Author: Andres-Papazian

AZERBAIJANI DEFENSE MINISTRY: ARMENIA’S STATEMENT ON INTENSIVE CEASEFIRE VIOLATION ‘GROUNDLESS’
Trend, K. Zarbaliyeva

Trend
Jan 17 2011
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry called accusations by the Armenian
Defense Ministry of intensive ceasefire violations by the Azerbaijani
armed forces “groundless.”

“The Azerbaijani side is committed to the observance of the ceasefire
on the frontline, but the Armenian side has violated the ceasefire
the past two days, wounding Azerbaijani soldiers,” Azerbaijani Defense
Ministry spokesman Teymur Abdullayev told Trend today.

Meanwhile, Armenia attributed these actions to Azerbaijan, he added.

Armenian media reported alleged ceasefire violations by the Azerbaijani
armed forces in recent days, which injured two Armenian soldiers.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France, and the U.S. –
are currently holding the peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s four
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the
surrounding regions.

From: A. Papazian

FOUR YEARS PASS SINCE THE ASSASSINATION OF HRANT DINK

ARMENPRESS
JANUARY 19, 2011
YEREVAN

Today is the fourth anniversary of assassination of the chief editor of
“Agos” weekly published in Istanbul Hrant Dink and the 21st anniversary
of Armenian pogroms in Baku in January 1990. Press service of the
Armenian Diaspora Ministry reported that on this occasion the employees
of the ministry headed by the deputy minister Vardan Marashlaian put
flowers in the memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide in the
Tsitsernakaberd memorial.

From: A. Papazian

AGRICULTURE MINISTER PREDICTS 5.6% IN THE SPHERE

ARMENPRESS
JANUARY 19, 2011
YEREVAN

This year 5.6% growth will be registered in the sphere of agriculture,
newly appointed minister of agriculture Sergo Karapetyan said today at
a news conference, adding that for reaching the result it is necessary
to ensure effective management of the sphere.

The minister said the low indices registered in this sphere last year
were agreed with the unprecedented complicated climate conditions.

“This year we must work with double enthusiasm, in an organized way
and with devotion as with the unsolved agricultural issues we cannot
move forward our economy. The President too demanded implementation
of new quality of reforms in all the spheres,” Karapetyan said.

“I believe and I am sure that all the prerequisites exist for raising
this branch in 2011,” the minister said.

From: A. Papazian

To Donate Or Not To Donate?

White
Paper on `Hayastan’ All-Armenian Fund

PART II

By Ara K. Manoogian

This White Paper consists of three parts and is an analysis of a broad
range of issues regarding the activities of `Hayastan’ All-Armenian
Fund. Its structure follows that of a TV interview given by Sarkis
Kotanjian, Executive Director of `Hayastan’ All-Armenian fund
U.S. Western Region. The interview aired on November 12, 2010, during
which he set out to dispel eight key myths about the Fund. The first
three myths and Mr. Kotanjian’s interpretations have been analyzed in
Part I
() of
this White Paper. The current part examines the remaining five
myths. Part III will provide an overall analysis of the `Hayastan’
All-Armenian Fund and possible solutions to the issues it faces today.

As in Part I
(),
below, each of the myths are presented exactly as Mr. Kotanjian worded
them, along with his interpretations, which are termed here as
`Busting.’ The alternative interpretations of the core issues are
presented as `Unbusting.’

MYTH #4: People say that the
administrative expenses of Hayastan All-Armenian Fund are high, I don’t know,
the half of the raised money, this and that and so on.

BUSTING:
In reality, the administrative expenses amount to only 7% or… In
general, if we look at how the money is spent percentage-wise, 20% are
spent on water supply projects; 10%, on gas supply and road
construction; 11%, on social, cultural and other projects; 11%, on
healthcare; 41%, on education; and only 7% on the administrative
expenses, which includes salaries, supervision of all these projects,
because every day… we have about 40 construction sites in Armenia
and Karabakh. And certain people must be present at these construction
sites to supervise and make sure the construction is done
correctly. And all this work has to be supervised, people must be
present, and that is included in the 7%.

UNBUSTING: The data of the U.S. largest evaluator of charities,
Charity Navigator
(),
shows that 7 out of 10 charities they’ve evaluated spend at least 75%
of their budget on the programs and services they exist to provide,
and 9 out of 10 spend at least 65%. Charity Navigator believes that
`those spending less than a third of their budget on program expenses
are simply not living up to their missions. Charities demonstrating
such gross inefficiency receive zero points for their overall
organizational efficiency score.’

Spending of only 7% for administrative expenses puts `Hayastan’
All-Armenian Fund under a completely different category of fundraising
organizations – those that merely serve as fundraising vehicles for
other community-based charities. Their median administrative expenses
percentage, according to Charity Navigator, is 6.9%. This includes
solicitation and collection of donation and excludes supervision of
programs.

Insufficient spending on administrative expenses causes inefficient
management of both the donations and the programs they were intended
for. An example of mismanagement of funds is a delay of program
implementation in favor of earning interest on the donations. In 2001,
Haykakan Zhamanak
()
published a story about the wives of fallen freedom fighters from
Kapan, Armenia who voiced their complaints about `Hayastan’
All-Armenian Fund. The latter had denied them the monthly allowance of
2000 drams ($4) set up for the underage children of fallen freedom
fighters. They had calmly waited for 18 months. When Izmiryan Fund was
announced on TV to have transferred $50,000 to the All-Armenian Fund
for the project in question, the women waited for two more months. And
when they still didn’t receive anything, the women contacted the Fund
but were denied their monthly allowance. `It was a girl who didn’t
introduce herself The girl answered that the money is kept in
the bank to earn interest, and the allowances will be paid from the
interest,’ said Anahit Hambartsumyan, a freedom fighter’s widow who
has two underage children.

Only 7% for administrative expenses might also mean that `Hayastan’
All-Armenian Fund saved by keeping a small staff. But that is not the
impression one gets from the evidence of late philanthropist Vartkes
Barsam, founder of fiber optics program in Armenia, former Board
Member of AGBU, Armenian Assembly and the American University of
Armenia, recepient of Ellis Island Medal of Honor. After helping a
philanthropist from South America ship computers to Armenia, he
decided to check out the office of `Hayastan’ All-Armenian Fund in
Yerevan, the final destination of the computers. `I wanted to go and
see what these girls are all doing. They’re all concentrating on their
computers. All playing games! I was wondering what do they do and why
they need all these computers,’ says Vartkes Barsam in a voice file
() at barsameng.blogspot.com
(), referring to a period of time when
Manushak Perosyan was the Executive Director of the Fund (1992-1998).

