Author: Andres-Papazian

GENOCIDE, FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

Today’s Zaman
July 28 2010
Turkey

If you’ve ever visited official buildings in Turkey, you may have
noticed this “quotation” thing: On every building we have quotations
from Ataturk.

There may be some other quotations from other prominent figures, but
mostly from the founder of the Turkish Republic. If we have enough
confidence one day, I believe, we will put insightful quotations from
all historical figures across the globe.

Why don’t we see an inspiring sentence from Socrates, Kant, Spinoza,
Dostoyevsky or a great number of others on official Turkish buildings?

This would be a fantastic education for all of us, reminding that we
are members of humanity, not only a nation.

If I had the opportunity I would put a few quotations about freedom
of expression on the buildings of the courts across the country. As
you know, we still have a lot of problems when it comes to expressing
ideas that are in conflict with the official ideology or official
interpretation of history in Turkey.

We have some shameful bans; we cannot access YouTube, for example.

Silencing and intimidating journalists through court cases is still
a very strong tendency. It is quite ironic, but so many journalists
are under prosecution because of news they prepared or columns they
wrote about the Ergenekon case. These cases are brought against
the journalists who fight against the gang, whereas pro-Ergenekon
publications enjoy much greater freedom of expression and also make
a fuss by their allegations that the Ergenekon case has turned Turkey
into a republic of fear. Å~^amil Tayyar, from the Star daily, has just
recently declared that he would cease writing his column due to the
enormous number of criminal cases brought against him. He said there
is almost one case pending for every single article he has written.

Tayyar is most famous for his books and articles revealing the
connections of the Ergenekon network.

We are in this shameful situation not only because of the prevailing
mentality within the judiciary, which always opts for limiting free
expression wherever it finds the opportunity to do so, but also due
to this government’s gross negligence and unwillingness to change
the articles and laws that limit freedom of expression in Turkey. As
a result of this terrible combination of bad laws and extremely
restrictive interpretations, we still have a serious freedom of
expression problem.

I would like to put the following three quotations on courts and on
some ministries’ buildings in Turkey.

The first one is of course from Voltaire, a famous one about the
moral premises of free expression:

“I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your
right to say it.”

For those who imposed censorship on the Internet, a quote from American
comedian Tommy Smothers: “The only valid censorship of ideas is the
right of people not to listen.”

We should also find a place for this magnificent quote from Noam
Chomsky: “If we don’t believe in freedom of expression for people we
despise, we don’t believe in it at all.”

But I should definitely put the following comment from the European
Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in the Handyside v. United Kingdom
judgment on the walls of every single criminal court in Turkey dealing
with press and freedom of expression-related cases:

“Freedom of expression is applicable not only to ‘information’ or’
ideas’ that are favorably received or regarded as inoffensive or
as a matter of indifference, but also to those that offend, shock
or disturb the state or any sector of the population. Such are the
demands of that pluralism, tolerance and broadmindedness without
which there is no ‘democratic society’.”

Amongst all these pessimistic things I mentioned there has been
a quite hopeful development very recently which somehow has not
attracted the attention it deserves.

As you know, the infamous Article 311 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK),
which concerns “denigrating Turkishness,” had been amended in 2008
and to introduce prior permission from the Ministry of Justice as
a precondition to file a case under this article. Despite the harsh
criticism coming from the EU and human rights circles, we could not
get rid of this article altogether. However, the recent refusal of
the Ministry of Justice to grant permission for further prosecution
of editors of the Armenian Agos newspaper has sparked hope for the
future of freedom of expression in Turkey.

The Ministry of Justice sent exactly the same paragraph quoted
above from the ECtHR judgment to the prosecutors who had wanted to
press charges against Agos and told them that the usage of the word
“genocide” is within the acceptable limits of freedom of expression.

I really hope this interpretation by the Ministry of Justice will be
the beginning of a new era in Turkey in which the limits of freedom
of expression will be gradually expanded. I hope, after this comment,
the government will review Article 301 and many other articles of the
TCK to expand the limits of freedom of expression and bring Turkey
into the first league of democracies.

From: A. Papazian

BELIEVERS GATHER TO SEE ‘CRYING’ MARY STATUE
Sid Garcia

abc7.com

July 27 2010

GLENDALE, Calif. (KABC) — In the living room of a modest home in
Glendale, they come to pray.

