Author: Andres-Papazian

NINTH CIRCUIT COURT RULES CALIFORNIA LAW ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE-ERA CLAIMS CONSTITUTIONAL

AZG DAILY #230
14-12-2010

Court Reverses Earlier Decision that had Placed State and Local
Genocide Recognition Efforts at Risk

The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) welcomed the Ninth
Circuit Court of Appeal’s decision in the Movsesian v. Versicherung
case reversing an earlier ruling striking down as unconstitutional
a California law allowing for the return of Armenian Genocide-era
insurance claims. The Court reversed the August, 2009, ruling by a
2-1 margin.

“We applaud the Ninth Circuit court for reaffirming the right of U.S.

states to speak truthfully about the Armenian Genocide, and allowing
the descendants of Genocide-era victims and survivors to pursue their
rightful claims,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “We are
particularly gratified that the Court found that the California statute
was a valid exercise of the state’s power, and that there clearly is
not an established federal policy forbidding state references to the
Armenian Genocide.”

“On behalf of all Armenian Americans and our friends in the
genocide-prevention movement, we want to share our special thanks
with those who skillfully led and actively supported this successful
appeal,” added Hamparian.

The ANCA, along with the Armenian Bar Association, Zoryan Institute,
and the International Association of Genocide Scholars, filed an
Amici Curiae brief petitioning the court for a rehearing. They were
ably represented by attorneys David Balabanian, David Salmons, and
Erin Conroy from the Bingham McCutchen. Notably, last year, serving
in his capacity as California Attorney General, Jerry Brown, now the
Governor-Elect of California, submitted an Amicus Curiae brief on
behalf of the people of California in support of plaintiffs’ property
claims emanating from the Armenian Genocide. Congressman Adam Schiff
(D-CA) and EarthRights International also filed their own separate
Amicus Curiae briefs in support of a rehearing.

To read the Ninth Circuit Court Decision, visit:

From: A. Papazian

KURDS OF TURKEY ADMIT THEIR ANCESTORS’ BLAME FOR ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

AZG DAILY #230
14-12-2010

Kurds of Turkey admit their ancestors’ blame for and complicity in
the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire.

“Armenians were annihilated at our hands and today we pay for sins
of the past,” said in Istanbul Chairman of Diyarbakir Chamber of
Commerce and Industry Galip Ensarioglu, who is ethnic Kurd.

According to him, if the Kurdish problem is not resolved within
upcoming years, it will lead to a new catastrophe in Turkey, Sabah
Turkish paper reported, according to PanArmenian.net.

From: A. Papazian

AWARD-WINNING FILMMAKER J. MICHAEL HAGOPIAN DIES AT 97

Asbarez
Monday, December 13th, 2010

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif.-Armenian-American documentary filmmaker J.
Michael Hagopian, whose 70 educational and documentary films have
won more than 160 national and international awards, including two
Emmy nominations, died Dec. 10 in his Thousand Oaks, Calif., home. He
was 97.

Funeral services will be held Wednesday, Dec. 15, at 2 p.m. in
Samuelson Chapel on the campus of California Lutheran University,
60 W. Olsen Rd., Thousand Oaks.

Hagopian was a Genocide survivor who dedicated his life to the visual
documentation of the Turkish extermination of 1.5 million Armenians
in 1915. Over a 40-year period, he filmed nearly 400 interviews of
survivors of and witnesses to the Armenian Genocide, traveling around
the world to record their accounts in 10 languages. He established
the Armenian Film Foundation in 1979 as a non-profit, educational,
and cultural organization dedicated to the documentation in motion
pictures of Armenian heritage and life.

During the past several years, his mission had been to preserve the
film footage of those eyewitness interviews. On April 13, 2010, he
and his wife, Antoinette Hagopian, and the Armenian Film Foundation
signed an historic agreement with The USC Shoah Foundation Institute
for the preservation and dissemination of the Genocide testimonies
on the internet.

On Dec. 9, Hagopian was to meet Steven Spielberg, Shoah’s founder,
at the foundation’s Ambassadors for Humanity banquet but was unable to
attend because of a cold. Spielberg personally expressed his support
for the Armenians to two of Hagopian’s colleagues on the AFF board who
attended the event, and Hagopian’s work was acknowledged at the gala.
He passed away before he would have received a report of the evening,
but his legacy will no doubt long endure.