If the administrative expenses at 7% do include supervision of
construction work, then its poor quality should not be surprising at
all. But there’s another factor that could have boosted the quality of
the construction work. This takes us back to Part I
() of
our report to pick up where it ended – the third factor, which makes
Grant Thornton less reliable as an auditing firm for `Hayastan’
All-Armenian Fund. In a discussion which unfolded on the Facebook page
of the Policy Forum Armenia (PFA) a few days before the 2010 Telethon,
Sarkis Kotanjian said: `Grant Thornton not only does financial
auditing for Armenia Fund, but also physical audit, meaning it checks
the quality of construction, materials used, correspondence to
construction codes, etc.’ Thus, there is supposed to be double quality
control – one on the part of `Hayastan’ All-Armenian Fund and the
other by Grant Thornton.

The heightened supervision, however, hasn’t resulted in higher quality
in many cases. This means a trifold waste of funds – a portion of
`Hayastan’ All-Armenian Fund’s administrative expenses allocated for
supervision of the construction areas; a portion of the fee for the
services of Grant Thornton, which includes similar supervision,
physical auditing; and poor quality of work, which implies lesser
expenditure on the project than reported.

During the fundraising event of `Hayastan’ All-Armenian Fund in 1996,
it was announced that the cost of one meter of the Goris-Stepanakert
road was $250. Four years later I prepared a proposal for the
Martuni-Stepanakert road, and it came out to an estimated $94 a
meter. Within days I got a call from the Artsakh President’s office
regarding this project, which had been prepared in collaboration with
the architect of the Martuni Region. The President’s concern was that
the project cost was lower than usual, thus they wanted clarification
on how we had calculated our estimate. Once they were satisfied with
my answers, they thanked me and wished me good luck in securing
funding for the project. In fact, looking for funding hadn’t been my
intention, but rather to help `Hayastan’ All-Armenian Fund create a
measuring tool for road construction based on true costs. We’d like to
think that it did affect their future calculations to a certain
degree, since later the Fund’s North-South highway project was
estimated at $100 less per meter.

Getting back to Goris-Stepanakert highway, the estimate of $250 per
meter publicized by `Hayastan’ All-Armenia Fund meant they overpaid
the construction company for the work done, presumably, with the
condition of getting the difference back under the table. This could
explain how Manushak Petrosyan could afford to build a mansion in the
heart of Yerevan, close to the Armenian Assembly building.

Web and newspapers are permeated with thousands of reports on very
poor quality of the most essential achievements of `Hayastan’
All-Armenian Fund – Goris-Stepanakert and North-South highways. I have
personally witnessed how bad the quality of both was whenever certain
segments would open for traffic from 1997 to 2005. I was once
extremely disappointed to see my car jack sink in the asphalt-concrete
when I was trying to change a tire of my lightweight car on the Lachin
segment. I had also found out that the asphalt was incomparably
thinner at the center of the road than at the sides, which was done
perhaps to create a visual illusion that enough asphalt-concrete had
been used for the road construction.

It was a common practice to use regular mountain rocks instead of
specially washed bitumen in asphalting, writes journalist Kristine
Khanumyan in Zhamanak
(), February 3,
2010. Construction companies saved also on the amount of bitumen
required for asphalting. As a consequence, cracks began appearing on
the road within a year; grass was sporadically growing through the
asphalt-concrete.

There is more than one reason why the end result is poor. It is
essential to understand how the whole mechanism works. The immediate
blame for poor quality is on the construction company that was
entrusted with the project. The next logical question is why that
particular construction company was picked for the project.

In Artsakh, as mentioned in the first part of this article, there are
mainly three construction companies that happen to win the tenders –
Vrezh, Chanshin and Karavan, which are owned by Karen Hakobyan, Hakob
Hakobyan and Roles Aghajanyan, respectively. They win despite poor
performance in the past. For the projects implemented in Artsakh,
specialists from Artsakh Government are included in the tender
committee. As mentioned in Part I
(),
these construction companies have the protection of certain
influential Government officials, including Arkady Ghukasyan, then
President of Artsakh. The essential rule of free market economy –
equal opportunities – functions mainly among Government-backed
construction companies. It is not uncommon for a winning construction
company to resell parts of their contract to another construction
company. This practice was initiated by Chanshin, which resold certain
parts of the contract for the Dashbulagh-Khachenaget segment of the
highway to Karavan and Vrezh. The latter two, according to Khanumyan,
later on borrowed this practice. The consequence was even poorer
quality, which eventually became too obvious to turn a blind eye or a
deaf ear.

On May 5, 2006, Arkady Ghukasyan finally decided to voice concerns
about the quality of work supervised by the Fund. According to Aravot
(),
he told journalists in Yerevan that he was unhappy about the quality
of the construction work undertaken by `Hayastan’ All-Armenian
Fund. The former President of Artsakh emphasized that the Fund must
exercise tougher control over the construction work. The issue
triggered a conflict between the Artsakh Government and `Hayastan’
All-Armenian Fund, led by Naira Melkumyan, Executive Director
(2004-07) and former Foreign Minister of Artsakh. She laid the blame
on the Artsakh officials, since it was the Government representatives
who, she claimed, gave the final approval of the construction work
following its completion. This confrontation was a hot topic
throughout the second half of the year 2006. The problem was discussed
at a session of the Board of Trustees, in May 2006. Khanumyan quotes
Nayira Melkumyan in `Fund-NKR: Contradictions Deepen’
() as saying that
`by the instruction of Robert Kocharyan, then President of Armenia and
President of the Board of the Trustees of `Hayastan’ All-Armenian
Fund, the cases of the construction companies, which had performed
poorly, were submitted to the Prosecutor’s Office of Artsakh.’ The
targeted construction companies were Vrezh and Chanshin. To this date
no charges have been brought against these companies.

It is strange that Grant Thornton, the auditing firm, which, according
to Sarkis Kotanjian, is contractually bound to conduct physical audit
and thus has its share of responsibility for the quality of work, but
was never mentioned a party of the conflict between the Fund and the
Government. Why does the Fund pay Grant Thornton extra to conduct
supervision if it’s not going to share the responsibility for the poor
quality of work? And why does the All-Armenian Fund allocate a part of
its 7% administrative expenses on supervision if it’s not effective?

