Author: Alex Jidarian

Detained Armenian-Turkish activist says she was strip-searched in custody

Alex Jidarian
AHVAL News
Feb 14 2020

  • Feb 14 2020 11:49 Gmt+3
  • Last Updated On: Feb 15 2020 06:15 Gmt+3

(Changes to lead, paragraphs 2,7)

Natali Avazyan, an Armenian-origin Turkish human rights activist, on Friday said that she was strip-searched in police custody in Istanbul.

Avazyan was detained over a social media post following a police raid in the southern province of Adana on Tuesday.

“I was detained unlawfully. I was subjected to a strip-search,” Avazyan said in a tweet.

Tens of thousands of women have been subjected to undignified naked searches in the last three years, Avazyan said, calling for “an end to the arbitrary practice.”

“My body belongs to me,” Avazyan said in a video she posted on Twitter. “The person I give permission to can touch me, the person I give permission to can see me naked.”

The activist, famous on Turkish social media for sharing photographs of daily life and significant events in Turkey over the decades, was detained briefly in October last year for allegedly insulting Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu in a tweet.

Turkish authorities have intensified a crackdown on alleged support of terrorist organisations or insulting officials on social media following the failed coup attempt of July 15, 2016.

Parliament majority MP presents procedures around high court referendum

Alex Jidarian

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 14:13, 7 February, 2020

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 7, ARMENPRESS. After the Speaker of Parliament forwards the parliamentary resolution on calling a referendum regarding the constitutional amendments to the President, the latter has a three-day period to sign the document, ruling My Step bloc lawmaker Vahagn Hovakimyan, who is also a co-author of the bill, told reporters.

“We’ve already entered the phase of legal regulations. First of all, the Speaker of Parliament must sign it and forward it to the President of Armenia within a 7-day period. After receiving it, the President has a three-day period to set a referendum date. This is a legal process,” Hovakimyan said.

During a February 6 extraordinary session of parliament, the legislate body voted to call a referendum around the bill that envisages ending the terms of Constitutional Court President Hrayr Tovmasyan and some other incumbent justices.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan




Travel blogger David Hoffmann shares impressions from Artsakh visit

Alex Jidarian
Public Radio of Armenia
Feb 5 2020

Meeting between Armenian, Russian PMs started with a selfie

Alex Jidarian
Panorama, Armenia
Jan 31 2020
Politics 18:17 31/01/2020 Armenia

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan who is paying working visit to Kazakhstan, met with the newly-appointed PM of Russia Mikhail Mishustin.

After the traditional ceremony of photographing, Pashinyan offered a selfie with Mishustin. The Russian PM asked what was the Armenian translation for the word selfie and Pashinyan responded the word is in Armenian.  

“Honorable Mikhail Vladimirovich, I am pleased to meet you. Let me again congratulate You on being appointed to the post of Russian Prime Minister,” Pashinyan, said, adding that although the relations between Russia and Armenia have always been at the high level, yet we there is always the opportunity to elevate them to even a higher level.

Pashinyan noted that the trade turnover between Armenia and Russia reached 2 billion in 2019 with a possibility to continue the positive dynamics. 

Ambassador Baibourtian Meets with Burbank Mayor

Alex Jidarian
January 29,  2020

From left: Consul General Armen Baibourtian, Burbank Mayor Sharon Springer, Counselor Varazdat Pahlavuni

LOS ANGELES— Consul General of Armenia in Los Angeles Ambassador Armen Baibourtian had a meeting with Burbank Mayor Sharon A. Springer in Southern California on Monday.

Ambassador Baibourtian presented the broad range of activities and efforts of the Armenian Consulate General, as well as various programs to be implemented during the course of the year. Baibourtian and Mayor Sharon Springer discussed ideas and plans for prospective cooperation between the Armenian Consulate General in Los Angeles and the City of Burbank, focusing on economic and cultural spheres. Upon the request of the Mayor, Baibourtian outlined factors relating to the cultural, economic, educational, and scientific life in Armenia, as well as that of the Armenian community in the West Coast of the United States. Counselor Varazdat Pahlavuni from the Consulate General also attended the meeting.

The population of the City of Burbank is 105,000, with a sizable Armenian community. Burbank is known as the “Media Capital of the World.” Numerous media and entertainment companies are headquartered or have production facilities in Burbank, including Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc., The Walt Disney Company, Nickelodeon Animation Studios, The Burbank Studios, Cartoon Network Studios, and Insomniac Games.

Ural Airlines Yekaterinburg-Yerevan flight returns to airport amid landing gear malfunction signal

Alex Jidarian

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 11:05,

YEREVAN, JANUARY 24, ARMENPRESS. An Ural Airlines Airbus A320 carrying 65 passengers and 5 crew members en route from Yekaterinburg to Yerevan was forced to return and head back to the Russian city after instrumentation signaled a landing gear malfunction, RIA Novosti reported.

The plane landed safely. No injuries were reported.