Born in Kharpert in Historic Armenia in 1913, Hagopian survived the
Genocide because his mother hid him in a well behind the family home.
His father was spared because he was an important medical doctor,
and the family left Turkey for Boston, Mass., in 1922, eventually
settling in Fresno, Calif., in 1927.

Hagopian attended Fresno State University, transferring to UC Berkeley,
where he received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in political
science. He went on to earn another masters and a Ph.D. in Government
and International Relations from Harvard University. After serving
in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II, he taught at several
universities, including Banares Hindu University, India; American
University of Beirut, Lebanon; UCLA, and Oregon State University. While
teaching, he discovered a lack of good films to show his classes and
concluded that he could produce better documentaries.

After completing two years of graduate work in cinema at the University
of Southern California, Hagopian embarked on a new career as writer,
filmmaker and producer. In 1952 he founded Atlantis Productions, Inc.,
and as its president created award-winning films for instructional
and informational use in the classroom and on television. His earlier
films were about the peoples and cultures of India, Nigeria, the
Middle East as well as Native Americans and include the well-respected
Jerusalem – Center of Many Worlds and Asian Earth, which won several
film festival awards.

During his early filmmaking expeditions, Hagopian trekked 1,500 miles
to the source of the Ganges River, becoming the first man to film in
color the entire length of the river to the holy source. For this and
other remarkable adventures, he was invited to join the prestigious
Explorer’s Club, New York, and Adventurer’s Club, Los Angeles.

In 1961, he married Antoinette Hobden, and they settled in Thousand
Oaks in 1963. A major force in the formative years of Thousand Oaks,
Hagopian was active in its incorporation as a city and served on many
civic committees. In 1990 he laid the groundwork for the establishment
of a sister-city relationship between Thousand Oaks and Spitak,
a city in Armenia that he visited and filmed after the devastating
earthquake that hit the country on Dec. 7, 1988.

In addition to his local involvement, one of Hagopian’s main interests
was to help create permanent Armenian studies programs in major
universities in America. As the initial West Coast member of the
National Association of Armenian Studies and Research, he worked to
endow the first two chairs in the United States, at Harvard in 1959
and at UCLA in 1965.

Armenian community leaders approached Hagopian about making a film
to mark the 50th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. In 1965 he
produced the film Where Are My People, which was aired on KCOP TV in
Los Angeles. It was then that he realized that the witnesses to the
Armenian Genocide were fast dying, and he began filming survivors. He
made 17 documentaries about Armenian heritage, culture and history. In
1976, he received two Emmy nominations for the writing and production
of The Forgotten Genocide, which aired on KCET.

The last film Hagopian wrote, directed and produced was The River
Ran Red, a 58-minute documentary that opened the Eighth Annual
Arpa International Film Festival on Oct. 24, 2008, at the Egyptian
Theatre in Hollywood, Calif. The River Ran Red, the third film in a
trilogy about the Genocide, was voted Best International Historical
Documentary by the New York International Film & Video Festival in
2009 and won many other awards.

Several of Hagopian’s films were produced under grants from the U.S.
Office of Education and the Ethnic Heritage Program, the MacArthur
Foundation, California Endowment for the Humanities, Milken Foundation
and California State Department of Education.

Hagopian received numerous honors, including Jewish World Watch’s
“I Witness” Award for dedicating his professional life to chronicling
the Armenian Genocide, the Arpa Lifetime Achievement Award, and the
Armin T. Wegner Humanitarian Award. The Armenian National Committee has
honored him as Man of the Year twice, once in 1984 and again in 2000.

“Through his life and career, Dr. J Michael Hagopian is proof that a
single person can change humankind’s understanding of itself,” said
Los Angeles City Councilmember Paul Krekorian. “He is proof that we
can rise above intolerance and ensure future generations are armed
with the information needed to combat bigotry in all forms.”