MYTH #5: Most of the money that people donate is used to cover the
production cost.

BUSTING:
It is not so. We organize the Telethon thanks to the complete funding
of our sponsors. And here I want to thank our sponsors. Our
sponsors take care of our organizational expenses, and for that we are
thankful to them. Of course, in return, they are advertised, which is
natural. But each dollar that is donated during the Telethon is
directed to the projects. We closed this topic, too.

UNBUSTING: It indeed is an exaggeration to allege that most of the
raised money is spent on Telethon production cost. However, it is an
equally exaggerated allegation that each donated dollar is directed at
the projects in view of the previous statement about the overhead
totaling 7%. Moreover, Part I
() of
this White Paper on `Hayastan’ All-Armenian Fund shows different ways
the donated money has been manipulated for personal profit. This topic
is not closed, as the next myth is an extension of this one showing
some more ways donated money is managed before reaching the projects.

MYTH #6: They say that 25-30 officials come from Armenia in order to
participate in the Telethon – it is a huge expense, this and that.

BUSTING: This, too, is false information. This year alone, for
example, 5 people are coming, including Bako Sahakyan, President of
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic; Archbishop Pargev, Primate of Artsakh; and
Ara Vardanyan, Executive Director. We’re talking about only five or
six people. And these expenses are also included in the 7%, about
which we have already talked, the administrative expenses. Their
flight, hotel and so on.

Singers are coming, yes, it is true, in order to participate in a
charitable concert on November 21. And we have made a commitment to
cover their flight and 5-day stay at a hotel. But also, let’s not
forget that all these singers are going to sing for free. If all of
them were to submit their bills – which is common practice – we would
be looking at tens of thousands of dollars. But they… it’s their
present to Hayastan All-Armenian Fund and their homeland. Thus… And
these expenses are also included in the Telethon cost, which is
already completely covered by our sponsors. Thus, it’s not a big
group. Only 5-6 people, whose expenses are included in the 7%
mentioned earlier.

UNBUSTING: At the Hilton Hotel in Glendale, a few days following the
2010 Telethon, I personally handed a person from Bako Sahakyan’s team
escorting him in the U.S. a letter of concern about the human rights
situation in Artsakh addressed to the President of Artsakh. And I saw
a few more people from that same team. If the allegation that the cost
of only 5-6 people has been covered by the Fund is true, then either
the bodyguards of the Artsakh President paid for themselves or the
Artsakh budget sponsored their travel and accommodations.

At first Mr. Kotanjian said that the Fund was committed to cover their
flight and 5-day stay at a hotel. And at the end, he added that `these
expenses are also included in the Telethon cost, which is already
completely covered by our sponsors.’ If that were really so, there was
absolutely no need for Mr. Kotanjian to assure the TV audience that
the singers’ cost was not as high as they might think.

The idea of letting sponsors cover the Telethon cost in exchange for
advertising is great. However, it seems to have been implemented only
for the 2010 Telethon. Haykakan Zhamanak
() quoted Hambik Sarafian, Chairman of the
Social Democratic Hunchakian Party (SDHP) US Western Region and a
member of `Hayastan’ All-Armenian Fund in California, on September 29,
2009, as criticizing `the administration of the Fund for recklessly
spending huge amounts of money on the organization of the Telethon,
`instead of using them for real purposes.” That same day, Ara
Vardanyan, current Executive Director of `Hayastan’ All-Armenian Fund,
told journalists that by September 2009 about $22,000 had been spent
only on ordering an anthem for the Telethon.

MYTH #7: As if large sums of money are announced, but are never
collected during the Telethon.

BUSTING: This is also a lie. 95% of all funds announced during the
Telethon is collected. It is only 5% that we are unable to
collect. The reason is very often due to technical issues. That is to
say, someone has changed his/her address and moved to somewhere else,
but hasn’t notified us of the new address. Or his donation has
appeared two times in our computer system. We’re talking about 5%,
whereas 95% of all the announced funds, is collected within a few
months.

UNBUSTING: The problem of collecting less donations than pledged is
perhaps nearly as old as the Fund itself. Vahan Ter-Ghevondyan,
Executive Director of `Hayastan’ All-Armenian Fund (1998-2004),
however, drew a different picture. He told Haykakan Zhamanak
()
in 2002 that

`for instance, 5% of our compatriots living in Los Angeles, as a rule,
break their pledges and refuse to pay their `national tribute’ when
collecting the funds. Moreover, when the organizers of the Telethon
tried to verify the authenticity of certain calls 5 minutes after the
announcement of sizable donations, it turned out that they had been
simply fooled – when introducing themselves during the live TV
broadcast, the callers had provided wrong addresses and phone
numbers.’

In May 2004 Naira Melkumyan complained to journalists about the Fund’s
failure to utilize the full potential of Los Angeles, CA. According to
her, $910 thousand was transferred in 2003 instead of the pledged $1.3
million. `This problem exists: a pledge is given and then is
broken. We must be demanding when it comes to our pledges and
possibilities,’ Naira Melkumyan was quoted by Haykakan Zhamanak
()
as saying.

`Hayastan’ All-Armenian Fund announced in 2005 to have raised $7.7
million, whereas, half a year later, according to Haykakan Zhamanak
(),
had to admit to having barely collected $5 million (about 35% of all
the pledged funds vs. 5% mentioned by Mr. Kotanjian).

The situation didn’t change much four years later. In an interview to
Hetq (), in 2008, Vahe
Aghabekyants, Executive Director of `Hayastan’ All-Armenian Fund
(2007-08) said that the inability to collect the donation is often due
to the donors’ financial situation. Aghabekyants brought the example
of a donor whose company’s shares valued $900 million at the time of
the pledge, but when they dropped to $150 million he was unable to
donate the promised half a million dollars.