The malfunction signal sounded shortly after takeoff. The flight took off two hours later.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan

Yerevan has new police chief

Alex Jidarian

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 12:06,

YEREVAN, JANUARY 24, ARMENPRESS. Acting Police Chief of Armenia Arman Sargsyan has sacked Yerevan’s police chief Colonel Garik Ghukasyan, the law enforcement agency told ARMENPRESS. 

Sargsyan has appointed Colonel Armen Gasparyan to serve as the new head of Yerevan police.

Gasparyan was serving as Police Chief of Tavush Province before the appointment.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan

Armenia MFA: Under no circumstances Karabakh can become part of Azerbaijan

Alex Jidarian
News.am, Armenia
Jan 23 2020

11:34, 23.01.2020
                  

YEREVAN. – Anna Naghdalyan, the Spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry of Armenia, responded to a question on the 30th anniversary of the anti-Armenian pogroms in Baku.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the anti-Armenian pogroms in Baku and the commemorative events held in Armenia caused nervous reactions of the Azerbaijani authorities, particularly voiced by the Foreign Ministry and Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan. How would you comment on that?

First of all, I would like to emphasize that a number of important commemorative events were held on the 30th anniversary of the Anti-Armenian pogroms in Baku, numerous articles about the barbaric annihilation of the Armenian community in Baku have been and continue to be published in the international media on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the anti-Armenian pogroms in Baku.

Unfortunately, this year as well the authorities of Azerbaijan, explicitly or implicitly continued the policy of justifying the actions of the masterminders of the anti-Armenian massacres in Baku 30 years ago and the perpetrators of those massacres. Moreover, the perpetrators of the massacres against defenseless people were glorified as  «shahids» by Hikmet Hajiyev, the Assistant to the President, while the Foreign Ministry of Azerbaijan accused Armenians themselves of perpetrating the anti-Armenian massacres in Sumgait.

The Azerbaijani side employs a behavior which is common among perpetrators: that is blaming victims for their crimes and denying any responsibility for public and systematic extermination of unarmed people in peacetime.

This vividly illustrates once again that under no circumstances Azerbaijani authorities can be entrusted with the responsibility of providing security to any part of the Armenian people. Apparently, under no circumstances Artsakh can become a part of Azerbaijan, and the people of Artsakh cannot be left without secure lines of defense.

“Black list”: New film about Alexander Lapshin’s extradition and prosecution in Azerbaijan under production

Alex Jidarian
Panorama, Armenia
Nov 2 2019
Society 18:17 02/11/2019 Armenia

Armenian film director Jivan Avetisyan has started working on his new production “Black list” that will feature Israeli-Russian blogger Alexander Lapshin as its main hero and the story of latter’s imprisonment in Azerbaijan after travelling to Nagorno-Karabakh.

As Lapshin wrote on his Facebook page, the film will tell the story of the “dirty deal between Aliyev and Lukashenko”, machinations inside the Azerbaijani leadership and the tortures and murder attempt against in detention. 

Lapshin traveled to Nagorno-Karabakh between April 2011 and October 2012. In 2016 he was arrested in Belarus at the request of the Azerbaijani authorities for what it said “illegally crossing the border of Azerbaijan,” and was extradited to Baku. It resulted in a wide condemnation by international human rights organizations. Lapshin was sentenced to three years in prison in Baku, but was released to Israel after receiving a pardon by the president of Azerbaijan. Lapshin lodged a complaint to the European Court of Human Rights over his treatment in Azerbaijan which was accepted for investigation.

“Black-list”-New-film-about-Alexander-Lapshin’s/2190995

SATURDAY, November 23 at 2:00, Mertinean

Alex Jidarian
Friends,

ARPA Foundation is pleased to present one of the leading scientists of the Diaspora, Dr. Hakob Kulujian, who will speak “Creative Literacy” by subject. A young scholar, Cesi Arlen, will also speak, “Where are your keys, an innovative method of teaching Western Armenian?” by subject. It will take place on SATURDAY, November 23 at 2:00, Mertinean School Aram and Anahis T. Pulgurjian hall 13330 Riverside Dr., Sherman Oaks, CA 91423.
Aram Manukian’s lecture “Nanotechnology in Armenia” can be viewed by clicking the following link. 


You can now view the ARPA Institute presentation by Mr. Mike Sarian speaking on “The Healthcare and Hospital Management System in Armenia” in the link below:


Please also view the Round-Table Discussion on “WAKE UP DIASPORA” in the links below:


GO TO: http://www.arpainstitute.org to donate and/or get more information about ARPA activities.

Please also view the link below and see how you can help ARPA Institute raise more funds. See how you can add to the over $2000 that we have raised thus far. 


Here is how it works: You can help us by doing some searches on Goodsearch yourself. Just make Goodsearch.com your default search engine and do a few searches a day for ARPA Institute (select ARPA Institute as your cause). If 1000 people do one search per day, we can earn close to $4000 per year. So, please use GOODSEARCH for all your searches and help!