Hagopian is survived by his wife, Antoinette; children James Michael,
Maui, Hawaii; Joanne, Berkeley, Calif.; David, Thousand Oaks; and
William, Honolulu, Hawaii; and five grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Armenian Film
Foundation or the Conejo Valley Historical Society. Donations may
be sent c/o Armenian Film Foundation, 2219 Thousand Oaks Blvd.,
Suite 292, Thousand Oaks, California 91362, or made online at

From: A. Papazian

DZOVIG SEFERIAN BRINGS ARMENIAN FABLES TO NEW GENERATION WITH ANIMATED DVD
BY GEORGES ADOURIAN

Asbarez
Friday, December 10th, 2010

LOS ANGELES-A new animated musical DVD is bringing Armenian music
to children in a whole new way, fusing modern arrangements with old
favorites to create an interactive experience that highlights the
rich heritage of the Armenian people. The DVD is a collection of 16
Armenian songs, of which four are new and original and 12 are famous
old favorites. It includes five well known Christmas songs and one
new song devoted to the New Year. These songs, according to Dzovig,
are carefully arranged in a modern and exciting way, which entice
children to join the cartoon characters by jumping and dancing to
the tune of these songs.

Asbarez’s Georges Adourian spoke to Dzovig about the new DVD and her
expectations for the project, which she hopes will revitalize Armenian
storytelling for a new generation of parents and children.

GEORGES ADOURIAN: Who is Dzovig the person and the artist?

DZOVIG SEFERIAN: I am a Lebanese Armenian. Since early childhood,
I had a love for learning, especially, the sciences. On the other
hand, also I had a great passion for singing. This unique blend of
contrasts has molded my character today, leading to achievements both
in the field of science and music. I earned my masters degree in civil
engineering, while cultivating the creative side of my personality.

G.A.: How did you come up with the idea of an animated storytelling
with songs in Armenian and for children?

D.S.: My sister’s family was visiting us. During their stay, I searched
the internet for cartoons to entertain my niece, but I could not
find any Armenian musical cartoons. In our family, we encourage our
children to speak Armenian to keep the Armenian heritage alive.

That’s how the Bochig/Pink Tail Tip musical animation project was
conceived after realizing that the Armenian community lacked animated
fun children’s songs.

G.A.: How was it prepared? Who worked on it? How long did it take?

D.S.: I suggested the idea to a friend of mine, John Hajjar, who had
previous experience in animation. After brainstorming, we thought
of a way of putting this animated musical DVD together. We decided
that the songs would be in Armenian, with modern arrangements and
fast beat so children would enjoy listening to and jump up and dance.

I then selected several old Armenian children’s songs and modernized
them, and composed a few new ones myself.

The 16 songs that I had selected were about different topics and
locations, such as, Christmas, New Year, birthday, farm and forest. In
order to link them together, we came up with the idea of the train
carrying the characters from one location to another. Thus, creating
a story, linking all the songs together.

The production of the CD took us six months. As for the animation DVD,
we designed the characters and then put a team of graphic artists
together. The project took us a year and a half.

G.A.: Why call it “Bochig”?

D.S.: We wanted to establish a distinct theme for our project. John
suggested that the tips of all the animals’ tails be marked pink.

Hence, the name “Pink Tail Tip”. The painter’s job was entrusted to
Chico the chimp, who itself does not have a tail. Its job, as a train
conductor, was to paint the tail tips of the animals with no train
tickets. John wrote the lyrics of the “Tail” song in English, which
then I translated it into Armenian as “Bochig” and set it to music.

Hence, the name “Bochig. ”

G.A.: What are your expectations for this work?

D.S.: For the past two years, I have been working very hard to produce
something new for Armenian children. I am sure that this musical
animation DVD will bring a smile to every little kid who watches and
listens to it. I hope that with the support of the Armenian public,
we will be able to move forward to the next level and offer more
advanced animation products in the future.

G.A.: Where can parents purchase the “Bochig” DVDs and CDs?

D.S.: The “Bochig/Pink Tail Tip” Armenian Musical Animation DVD and
The Armenian Children’s Party Songs CD can be purchased online at our
website They are also available locally at Sardarabad,
Abril and Berj bookstores, Chaterian, Parseghian, Artisia, Arax
Grocery, MSS Valley Produce, Vrej Pastrey and Garo Basturma. Also,
they are available at the Armenian Prelacy Bookstore in New York, as
well as at Hairenik Bookstore in Watertown. To get an updated list of
all the stores carrying “Bochig” CDs and DVDs kindly check our website.

G.A.: What age range are they prepared for? How do you think they
will benefit from the project?

D.S.: The DVD and the CD are best suited for kids under the age of
five. However, even older people would enjoy them. Children would
benefit from the CD by learning to sing in Armenian at an early age
and have a good time as well. As for the DVD, it adds the visual
factor where a picture is worth a thousand words, helping kids to
follow the stories visually.

G.A.: What lies ahead for you? Any future projects?