However, there’s another mechanism widely used by `Hayastan’
All-Armenian Fund to show large numbers. `Hayastan’ All-Armenian Fund
in 1996 contacted the Monte Melkonian Fund in Los Angeles and asked to
make a donation that had already been intended to be sent to the Monte
Melkonian Fund in Armenia, assuring that the same amount would be
handed back in Yerevan. This was to be done as a show to the world of
how much support was being sent to Armenia and Artsakh from the
Diaspora. As the President of Monte Melkonian Fund at the time, I made
an appearance on the Telethon in 1996, presented a check for $3,000
and talked about our support to the homeland and `Hayastan’
All-Armenian Fund, encouraging people to donate. Later, I learned that
Kirk Krikorian’s Lincy Foundation that was matching donations given to
`Hayastan’ All-Armenian Fund during the Telethon, had matched our
`donation’ with an additional $3,000, which was added to the
All-Armenian Fund’s account. I could only wonder how many others had
been asked to do the same as we had.

Over ten years later, in 2007, I had a discussion with Armo Tsaturyan,
Minister of Territorial Administration of Artsakh, about the
`Hayastan’ All-Armenian Fund Telethon. We particularly touched on the
misrepresentation of donations. He knew of $1 million from Vahe
Garabedian – who had his own fund – being misrepresented as a donation
to the `Hayastan’ All-Armenian Fund. However, he didn’t know that as
much as about $4.5 million fell under this category, including
donations from such major contributors as Kirk Kirkorian and Gerard
Cafesjian. Mr. Tsaturyan said that he and others in the Artsakh
Government weren’t expecting the Diaspora to donate anything due to
the scandals about the quality of work and the ensuing fallout between
Artsakh authorities and `Hayastan’ All-Armenian Fund in 2006. In this
context, they were all astonished to hear `Hayastan’ All-Armenian Fund
announcing the record-breaking amount of $13.7 million. A day after I
wrote down the details of our meeting in my blog, Martuni or Bust!
(),
Armo Tsaturyan called me up sounding quite upset. It turned out that
he had received a call of complaint from the Fund. However, the word
was out already (for details of our conversation following the Fund’s
call, click here
()). It
is still unknown how much of the remaining $9.2 million was, in fact,
intended for the All-Armenian Fund’s projects.

MYTH #8: As if Armenians from Armenia do not participate in the
telethon. By saying Armenian from Armenia, I mean our compatriots who
have come to Los Angeles or the U.S. from Armenia.

BUSTING: It is not so. First of all, I’d like to say that Armenians
from Armenia do the greatest charity. Why? Because, let’s not forget
that all of us, most of us help our families in Armenia. Every month,
be it $50, $100 or… unrelated to `Hayastan’ All-Armenian Fund. And
I encourage them to provide even greater support because these people
have needs in Armenia. But there are many people who, besides that,
also contribute to `Hayastan’ All-Armenian Fund because it administers
large-scale projects, such as water supply. And Armenians from Armenia
amount to 40% of all our benefactors. It’s quite a large percentage.

Thus, let us not try and create problems that do not exist in
reality. Let us not smear this dignified mission. Let each of us
rather support as much as we can, let us not be indifferent.

UNBUSTING: Mr. Kotanjian’s call on the Armenians from Armenia to not
only continue but also increase the support of their families in
Armenia and, in general, the negative outcome of continuing aid will
be discussed in Part III, the final sequel.

As for the alleged 40% of donors, I’d like to share my personal
experience of how that is reached. A share of these contributions
(originating from Armenia and Artsakh) are donations forced by the
administrations of state institutions and public schools. When I lived
in Artsakh, I knew a woman who worked at the Artsakh President’s
office. She had openly refused to allow a deduction from her pay that
was supposed to be contributed to `Hayastan’ All-Armenian Fund as a
voluntary donation in 2003.Oleg Yesayan, then Speaker of the Artsakh
National Assembly and now Armenia’s Ambassador to Russia, who was in
charge of collecting the mandatory donations, ordered a person, who
was collecting signatures of consent for deductions from the woman’s
salary, to sign it on her behalf.

On another occasion, in November of 2004, I was approached with a
request to donate AMD 500 to the Fund. I was then a member of the
collective of skilled workers for the stone factory I had in Martuni,
Artsakh. I refused and was left alone.However, another member of the
same collective, a barber, was treated differently. He and dozens of
other people weren’t even asked whether they wanted to donate or not –
AMD 250 was automatically deducted from their monthly pay. According
to Government officials in Artsakh, the Fund has been using the
mandatory donations collected from Artsakh citizens to show the
better-off Diaspora Armenians that the natives trust the Fund, thus
encouraging them to also donate.

The method of mandatory donation has been widely exercised in the
Republic of Armenia, as well. On November 19, 2003, a mother called
Aravot
()
to sound an alarm about the public school #132 in Yerevan, which
forced its students to contribute AMD 3,000 to `Hayastan’ All-Armenian
Fund. The newspaper found out that neither the Department of Education
of the Mayor’s Office, nor the Ministry of Education and Science had
given any such orders to public schools. The journalist only managed
to speak to the vice-principal, who said that it was just a suggested
donation of AMD 10-20. `In a word, we received the same response from
a school administration as every other time, after alarms about
fundraisers,’ concludes the newspaper.

Tigran Paskevichyan, former head of the Public Relations Department of
`Hayastan’ All-Armenian Fund, expressed his concern regarding a
donation that came from an orphanage in Vanadzor in December 2004. In
his article `All-Armenian Fund Or Rich Man’s Club,’
() which
left Naira Melkumyan, then newly appointed Executive Director of the
Fund, bitter, Mr. Paskevichyan wrote: `Everyone in the world knows
that orphanages themselves function thanks to donations. But an
orphanage in Armenia becomes a donor. The children in the
orphanage, of course, don’t have money; this means that the
administration has cut certain expenses in order to make a
contribution. And that is absurd.’

After the 2007 Telethon, `Hayastan’ All-Armenian Fund announced that
$15 million-worth pledges were received. On December 19, 2007,
Haykakan Zhamanak ()
wrote that for several weeks they kept receiving calls from certain
state institutions, complaining that `2% is deducted from the salaries
of the workers from those state institutions with an excuse that it
was for the Telethon of `Hayastan’ Fund.’ The newspaper staff found
out that over 10% had been deducted from the salaries of Public TV
employees for the needs of the Fund.

These are problems that do exist in reality, and they will continue
`smearing this dignified mission,’ as long as `Hayastan’ All-Armenian
Fund ignores their existence. Having lost its most valuable resource –
trust, the Fund has been forced to look for shady ways to prolong its
existence. It is important to regard the open discussion of these
issues as a refusal to be indifferent and an expression of support for
the Fund.