Some become emotional over a statue of Mary. In the Armenian Catholic
community, she’s Maryam.

Since last Monday, people from Glendale, and as far away as Pasadena
and Montebello, have come to pray to her.

According to the homeowner, Ana Hid, who said she’s a deeply religious
woman, the statue started to shine, it felt oily.

“She was shining,” Hid said. “I grabbed the statue, and my hand,
it was all oily.”

Word got out, and some admit they were curious to see what was going
on inside.

“What I see is people filled with hope,” said Rosie Rizo of Los
Angeles. “I think there are a lot of families asking for help in
different aspects of their lives, and are praying for a better today
and a better tomorrow.”

When people arrived at the humble home on Tuesday, some were skeptical,
some were very religious. When some came out of the house, they said
they felt something had happened to them.

“It’s a blessing,” said Micha Abounassar of Glendale. “It’s a strong
bond that unites us all, no matter who we are, where we are, where
we come from. We are all the same.”

When the visitors are told that there’s probably a scientific
explanation for what’s happening, some will agree to a point

“Look at (how many) cars,” said neighbor Kerop Jabourian, motioning
to the street. “Believe me, I’ve never seen this here in 40 years.”

According to representatives from both the Armenian community
and Catholic Church, they haven’t given this their blessing as an
apparition, but they both pointed to the message being made: this is
bringing neighbors closer in prayer.

From: A. Papazian

CASTING CALL FOR THE ALBANIAN BRAVEHEART: A SENATE HOPEFUL’S HOLLYWOOD DREAM
Christian Lorentzen

New York Observer

July 27 2010

When the Transom first encountered former congressman Joe DioGuardi,
the Republican who is making a primary bid to challenge Kristen
Gillibrand for her Senate seat, he was talking about a severed head.

The head belonged to the top lieutenant of General Gjergj Kastriadi,
a.k.a. Skenderbeg, and had been delivered to the general in a valise
from the Ottoman Sultan Mehmet II, after Skanderbeg had dispatched the
lieutenant to deliver the terms of a truce. There would be no truce,
and the Ottomans would continue battling the rebel general until his
death in 1468, only then regaining their hold of his native Albania.

If that sounds like the stuff of a Hollywood epic, Mr. DioGuardi
agrees.

“It’s like Braveheart,” Mr. DioGuardi told the Transom. “It’s a story
about freedom that Americans need to hear. That’s why we have a movie
in development.

We were standing on the deck of the U.S.S. Intrepid, where Mr.
DioGuardi was regaling a table of Republican well-wishers, gathered
for a fund-raiser for Iraq Veterans for Congress, with tales of the
Albanian hero. They were taking a break from enumerating the failings
of Senator Chuck Schumer and President Obama to linger on an obscure
episode from medieval Balkan history.

Christian-born but forcibly converted to Islam, Kastriadi was an
ethnic Albanian Ottoman subject enlisted in the ranks of janissaries,
officers of the Ottoman army. (“To the Armenians the pen, to the
Albanians the sword,” went an old Ottoman saying.) He earned the
moniker Skenderbeg and the title of general for his military prowess.

(The name is a Turkification of Alexander the Great.) In 1443, after
his father’s death, Skenderbeg switched sides, and proved a chronic
thorn in the Sultanate’s side until his death in 1468.

While accumulating what is believed to be the highest body count of
any rival to the Turks, he also formed alliances with various Italian
factions, and the King of Naples granted 2,000 of his horsemen a
settlement in a mountain village, still called Katundi by their
descendants but known as Greci to Italian speakers. It is here that
the Bronx-raised Mr. DioGuardi traces his roots.

“My father, Joseph Sr.” Mr. Dio-Guardi has written, “immigrated to
America from Katundi in 1929 at the age of 15. His family is descended
from one of Skenderbeg’s two thousand soldiers, and this is a reminder
that the seeds of Skenderbeg are still spreading across the oceans
of the world today.”

Among those seeds is Mr. DioGuardi’s son, Kara DioGuardi, a successful
singer-songwriter and now a host on American Idol.