D.S.: I am working on a new collection of songs. Also, I co-produced
a music video in English about the recent oil spill in the Gulf
of Mexico, depicting its drastic effects on the oceanic ecosystem,
which will be released soon.

From: A. Papazian

WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT EXPLORED AT ARMENIANS & PROGRESSIVE POLITICS

Asbarez
Monday, December 13th, 2010
HOLLYWOOD

A full-capacity crowed gathered at the Armenian Center in Hollywood
on December 8 to engage in a discussion on women’s issues in Armenia
at the 3rd annual Armenians and Progressive Politics forum.

The forum, hosted by KPFK radio and organized by the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation, featured a critical discussion on gender
equality, civil society, and women’s empowerment in Armenia lead by
Socialist International Vice President maria Titizian and Armenian
Parliamentarian Lilit Galstyan.

The forum was held in the midst of growing international attention on
domestic violence in Armenia following the brutal murder of Zaruhi
Pertrosyan. This case has spotlighted the need for gender equality
and women’s empowerment in Armenia, and internationally.

In the past three years, the APP has served as an alternative means of
understanding Armenian issues besides the conventional, state-centered
approaches. Bringing together distinguished academics and activists
from across the globe, it has examined how Armenian activists can
build coalitions with other dispossessed groups and progressive
movements. Past conference themes have included: Social Justice,
Labor Justice, Media Democracy, and Economic Justice.

From: A. Papazian

REVERSAL REVIVES LAWSUIT BY ARMENIAN GENOCIDE VICTIMS
by Bob Egelko, Chronicle Staff Writer

The San Francisco Chronicle
FINAL Edition
December 12, 2010 Sunday
California

A federal appeals court reversed itself Friday and allowed heirs
of victims of the Armenian genocide to sue in California for unpaid
insurance benefits, finding no conflict between state law and U.S.

foreign policy.

The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had ruled 2-1 in August 2009
that the California law contradicted a national policy of refusing to
characterize Turkey’s killing of as many as 1.5 million Armenians,
between 1915 and 1923, as genocide. The court cited statements by
Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush that characterizing the
slayings as genocide in congressional resolutions would damage U.S.

relations with Turkey.

But after additional written arguments, the court took the unusual
step Friday of withdrawing its ruling and issuing a new 2-1 decision
that upheld the state law.

The law, passed in 2000, allowed descendants of Armenian victims to
sue insurers doing business in California, suits that would otherwise
be barred by legal deadlines. The law said such suits could be filed
until the end of 2010.

“There is no clear federal policy with respect to reference to the
Armenian genocide,” Judge Harry Pregerson, the dissenter in last
year’s ruling, said in Friday’s majority opinion.

Although Clinton and Bush persuaded House members not to vote on
three resolutions labeling the killings as genocide, Pregerson said,
the House passed similar resolutions in 1974 and 1984.

He said President Ronald Reagan referred to the “genocide of the
Armenians” in a 1981 proclamation, and President Obama recognized
Armenian Remembrance Day in 2009 with a statement that mentioned Meds
Yeghern, the Armenian-language term for the genocide.

Forty states have passed laws or resolutions recognizing the Armenian
genocide, and the federal government has never objected, Pregerson
said.

Judge David Thompson, who wrote the majority opinion last year,
restated his views in a dissent Friday, saying Clinton’s and Bush’s
opposition to the congressional resolutions, and their concerns
about U.S.-Turkish relations, demonstrated an “express foreign policy
prohibiting legislative recognition of the ‘Armenian genocide.’ ”

Judge Dorothy Nelson, who had joined Thompson’s earlier opinion,
switched sides and voted with Pregerson.

Most historians view the Armenian killings as a genocide, but the
Turkish government has protested use of the term and urged U.S.

administrations to prevent any congressional endorsement.

The ruling revives a class-action suit by several hundred Armenian
Americans against a German insurance group that challenged the state
law, said Brian Kabateck, lawyer for the policy-holders.

Neil Soltman, lawyer for the German companies, told the Associated
Press that the firms have not decided whether to appeal the ruling.

From: A. Papazian

GENEALOGIST TRACKED ROOTS OF SUBSTANTIVE FAMILY TREES
by Timothy R. Smith

The Washington Post
Suburban Edition
December 12, 2010 Sunday

William Addams Reitwiesner discovered that presidents Warren G.
Harding, Richard M. Nixon and Jimmy Carter were cousins; that the
singer Madonna is related to Camilla Parker Bowles, consort to Prince
Charles; that President Obama had ancestors who were slave owners;
and that at least one U.S. senator was related to Elvis.