To be continued…

Ara K. Manoogian is a human rights activist representing the Shahan
Natalie Family Foundation in Artsakh and Armenia, as well as a Fellow
of the Washington-based Policy Forum Armenia (PFA), creator of

From: A. Papazian

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Armenian Utility Posts Soaring Profits Despite Drop In Power
Generation

Armenia — A power distribution facility.

18.01.2011
Sargis Harutyunyan, Ruben Meloyan

Armenia’s Russian-owned national power distribution company, once a
big drain on state finances, claims to have become increasingly
profitable in recent years despite a sizable reduction in domestic
electricity production shown by official statistics.

Financial documents provided to RFE/RL’s Armenian service by the
Electricity Networks of Armenia (ENA) on Tuesday show the company
making 25.1 billion drams ($69 million) in profits last year, sharply
up from 16.7 billion drams posted in 2009 and 11 billion drams in
2008.

The figures indicate a remarkable turnaround in the ENA’s
operations. The power grids incurred significant financial losses,
estimated at $50 million each year, before being sold by the Armenian
government in 2002 to Midland Resources, an obscure British-registered
firm. Most of them were believed to have resulted from widespread
theft among various-level employees of the network.

ENA, which is now one of Armenia’s largest corporate taxpayers, has
undergone significant restructuring and received large-scale capital
investments since then. Midland announced that it has ended the losses
and moved the company into profit in 2004, before selling it to a
subsidiary of Russia’s RAO Unified Energy Systems (UES) power giant.

ENA profits have soared despite dwindling electricity production in
Armenia. According to the National Statistical Service (NSS), it was
down by 9 percent and 14 percent in January-November 2010 and 2009
respectively.

Besides, the price of electricity for Armenian households, has not
changed significantly for over a decade, suggesting that the increased
ENA earnings were the result of a greater efficiency of power
distribution. The price was raised from 24 to 30 drams (8 U.S. cents)
per kilowatt/hour in early April 2009, the first such increase
approved by state utility regulators in eleven years.

ENA’s parent company, Inter RAO UES, decided on Monday to replace
ENA’s longtime chief executive, Yevgeny Gladunchik, by another Russian
official. An Armenian pro-opposition newspaper claimed the next day
that Gladunchik will return to Russia because an ind ependent audit of
ENA books uncovered large-scale financial abuses.

Armenia — Yevgeny Gladunchik, former CEO of the Electricity Networks
of Armenia.

An Inter RAO UES spokesman, Nikolay Gorelov, flatly denied this,
however, saying that Gladunchik was promoted to a higher company
position in Moscow. `If a person does a bad job, he can’t be
promoted,’ he told RFE/RL’s Armenian service. `On the contrary,
[Gladunchik] has achieved big successes, as a result of which Inter
RAO UES decided to transfer him to its head office.’

Armenian electricity tariffs have remained largely stable despite a
steady rise in the price of Russian natural gas supplied to
Armenia. It is used for generating roughly one-third of the country’s
electricity.

The gas price rose by 14 percent in 2009 and by another 17 percent, to
$180 per thousand cubic meters, in April 2010. The Russian monopoly
Gazprom plans to raise it further starting for next April.

The Armenian government said late last month that it still hopes to
prevent the price hike. But in an interview with the German magazine
`Der Spiegel’ this week, Gazprom chief Alexei Miller insisted that the
gas tariff for Armenia will reach a `market-based’ level in the near
future.

Gazprom currently sells gas to Europe at an average of $300 per
thousand cubic meters.

The increased cost of the gas, the main source of winter heating for
Armenians, has caused gas consumption in the country to fall at an
annual rate of about 20 percent since 2008. Analysts say it will dip
further if Gazprom presses ahead with its plans.

A Gazprom spokeswoman, Olga Moreva, made clear on Tuesday that this
will not deter the state-owned conglomerate. `The only thing we take
into account is the oil basket peg,’ Moreva told RFE/RL’s Armenian
service. `We set prices for our consumers abroad on the basis of
that.’

Council Of Europe Official Concerned About Jailed Armenian
Oppositionists

Armenia — Opposition supporters demonstrate during a visit to Yerevan
by Thomas Hammarberg, the Council of Europe’s commissioner for human
rights, 18Jan2011.

18.01.2011
Ruzanna Stepanian

Thomas Hammarberg, the Council of Europe’s commissioner for human
rights, expressed concern about the continuing imprisonment of
Armenian opposition members on Tuesday as he began a fact-finding
visit to Yerevan.

Hammarberg held separate meetings with Defense Minister Seyran
Ohanian, opposition leader Levon Ter-Petrosian, human rights
campaigners and representatives of Armenia’s leading media
associations on the first day of the three-day trip. He is also
scheduled to meet with President Serzh Sarkisian, other senior
government officials and leaders of the political parties represented
in the Armenian parliament.

The discussions were expected to focus on the Armenian authorities’
human rights record and, in particular, their compliance with
resolutions adopted by the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly
(PACE) following their 2008 post-election crackdown on the
Ter-Petrosian-led opposition. The PACE demanded the release of all
oppositionists arrested on `seemingly artificial or politically
motivated charges’ and an objective inquiry into the March 2008 deadly
clashes in Yerevan.

`Of course, I think it’s a problem that there are still people
imprisoned because of what happened in March 2008,’ Hammarberg told
RFE/RL’s Armenian service, referring to about a dozen Ter-Petrosian
loyalists remaining behind bars.

Hammarberg planned to meet some of those oppositionists as well as
relatives of people killed during the unrest. `We are concerned about
the fact that ten people were killed during the demonstrations and so
far no one has been held to account for that,’ he said.

Several dozen supporters of Ter-Petrosian’s Armenian National Congress
(HAK) demonstrated outside a Yerevan hotel where the Council of Europe
official spoke with local human rights activists. Holding banners and
chanting `Freedom!’ they demanded that the Council of Europe exert
stronger pressure on Yerevan.

`We want our brother Hammarberg, if he is our brother, to demand
legitimate governance from these authorities in accordance with
principles accepted in Europe,’ said one protester.

Ter-Petrosian has repeatedly accused the Council of Europe and the
West in general of turning a blind eye to human rights abuses in
Armenia for geopolitical reasons. He has said Western powers do not
want to undercut a government which they hope will solve Armenia’s
disputes with Turkey and Azerbaijan.

