Author: Andres-Papazian

Prime Minister: It’s time for liberty

Aysor.am
Saturday,December 11, 2010

Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan today attended a forum under the title
`Legal aspects of Artsakh self-determination under current
international legal challenges: before and after Kosovo,’ organized by
the Center for International and Comparative Law.

Addressing the forum the Prime Minister reminded that on December 10
we marked the 19th anniversary of holding independence referendum in
Artsakh.

`Thus, opening the forum on legal aspects of Artsakh
self-determination makes us think about the idea of liberty.

The modern world no longer puts up with empires built on violence and
deprivation of liberty.

For sure, now it’s time for liberty.

For our people, liberty is not merely a noun. For centuries, we
witnessed many empires suppress our liberty.

We realized we cannot develop unless we are free, unless we have
internal and external liberty,’ government press office quoted Tigran
Sargsyan as saying.

From: A. Papazian

T. Sargsyan: Artsakh has all grounds for full self-determination

Aysor.am
Saturday,December 11, 2010

The people of Artsakh knows exactly what it wants, and, for sure, we
will achieve our goal, Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan declared in his
speech at the forum under the title `Legal aspects of Artsakh
self-determination under current international legal challenges:
before and after Kosovo.’

The forum is organized by the Center for International and Comparative Law.

Tigran Sargsyan stressed that Artsakh has a stronger legal, political
and military, historical ground than Kosovo to achieve full
self-determination.

The Prime Minister expressed hope that the forum will help us find
answers to all key questions.

From: A. Papazian

Karina Hambardzumyan among the best chess players

Friday,
December 10

The master of FIDE Poghos Nahapetyan in the tournament of Russian
Students that ended in Moscow till the last second had the opportunity
of keeping the name of the champion. However on the last round he was
defeated by Grandmaster Igor Lisi. The latter received 7.5 points from
the possible 9 and took the first prize. Nahapetyan received the 9th
place with score of 6.

The international master Karina Hambarzumova as the armchess.am
reported has received 5.5 points and became the best one among the
participant chess players.

Aysor.am

From: A. Papazian

December 10 celebrated as Human Rights Day

armradio.am
10.12.2010 10:51

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, issued a statement
on Human Rights Day:

`When it comes to human rights, we sometimes forget how much we owe to
others – the hundreds of thousands of unsung heroes, known
collectively as human rights defenders.

They have changed history, tackling injustice and discrimination
wherever they found it.

Some of their names will be known to you: Emmeline Pankhurst, Mahatma
Ghandi, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, Rigoberta Menchú.

But the great majority are unknown to the world at large.

They range from princes and politicians to women and men from all
walks of life. Some rich, some poor. Some intellectuals, others barely
literate.

No formal qualifications are required. We can all be human rights
defenders and we all should be.

It just takes commitment and courage.

Every year, thousands of human rights defenders are harassed, abused,
unjustly jailed and murdered. Often their families are targeted as
well.

That is why, this year, Human Rights Day is dedicated to human rights
defenders and their magnificent battle to stop discrimination.

We need to stand up for their rights, so they can continue to stand up
for ours.’

Human Rights Day is celebrated annually across the world on 10 December.

The date was chosen to honor the United Nations General Assembly’s
adoption and proclamation, on 10 December 1948, of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the first global enunciation of
human rights.

The formal establishment of Human Rights Day occurred at the 317th
Plenary Meeting of the General Assembly on 4 December 1950, when the
General Assembly declared resolution 423(V), inviting all member
states and any other interested organizations to celebrate the day as
they saw fit.

From: A. Papazian

President to attend CSTO, CIS Heads of State sessions

Aysor.am
Friday,December 10, 2010

President Serzh Sargsyan will attend CSTO Collective Security Council
session and CIS Heads of State session today in Moscow.

CSTO summit is scheduled for the first half of the day. Russia will
pass CSTO Presidency to Belarus.

The Kremlin is convinced that the negotiations `will boost
continuation and development of cooperation between CSTO member states
on reinforcement of stability and security in the space of
Organization’s responsibility,’ as reported by ITAR-TASS.

Declaration of CSTO member states and Declaration on the CSTO
Peacekeeping Forces are expected to be adopted today.