Mr. Reitwiesner (RITE-weez-ner), who held a series of low-paying jobs
at the Library of Congress to be near the source of his research,
spent almost all of his spare time devotedly cataloguing the pedigrees
of U.S. political figures, European royals and celebrities.

Almost every day the library was open, he would do research in
its genealogy reading room, working at a long wooden table as he
single-mindedly entered data into a laptop computer.

“Some stay for 10 minutes,” said one reference librarian in the
genealogy reading room. “He stayed all day.”

On Saturdays, Mr. Reitwiesner worked the entire day at the library.
Weeknights, he would often stay until closing at 9 p.m. Then he would
take his work home to his apartment on Capitol Hill, where he moved
so he could always be close to the library.

“I work eight hours a day, sleep six and spend the rest of my time
doing genealogical research,” Mr. Reitwiesner told the New York Times
in 1983.

He did it for fun, receiving no remuneration for his hours of work. By
culling books, newspaper clippings, census records and the occasional
family Bible, he would chart the family trees of the influential and
prominent in thorough detail.

Mr. Reitwiesner, who was 56 when he died Nov. 12 of complications
from rectal cancer at the Washington Home hospice in the District,
documented many of his findings on his Web site. He meticulously
annotated where the information came from, such as slave shipment
schedules, genealogical registers or baptismal reports.

During presidential election cycles, Mr. Reitwiesner traced the
lineages of candidates, and his findings often made news. Former
senator Fred Thompson, a Tennessee Republican, is related to Elvis,
he found. Former president George H.W. Bush’s family tree branched
into three separate royal lines. In one connection, Mr. Reitwiesner
said Bush and James A. Baker III, his secretary of state, were
distant cousins.

“I’ve always been suspicious of far-out claims of kinship,” Baker wrote
in his 2006 memoir, “Work Hard, Study . . . and Keep Out of Politics!,”
“and there’s no way for me to judge the accuracy of Reitwiesner’s work,
other than to say that the bottom of his twelve-generation chart of
my ancestry is consistent with Baker family records.”

When investigating Obama’s background, Mr. Reitwiesner found the
future president’s familial ties to a Virginia slaveholding family.

Mr. Reitwiesner was also an authority on continental European ancestry,
especially Armenian and Syrian influences in the German noble houses.

His seven-volume “Matrilineal Descents of the European Royalty” has
more than 5,500 pages of genealogies, including French and German
royal lines. Some of the families he recorded went back to the turn
of the first millennium.

William Addams Reitwiesner was born in Havre de Grace, Md., on March 8,
1954, and grew up in Aberdeen, Md., and Silver Spring.

He came to genealogy when he was 5. His grandfather, a board member of
the National Genealogical Society, would conduct research in a narrow,
book-filled study at his home in Covington, Va. On visits, William
would explore the study, thumbing through the Encyclopaedia Britannica.

“I think it was a passion for facts,” said Gary Roberts, a Boston-based
genealogist who co-wrote “American Ancestors and Cousins of the
Princess of Wales” (1984) with Mr. Reitwiesner.

Shortly after graduating from Silver Spring’s Montgomery Blair High
School in 1972, Mr. Reitwiesner joined the Library of Congress’s
Congressional Research Division as a cart pusher who fetched books
for congressional offices and eventually became a computer technician.

He was on call during weekends, even though he was almost always at
work – sequestered in the genealogy reading room, sifting through
books.

Sometimes, Mr. Reitwiesner found that he was related to the subjects
he was investigating. Take the case of Reubin Askew, who was governor
of Florida in the 1970s. They were both descended from a British
immigrant who settled in Virginia’s Henrico County.

Mr. Reitwiesner always kept a card of his family tree tucked in
his wallet.

He traced his direct family line back 14 generations to the late 16th
century, listing more than 16,000 relatives.

One of Mr. Reitwiesner’s distant ancestors was Edward I of England.
Another ancestor was elected to Congress on the Know Nothing ticket,
an American nativist political movement before the Civil War, and
another branch of Mr. Reitwiesner’s family came from Bavaria in the
early 20th century. Though consumed by genealogy, Mr. Reitwiesner had
other interests, including contra dancing, a folk dance done in pairs.
He was also an enthusiastic collector of T-shirts with risque slogans.
He relished practical jokes, once rigging a card deck to deal royal
flushes to each player. His snickering belied the prank.