The HAK’s central office coordinator, Levon Zurabian, claimed that the
Council of Europe and the European Union are now running out of
patience with the Sarkisian administration because it has still not
complied with the PACE resolutions. `We can say that the international
community is again becoming active on this issue,’ he told RFE/RL’s
Armenian service.

Hammarberg was cautious in assessing that compliance, though. He said
he will draw conclusions only after the trip.

Greece, Armenia Slam Turkey

Greece — President Karolos Papoulias (L) greets his Armenian
counterpart Serzh Sarkisian in Athens, 18Jan2010.

18.01.2011

Presidents Karolos Papoulias of Greece and Serzh Sarkisian of Armenia
strongly criticized Turkey as they met in Athens on Tuesday.

Papoulias told Sarkisian that the two nations were `butchered’ by
their common arch-foe in their past. `We were butchered by the same
barbarian,’ he said, according to the AFP news agency.

Papoulias added that `many things have changed’ since the early 20th
century when the killings of Armenians and Black Sea Greeks in the
Ottoman Empire occurred, and criticized a decades-old arms race with
Ankara that has cost Athens billions of euros.

`If we did not have the economic burden of arms balance we would not
need the International Monetary Fund,” 81-year-old Papoulias said. `We
give the most money in NATO for armament, this is unfair for a people
that is peaceful,’ he added.

Sarkisian, for his part, again blamed Ankara for the collapse of the
Western-backed Turkish-Armenian agreements that envisaged the
normalization of bilateral ties.

He also said Athens and Yerevan support Turkey’s membership in the
European Union so long as it addresses its troubled past and forges
`civilized partnership with neighbors.’ `When Turkey meets European
standards, we will have a more predictable neighbor,’ he said.

The Armenian leader criticized Ankara’s stance on the Turkish-Armenian
normalization in even stronger terms as he addressed the parliament of
Cyprus on Monday. He proceeded to the Greek capital on a state visit
the next day.

One of the agreements signed during Sarkisian’s trip to Athens calls
for continued cooperation between the Armenian and Greek defense
ministries. Sarkisian stressed the importance of that agreement at his
joint news conference with Papoulias.

Armenian `Oligarchs’ Sue Opposition Paper

Armenia — Ruben Hayrapetian, one of three businessmen who have taken
legal action against “Haykakan Zhamanak” daily.

18.01.2011
Irina Hovhannisyan

Three of Armenia’s wealthiest government-connected businessmen have
filed a libel lawsuit against a pro-opposition daily that implicated
them in criminal activity in Russia, it emerged on Tuesday.

The legal action stems from a report that was published by the
`Haykakan Zhamanak’ daily in October and based on claims made by Smbat
Karakhanian, a Moscow-based Armenian opposition figure.

Karakhanian was quoted as alleging that Russian authorities suspect
eight senior Armenian officials and businessmen, including President
Serzh Sarkisian, of involvement in drug trafficking, money laundering
and other grave crimes committed in Russia. Russian officials never
confirmed that.

Three of the implicated `oligarchs’ — Samvel Aleksanian, Ruben
Hayrapetian and Levon Sargsian — are now seeking a combined 7.5
million drams ($20,500) in compensatory damagers for what they say are
false claims amounting to defamation of character.

`After we published that report they demanded a refutation,’ said Anna
Hakobian, the `Haykakan Zhamanak’ publisher. `In a manner defined by
law, our editor-in-chief Nikol Pashinian replied to them with a letter
that presented the grounds on which the refutation will not be
published.’

`The grounds were that our source is confirming that such a
conversation took place and that these names do figure [in Russian
criminal cases,]’ Hakobian told RFE/RL’s Armenian service. He pointed
to a follow-up interview with Karakhanian that appeared in the paper
later in October.

None of the plaintiffs could be reached for comment. All three men
holding seats in Armenia’s parliament have long faced opposition media
allegations of illegal activity, electoral fraud and violence against
government critics. Sargsian is particularly notorious for reportedly
violent conduct.

Armenia’s best selling daily, `Haykakan Zhamanak’ is known for its
hard-hitting coverage of successive governments and strong support for
the opposition Armenian National Congress (HAK). Its editor, Nikol
Pashinian, was one of the main speakers at anti-government rallies
staged by HAK leader Levon Ter-Petrosian following the February 2008
presidential election. Pashinian is currently serving a highly
controversial prison sentence for his alleged role in deadly
post-election violence in Yerevan.

The paper was already taken to court and fined 3.6 million drams in
late 2009 for alleging that former President Robert Kocharian’s
younger son, Levon, provoked a drunken brawl in the United Arab
Emirates.

`This is yet another step against the newspaper, the instruments of
which are now oligarchs,’ Hakobian said, commenting on the latest
libel suit. `If some people think they can make `Haykakan Zhamanak’
cave in by initiating such a lawsuit against the newspaper and turning
oligarchs against us … I can guarantee that they won’t achieve
anything.’

Press Review

18.01.2011

Lragir.am tries to explain why former President Robert Kocharian would
want to return to the political arena. `One factor is a lust for
power,’ writes the online journal. `The guy just doesn’t want to be
far away from real power and is trying to come back as soon as
possible. Another factor could be a sense of responsibility for the
country. He [presumably] sees that Serzh Sarkisian is unable to govern
efficiently, that there are problems on the domestic and external
fronts, dangers hanging over state interests — and regards the main
opposition also as a danger — and is therefore trying to return and
rectify the situation. And finally, it could be that Robert Kocharian
is simply concerned about his future.’ Kocharian may be worried that
Sarkisian could eventually `sacrifice’ him, speculates the paper.

`Chorrord Inknishkhanutyun’ says that the Armenian authorities are
doing everything to prevent civic and other non-governmental
organizations from achieving any results. `Therefore, both our
analysts and individuals coming up with civic initiatives must admit
that solutions to all problems in Armenia hinge on one very important
issue: the formation of a legitimate government,’ the pro-opposition
daily says, attacking those intellectuals who do not want to openly
support the opposition. Their `neutrality’ plays into the regime’s
hands and delays solutions to problems facing the country. `One must
not be afraid of having political views because that is the
constitutional right of all citizens and not just a privilege of
politicians,’ it says.

