of Armenia, with the
aim of securing their release." The co-rapporteurs will report back to
the Monitoring Committee during the April part-session on the progress
made by Armenia in implementing Resolutions 1609 (2008), 1620 (2008)
and 1643 (2009), especially with regard to the persons deprived of
their liberty in relation to the events of 1 and 2 March 2008.
TURKEY LAUNCHES ARMENIAN-LANGUAGE RADIO
Associated Press Worldstream
April 2, 2009 Thursday 2:04 PM GMT
Turkey’s state-run radio and television institution says it has
launched Armenian-language radio broadcasts in an apparent goodwill
gesture ahead of President Barack Obama’s visit to Turkey.
The TRT says the first 30-minute radio program featuring news,
music and culture was broadcast Thursday morning and another will be
aired later in the day. The state radio also started Kurdish-language
radio programs Wednesday, following the launch of a Kurdish language
television in January.
Turkey is asking Obama to block a resolution by U.S. lawmakers that
would call the killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks almost a century
ago genocide. Ankara says this could harm efforts to improve ties
with neighboring Armenia.
Obama is to arrive in NATO ally Turkey on Sunday.
EX-MAYOR OF ARMENIAN CAPITAL BECOMES COMMITTEE HEAD
Mediamax
April 3 2009
Armenia
Yerevan, 3 April: Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan signed decrees
relieving Manuk Vardanyan of the position of the Chairman of the
Sate Committee for Real Estate Cadastre and appointing an advisor to
the president.
As Mediamax was told by the presidential press service today, by
another decree, ex-mayor of Yerevan Yervand Zakaryan was appointed
new head of the Sate Committee for Real Estate Cadastre.
RESOLUTION ON US AID TO ARMENIA COULD BE DELAYED BECAUSE OF FINANCIAL CRISIS
PanARMENIAN.Net
03.04.2009 17:00 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Resolution on US aid to Armenia could be delayed
because of financial crisis, Armenian Assembly of America (AAA)
Regional Director in RA and NKR, Arpi Vardanyan told a news conference.
"Recently AAA representatives supported the adoption resolution on
foreign aid, suggesting allocating $70 million of economic assistance
and $5 million of military assistance to Armenia, as well as $10
million of humanitarian aid to NKR. They also called for enhancing
restrictions on U.S. assistance to Azerbaijan, in light of continued
Azerbaijani government incitement of a military solution of Nagorno
Karabagh conflict."
FY 2009 US aid to Armenia comprises $48 million, $3,3 million of
military assistance and $8 million of humanitarian aid to NKR
IF OBAMA RECOGNIZES THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE, TURKEY WILL FOLLOW HIS EXAMPLE
PanARMENIAN.Net
03.04.2009 21:20 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "US hasn’t yet recognized the Genocide, but 35
other states have already done that," world known chansonnier Charles
Aznavour stated.
"Now we are waiting that maybe Mr. Obama will have the good idea to
recognize the Genocide and after that Turkey, I think, will follow
his example. About the Israel, well, they usually want to be known as
the only country who suffered the massacres," HAYINFO cited Aznavour
as saying.
During his election campaign the 44th President of The United States
Barak Obama pledged that, as president, he will recognize Turkey’s
slaughter of thousands of Armenians starting in 1915 as the Armenian
Genocide.
House Resolution 252 affirming the U.S. record on the Armenian Genocide
is currently co-sponsored by 88 congressmen.