From: A. Papazian

Most likely candidates for justice minister known

13:02 – 10.12.10

Tert.am has learned from reliable sources the names of most probable
candidates for the position of justice minister.

They are: Artur Osikyan, deputy chief o Police; Griogor Badiryan, the
chairman of Public Council’s State and Legal Affairs Committee; and
Davit Harutyunyan, the chairman of the National Assembly’s State and
Legal Affairs Committee.

Tert.am

From: A. Papazian

Rwanda genocide archive unveiled

10 December 2010 Last updated at 09:36 GMT

Thousands of documents and photos are going on display

An archive of Rwanda’s genocide is being unveiled in the capital, Kigali.

Thousands of documents, photographs and audio-visual recordings have
been collected from survivors, witnesses and perpetrators of the 1994
genocide.

An estimated 800,000 people were killed in 1994, most from Rwanda’s
Tutsi ethnic group.

The initiative is the work of the Rwandan government and the UK-based
Aegis Trust, which works to prevent crimes against humanity.

All across the country there are chilling memorials, like the one at
Nyamata Church, close to Kigali.

But BBC East Africa correspondent Will Ross says the archive is a new
way of learning about the events of 1994, some of which will be
available online.

Places where the atrocities took place have also been mapped using the
GPS satellite system.

Our correspondent says the idea is that as Rwanda develops and the
landscape changes, the evidence of where the atrocities took place
will not be erased forever.

However, the genocide remains an extremely contentious issue, he says.

It is illegal to dispute the government’s official version of the
events of 1994.

Critics of President Paul Kagame say he has used laws relating to the
genocide to oppress his opponents and to maintain a firm grip on
power.

From: A. Papazian

Arrest of Wikileaks leader indicates lack of democracy – Putin

MOSCOW, December 9 (RIA Novosti)

The arrest of enigmatic Wikileaks founder Julian Assange indicates a
problem with democracy, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on
Thursday.

“If they have a full democracy, why have they hidden mister Assange
away in prison? Is that what democracy is?” the premier said at a
briefing with his French counterpart Francois Fillon.

“In Russian villages they say ‘some people’s cows can moo, but yours
should keep quiet.’ So I would like to shoot the puck back at our
American colleagues,” Putin added.

Assange was arrested in London on December 7. His extradition to
Sweden, where he is wanted on sex assault charges, is pending.

World leaders and diplomats have downplayed the impact of the leak of
more than 250,000 confidential U.S. diplomatic cables by the Wikileaks
site, but many have questioned the benefit of the project, alleging
that some of the leaks could “threaten lives.”

The 39-year-old Australian currently tops an online poll for Time
Person of the Year. The choice will be made by the editors of the
magazine next Wednesday.

On Wednesday, a source in the Kremlin told RIA Novosti Assange should
be nominated for a Nobel Prize.

From: A. Papazian

Catholicos Aram I Declares 2011 as `Year of the Child’

Wednesday, December 8th, 2010
by Asbarez

ANTELIAS, Lebanon – In a recent Pontifical message addressed to the
Prelates and the faithful, His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the
Great House of Cilicia declared 2011 as the year when all Prelacies
should give special attention to the problems and concerns related to
children and reflect on the `UN Convention on Children’s Rights.’

The declaration follows a decade of activism on global issues by
Catholicos Aram I, who has been trying to raise awareness about social
and human issues and their impact on the lives of different members of
the community.

The `Year of the Child’ comes after the `Year of Women.’ It is his
wish that at the end of the year, there will be a vision statement
similar to the one written for women. Such a statement will help
communities embrace children’s issues and empower them toward their
future responsibilities, as they are the future of the church and the
community.

From: A. Papazian

Tigran Sargsyan: Behavior of officials important
09.12.2010 11:38

Hasmik Dilanyan
`Radiolur’

The Head of the Compulsory Enforcement Service violated the ethic
norms, while Justice Minister Gevorg Danielyn failed to follow the
directive of publicly punishing him, Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan
said at the Government sitting today.

`I think it’s inadmissible,’ the Prime Minister said, adding `We all
should attach great importance to norms of ethics and the behavior of
officials. We should be exigent and exclude the behavior that simply
breaches the public trust.’

`If we want the country to develop as determined by the Government
program, much depends on our behavior,’ he said.

The Prime Minister promised to be strict on the issue in the future..

From: A. Papazian