`Hraparak’ comments on nationwide rallies organized by businessman and
politician Tigran Karapetian, whose ALM television will be taken off
the air this week. `One can certainly argue over the numbers [of rally
participants,] but the fact is that ALM has surprised us with its
street activity,’ editorializes the paper. `It’s not that people are
eager to see ALM remain on air. It’s just that the extent of public
disaffection is so great that anyone can now get people to take to the
streets.’

Interviewed by `Hayots Ashkhar,’ a spokesman for Nagorno-Karabakh
President Bako Sahakian seeks to disprove Freedom House claims that
Karabakh is `not free’ anymore. Davit Babayan specifically dismisses
the New York-based group’s argument that none of the parties that
contest the last Karabakh parliamentary elections is in opposition to
the Stepanakert government. Babayan argues that the Karabakh
authorities did not prevent anyone from contesting the polls which he
says were free and fair. There are simply no parties opposed to them
at present, he says.

But as Gegham Baghdasarian, a former Karabakh parliamentarian, tells
`Aravot,’ the Freedom House characterizations are not quite
unfounded. `There were fantastic conditions for our development and
you have to be inept to achieve such results from that starting
point,’ he says.

(Aghasi Yenokian)

Reprinted on ANN/Groong with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2011 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

From: A. Papazian

Armenian National Committee of America
1711 N Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036
Tel. (202) 775-1918
Fax. (202) 775-5648
Email. [email protected]
Internet

PRESS RELEASE

January 18, 2011

Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
[email protected] / (202) 775-1918

ANCA WELCOMES AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IN ARMENIA’S CALL FOR
NEW U.S.-ARMENIA TRADE AGREEMENT

— Trade and Investment Framework Agreement Would Expand U.S.-
Armenia Economic Cooperation

WASHINGTON, DC – The American Chamber of Commerce in Armenia’s
(AmCham) public call for a U.S-Armenia Trade and Investment
Agreement (TIFA) was welcomed today by the Armenian National
Committee of America (ANCA) as a meaningful step toward putting in
place a much-needed bilateral accord aimed at creating new export-
driven jobs and economic growth in the United States and Armenia.
AmCham is an affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

In a statement circulated earlier today, AMCHAM Chairman of the
Board David Atanessian explained that `it is our strong belief that
concluding TIFA is in the spirit of deepening the bonds and
increasing the dialogue between the two friendly nations.’ The
statement outlined the benefits of concluding such an economic
agreement, including:

— Stronger economic ties and spirit of cooperation

— Increased opportunities to address impediments to trade and
investment, such as customs administration and double taxation
issues

— Broader private investment opportunities, including increased
contacts and interactions between private sector representatives

The complete text of the American Chamber of Commerce in Armenia
statement can be viewed at:

“We want to express our appreciation to David Atanessian and the
entire AmCham leadership team for their vision and leadership in
promoting the growth of U.S.-Armenia business, trade, and
investment relations,’ said ANCA Executive Director Aram
Hamparian. “A TIFA would, as AmCham rightly notes, not only
broaden commercial cooperation, but also play a vital role in
deepening the bonds and increasing the dialogue between two
friendly nations.”

The ANCA has, in a series of letters and meetings with Obama
Administration officials, State Department diplomats, and Members
of Congress, called upon the U.S. government to actively pursue a
U.S.-Armenia TIFA. This accord, once in place, would establish an
ongoing bilateral platform for discussion and cooperation about
practical steps that can be taken to increase U.S.-Armenia trade
and investment. Congressmen Robert Andrews (D-NJ), Rodney
Frelinghuysen (R-NJ) and Leonard Lance (R-NJ) have each written
separately to the U.S. Trade Representative, Ambassador Ronald
Kirk, in support of such an agreement.

In the days leading up to the November, 2010, U.S.-Armenia Joint
Economic Taskforce meetings, Dr. Varos Simonyan, the head of the
Armenian Ministry of Economy’s European Union and International
Economic Affairs Department, expressed the Armenian government’s
support for a U.S.-Armenia TIFA in an interview with Yerkir Media,
available online at:

Additional resources on the importance of a U.S.-Armenia TIFA can
be viewed below:

ANCA briefing paper on U.S.-Armenia TIFA:

ANCA letter to U.S. Trade Representative, Ambassador Ron Kirk

ANCA action alert urging the establishment of a U.S.-Armenia TIFA

From: A. Papazian

EUROPEAN ARMENIAN FEDERATION For Justice & Democracy
Avenue de la Renaissance 10
B-1000 Bruxelles
Tel/ Fax: +32 2 732 70 27/26
Website :Eafjd [1]

PRESS RELEASE

_For immediate release_
TUESDAY 18 JANUARY 2011

CONTACT : VARTENIE ECHO

TEL. / FAX. : +32 (0) 2 732 70 27

ON THE 21ST ANNIVERSARY OF BAKU ARMENIANS’ POGROMS

ALIEV DECLARES: `YEREVAN IS AZERBAIJANI LAND’
This week marks the 21st anniversary of the Pogrom of Armenians in
Baku, capital city of Azerbaijan, which started on January 13th, 1990
and lasted a full seven days. This pogrom was in continuation of the
long list of pogroms starting in 1905, perpetrated against the
Armenian population in the territories which later became part of
Azerbaijan.
According to international reporters and eyewitnesses, the massacres
were not at all spontaneous; the attackers had lists of Armenians and
their addresses. The area around the Armenian quarter had become an
arena of mass killings. The Armenian Church, whose congregation had
already been depleted, was a charred ruin. Following the killings and
the mass deportations of the Armenians in all over the country, the
whole Armenian population fled Azerbaijan.
UN 1995 data shows that the Armenian refugees were more than 415 000,
and that 300 000 of them live currently in Armenia and Karabakh.
The European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy informs
that even though the Republic of Armenia has given them refuge and
citizenship, today this refugee group, 10% of the Republic’s
population, lives in dire social conditions, and is deprived of the
International Refugee status.
`_While meeting with the EU Special Representative Peter Semneby,
we addressed their helpless situation in __Armenia__ and in Karabakh.
We plan to pursue our actions for an official initiative of the
European Union in this regard_’ said Hilda Tchoboian, President of
the European Armenian Federation.
The Federation also informs that on these sad days, Azerbaijani
President Ilham Aliev, far from honouring the memory of the innocent
victims, increased his anti-Armenian aggressive rhetoric, by stating
that Yerevan is Azerbaijani land in his New Year’s State of the
Nation address, and on his private tweeter.
`_Military buildup, war rhetoric and now Armenian land claims from
__Azerbaijan__: Aliev discredits the principle of good faith in the
peace process of the Karabakh conflict_’, said Hilda Tchoboian.
`_On the same days, the President of the European Commission, Mr.
Barroso, visited __Baku__; and he too, failed to honour the memory of
the Armenian victims of the pogroms_’ said Hilda Tchoboian. `_We
expect from Mr. Barroso not to sacrifice our core values for oil and
gas deals, but instead, raise them as a wall against
__Azerbaijan__’s delusional rhetoric_’, concluded Hilda Tchoboian.