Survivors include his mother, Hom McAllister Reitwiesner of
Gaithersburg; three brothers, Andrew Reitwiesner of Ellenton, Fla.,
John Reitwiesner of Fredericksburg and Henry Reitwiesner of Colorado
Springs; a sister, Dorothy Reitwiesner of Gaithersburg; nieces and
nephews; and countless distant cousins, many times removed.

From: A. Papazian

LAKE SEVAN OVER-FISHING COULD PRODUCE LOCAL ECONOMIC CATASTROPHE
by Marianna Grigoryan

EurasiaNet.org
Dec 13 2010
NY

Days after introducing a 90-day fishing moratorium for Armenia~Rs
Lake Sevan, officials in Yerevan are now pushing for a long-term ban
in a bid to revive the alpine lake~Rs dwindling fish population. But
enforcing any ban may prove problematic, experts say.

Lake Sevan, the Caucasus~R largest high-altitude lake, with a surface
area of about 1,200 square kilometers, provides Armenia with most
of its fresh water. It also acts as an economic lifeline for local
residents who depend on sales of its fish.

The fishing ban, introduced December 3 by Minister of Environmental
Protection Karine Danielian, targets trout and whitefish, two species
that scientists say have experienced a precipitous decline in recent
years. The ban, which went into effect on December 5, will run until
the end of January, a timeframe that covers the breeding season for
both fish. Boats that break the ban can be fined and potentially
confiscated, along with their catch. Fishing for crawfish and other
crustaceans will be allowed from December 28 until December 31 for
New Year~Rs celebrations.

Those caught violating the ban will face a 30,000-50,000 dram
($83.29-$138.81) administrative fine and payment of 5,000 drams
($13.88) for each whitefish caught. Criminal charges could be brought
against those catching more than 40 whitefish

The ban is not a first; attempts to stop whitefish harvesting
routinely occur in the winter months, but are regularly flouted by
local fishermen and market sellers. Ignoring a requirement to use
fishing rods, local residents continue to use commercial fishing
boats and nets to haul in whitefish.

Whitefish, arguably the lake~Rs most popular fish for consumption,
helped many Armenians to survive the economic crisis of the early
1990s. But, over the past decade, whitefish population numbers have
decreased by some 95 percent — to a mere 170 tons, according to
data collected by the National Academy of Sciences~R Hydrology and
Ichthyology Institute, which has conducted research on Lake Sevan since
1923. That number is no longer commercially viable, asserts Hydrology
and Ichthyology Institute Director Boris Gabrielian. By comparison,
in the early 1980s, the lake was estimated to contain approximately
30,000 tons of whitefish.

The lake~Rs trout population is believed to have been depleted too,
although no current population data exists.

~SThe history of Lake Sevan has never seen before such a grave
situation with diminishing fish resources and all its consequent
problems,~T said Gabrielian. ~SIn this situation, a complex,
comprehensive approach is required to fix things.~T Gabrielian said
he has proposed to the government a three-to-four-year ban on Lake
Sevan fishing to recover the whitefish and trout populations. The
lake~Rs whitefish population has been shrinking since 2000, he added.

Ministry of Environmental Protection spokesperson Artsrun Pepanian
told EurasiaNet.org that the ministry, in turn, is advocating at least
a three-year ban on Lake Sevan fishing, a proposal that is currently
under consideration by the government. The ban includes ~Sa series of
complicated measures~T that would require input from law-enforcement
and social welfare agencies.

The ministry, Pepanian continued, is ~Saware of the difficult
situation~T in Lake Sevan, but underlined that consideration must
be given to the ~Sdifficult socio-economic conditions~T for local
residents that could result from a lengthy fishing ban. During a
June 2010 visit to the Lake Sevan region, Armenian Prime Minister
Tigran Sarkisian characterized the issue of local poverty as ~Squite
pressing.~T

~SPrior to imposing a long-term fishing ban, we need to handle this
issue first,~T Pepanian said in reference to the lack of alternative
incomes to fishing.

As in many other regions of Armenia, much of the working-age population
living in the vicinity of Lake Sevan have migrated, leaving in search
of jobs in Russia or Ukraine. Those who remain often rely on the
illegal fishing of whitefish to earn some income.