List of Armenian Pogroms by Azerbaijan
– 1905 -1907, First Armenian massacres by Azeri Tatars in Shushi,
Baku, Nakhichevan and Elizavetpol,

– 1918, massacres in Baku,

– 1920, massacres in Shushi,

– 1988, February massacres in Sumgait,

– 1988, November massacres in Kirovabad,

– 1990, January massacres in Baku,

– 1992 April massacres by the Azerbaijani army of the Maragha
Armenians.

From: A. Papazian

PRESS RELEASE
Armenian Sisters Academy
440 Upper Gulph Road
Radnor, PA 19087
Contact: Susan Pogharian
Tel: 610-757-7090
Fax: 610-687-2450
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:

What began as a class writing assignment ended up as a bound book for
five lucky and talented ASA students. The Upper Merion library
sponsored a `Write and Illustrate your Own Book’ contest encouraging
children to put forth their best composition and artistic talents.
Several area public and private school students participated as the
library received over 350 entries. Ms. Jeanne Kauffman, the Head of
Children’s Services at the Upper Merion library, commented during the
awards ceremony, `We are especially pleased to have received so many
entries this year from the Armenian Sisters Academy.’

`Since instituting `Writing Across the Curriculum’ five years ago,
we’ve found a marked improvement in our students’ writing skills,’
noted Dolores Wood, ASA vice principal. `Good writing is important for
students to communicate successfully. Students need to be able to
express themselves clearly, vibrantly and well for different audiences
and a variety of purposes. `Texting’ does not always work!’

The Academy’s winners included:

Soseh Yepoyan, 5th grade: 2nd place for The First Day of Fall

Brian Damerau, 7th grade: 1st place for Baseball

Stepan Cannuscio, 7th grade: 3rd place for Hockey

Luiza Shirnian, 7th grade: Honorable Mention for Jimmy’s Adventures at Sea

Anie Avedissian, 8th grade: 3rd place for Almost a Whisper: A Fatal Lullaby

All winners received a book store gift card and each winning student
will have their book bound and made available for circulation at the
Upper Merion library. Since this was the Academy’s first year
participating, entries were submitted only from the 5th – 8th
grades. Based on their success, the administration will encourage all
grades to participate next year. Congratulations to our ASA winners!

From: A. Papazian

PRESS RELEASE
National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR)
395 Concord Ave.
Belmont, MA 02478
Tel.: 617-489-1610
Email: [email protected]

Taner akçam to speak at naasr about forced
assimilation and the armenian genocide

Dr. Taner Akçam, the Robert Aram and Marianne Kaloosdian and Stephen
and Marian Mugar Professor of Modern Armenian History and Armenian
Genocide Studies at Clark University, will give a lecture entitled
“Forced Assimilation As a Structural Component of the Armenian
Genocide,” a presentation of research in progress, on Thursday, February
3, 2011, at 8:00 p.m., at the National Association for Armenian Studies
and Research (NAASR) Center, 395 Concord Ave., Belmont, MA.

Recent genocide scholarship has rediscovered the vital work of Raphael
Lemkin-not only as a legal scholar but also as an historian and social
scientist. His unpublished autobiography and work on the history of
genocide have given new inspirations and ideas to a new generation of
scholars to rethink and reevaluate existing scholarship.

Lemkin wrote: “Genocide has two phases: one, destruction of the national
pattern of the oppressed group; the other, the imposition of the
national pattern of the oppressor.” Taner Akçam argues that this “the
second phase” can take many different forms, but without doubt,
assimilation is among the most effective ways to achieve the desired
result.

According to Akçam, because similarity to the Holocaust has tended to
be the yardstick against which occurrences of mass violence are
measured, in the Armenian case some of the most significant structural
components of the Armenian Genocide, such as religious conversion or the
forced assimilation of Armenian children into Muslim households, have
been ignored or deemphasized because they played no role in the
annihilation of the Jews in Europe.

Following Lemkin and, more importantly, based on newly-revealed
documents from the Ottoman archives, Akçam argues that assimilation in
fact was a structural element in the genocidal process and calls for
analysis and a reassessment of the methods and motivations of this
aspect of the Armenian Genocide.

Taner Akçam was born in Ardahan province, Turkey, in 1953. He is the
author of ten scholarly works of history and sociology, including From
Empire To Republic: Turkish Nationalism and the Armenian Genocide and A
Shameful Act: the Armenian Genocide and Turkish Responsibility, as well
as numerous articles in Turkish, German, and English.

Admission to the event is free (donations appreciated). The NAASR
Center is located opposite the First Armenian Church and next to the
U.S. Post Office. Ample parking is available around the building and in
adjacent areas. The lecture will begin promptly at 8:00 p.m.

More information about the lecture is available by calling 617-489-1610,
faxing 617-484-1759, e-mailing [email protected], or writing to NAASR, 395
Concord Ave., Belmont, MA 02478.

# # # # #

January 17, 2011
Belmont, MA

From: A. Papazian

JEHOVAH WITNESSES FILE DEFAMATION SUIT AGAINST ARMENIAN STATE TV

Public Television of Armenia
Jan 12 2011

The Jehovah Witnesses religious organization has filed a defamation
suit against the state-owned Armenian Public TV at a court of law in
Yerevan, the TV reported on 12 January.

The organization demands that the TV publishes refutation of its 9-11
November 2010 reports, which said a young man, Arman Torosyan, who
is accused of killing his parents on 8 November 2010 in Gegharkunik
Region’s town of Sevan, is a member of Jehovah Witnesses, the TV said.

Jehovah Witnesses also wants compensation from the TV. “The Armenian
Public TV does not accept accusations brought against it and will
defend its rights and reputation according to the letter of the law”,
the TV said.

From: A. Papazian