~SWe have no other option, what can we do?~T said one woman selling
whitefish from a wooden box in a downtown Yerevan market. ~SWe
can~Rt survive if we don~Rt fish.~T As the numbers of whitefish have
decreased, their prices have skyrocketed; roughly a hundred-fold
over the past seven years, from 100 drams (about 40 cents) per fish
to 1,500-2,000 dram (about $4-$5.50) per fish today.

Hydrology and Ichthyology Institute Director Gabrielian emphasized
that if Lake Sevan~Rs fishing ban is not enforced, and the lake~Rs
ecological equilibrium restored, nearby residents will have an even
tougher time making ends meet. ~SThe lake does not have a single
generation of whitefish to make reproduction possible,~T Gabrielian
said. ~SThe whitefish do not manage to spawn and breed; this means
if no measures are taken, it will become absolutely extinct.~T

If a long-term ban is imposed, poaching stopped and water quality
improved, ~Sthe reproduction of fish will be restored~T to normal
levels, he said.

Some environmentalists are pessimistic that a ban will have much
effect. If anti-poaching measures had been taken in the past,
~Swe wouldn~Rt face the situation we have today,~T commented Hakob
Sanasarian, chairperson of the Greens Union of Armenia. Sanasarian
characterized the current ban as ~Sa mere formality.~T

Editor’s note: Marianna Grigoryan is a freelance reporter in Yerevan.

From: A. Papazian

GEORGIA TO MAKE CONCESSIONS FOR THE SAKE OF MONASTERY, EXPERT SAYS

news.am
Dec 13 2010
Armenia

Azerbaijan and Georgia can solve the dispute over territories during
demarcation of the border, said expert on Caucasian studies Mamuka
Areshidze.

He does not rule out the possibility that the Georgian government
may cede Erisimedi village in exchange for David Gareja complex,
RBK reported.

According to him, Georgia faces the same problem with Marneuli region
southern part of which is bordering with Armenia. “Sometimes cattle
disappear in this region. In 2009 some people were arrested,” he said.

As NEWS.am reported earlier, the Azerbaijani side has recently
rejected Tbilisi’s proposal to exchange other territory for David
Gareja monastery complex.

According to Kakheti news centre, the Georgian side offered Azerbaijan
to shift the border to the south of Udabno cave, but the Azerbaijani
side refused to do so.

The ancient Georgian cultural and religious monastery is contentious
and the Georgian-Azerbaijani border needs to be clarified. The
monastery is divided between the two countries. Georgia proposed
Azerbaijan to exchange other territory for the remainder of
David Gareja because of its historical and cultural significance
to Georgians. Baku disapproves of this land swap because of David
Gareja’s strategic military importance.

Today, the monastery is on the territory of Azerbaijan.

From: A. Papazian

CENTER FOR HOLOCAUST & GENOCIDE STUDIES

An American Scandal

The complaint targets the Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies,
which is part of the University of Minnesota. This Center has a
website for students and researchers which suggests, among other
things, recommended readings. It also indicates that other texts
on these subjects are “unreliable,” beginning with the texts of the
Turkish Coalition.

This has angered Turkish lobbyists, who are filing suit against the
university, its president, and educator Bruno Chaouat, who directs the
Center. They have been defamed, they say, they are being denied the
right to speak. They pose as victims because academics have passed
scientific judgment on denialist discourse–which is their right,
indeed their duty. The university is defending itself, of course,
and has every chance of winning this unjust lawsuit. But doubt has
been sown in people’s minds.

All this may seem far, very far, from us. In reality, we are directly
concerned. Not only because the academic in question, Bruno Chaouat,
is a French citizen. What happens today in Minneapolis could occur
tomorrow in Paris, if we are not careful.

Among us also, the denial of the Armenian Genocide has its advocates.

And the deniers of all genocides are alike. Not satisfied with
preaching hatred, they want to impose their presence in a discussion
where they have no place.

Imagine Pierre Pean giving a course on the Tutsi genocide in Rwanda,
imagine Faurisson and Garaudy teaching the history of the Shoah.

Ridiculous, hateful, intolerable? Yes, but not much more than what
some people claim to be dictating to the University of Minnesota. The
battle of this university and its teachers for the simple right to
tell the truth about genocide is our struggle as well.

© Meïr Waintrater Posted December 8, 2010, by Menahem Macina at
france-israel.org

Original text in French:

See also:

From: A. Papazian