On the Intrepid that evening, Mr. DioGuardi told the Transom,
“There wouldn’t be a state of Kosovo if not for me and Shirley,”
referring to his wife, Shirley Cloyes DioGuardi, a longtime advocate
of human-rights interventions who testified to Congress about the
case for the Kosovo war.

“My wife and I put Milosevic in the Hague, where he committed suicide
by not taking his medication,” Mr. DioGuardi elaborated.

After U.N.’s International Court of Justice last week declared that
Kosovo’s unilateral declaration of independence from Serbia did not
violate international law, the Transom got back in touch with Mr.
DioGuardi over the phone.

“I was the first one to put in a resolution calling for independence
in 1992,” he said. “This vindicates me. The State Department was
calling me a radical secessionist.”

What about the movie?

“There’s no question in my mind,” he said, “that this story is
the parallel to Braveheart. All the elements are here, and it will
show America the true face of the Albanian people. We don’t have
a screenplay yet, but we have concept paper by an incredible young
screenwriter. I sent him one book, and he got so interested he spent
eight months to a year researching this character. He zeroed in on
the years 1440 to 1455, where Skenderbeg had his awakening.

“The concept paper is 11 pages. A screenplay is much more elaborate,
and I’m trying to fund this through a foundation. This has been
an Albanian dream for years. It needs to be done by some of the
best Hollywood producers. Once you have a screenplay that is really
professional with this story, if you take it to a Hollywood studio,
it will be funded almost automatically. I’m not doing this for me. It’s
for Albanians everywhere.”

Mr. DioGuardi’s hopes are not without precedent. A joint
Soviet-Albanian production of the story was made in 1953; a Yugoslav
version appeared in 1968.

As for his electoral prospects, Mr. DioGuardi said, “I’m in there,
and I’m gonna win it. I’m the only one on the Conservative line,
which you need to be to win a Republican primary.” Mr. DioGuardi
leads his Republican rivals in the primary race but still trails the
incumbent by a margin of 51-29, according to a recent poll.

“Gillibrand is sinking like a rock,” he said. “Obama’s dropping,
so she’s dropping. Remember, I’m the only practicing certified
accountant ever elected to Congress. I was a waiter. I worked for
Arthur Anderson. I work hard, like my father taught me, and I taught
my daughter. That’s what America is all about.”

And who should play Skenderbeg?

“If he were younger, I would pick Sean Connery,” said Mr. DioGuardi.

“The next guy would have to be Russell Crowe. His performance in
Gladiator was immense.”

From: A. Papazian

OUR CENTURY
Artavazd Peleshian

Monthly Review

July 27 2010

Artavazd Peleshian, born in 1938, is an Armenian filmmaker. USSR:
Yerevan Film Studio, 1982. Cf. “One of the central motifs is the rhythm
of the 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 countdown that leads up to the
launch of the rockets. Often, this rhythm dissolves into the sound
of a heartbeat. I assume one implication is that the pressure of our
personal time running out as ‘our age,’ our physical age in years,
increases, leads us to ‘launch’ projects that may seem beyond us. As
our time runs out, we want to transcend ‘our age’; and the nature of
‘our age’ is determined by the kinds of transcendent ‘launches’ we
tend to instigate” (Scott MacDonald, A Critical Cinema: Interviews with
Independent Filmmakers, University of California Press, 1998, p. 100).

From: A. Papazian

MARK UDALL CALLED ARMENIAN GENOCIDE DEFECTOR BY ADVOCACY GROUP IN CANDIDATE REPORT CARD
Michael Roberts

Westword (Denver)

July 27 2010

In April, Senator Mark Udall marked the anniversary of the 1915
Armenian genocide with a strongly worded statement. But these words
didn’t satisfy Rocky Mountain Hye Advocates, an organization trying
to get all members of the Colorado congressional delegation to support
a national Aremenian genocide resolution.

RMHA has issued a report card on these efforts, and both Udall and
Representative Ed Perlmutter are described as “Armenian genocide
defectors” for failing to co-sponsor such a resolution, which became
complicated by a border deal involving Armenia and Turkey.

As for current candidates, the group grades each on his or her
statements regarding co-sponsorship of the resolution and their
willingness to place such a pledge on campaign websites, where
accountability can be measured. On the senate side, Andrew Romanoff
and Ken Buck come in for special praise, while Michael Bennet and Jane
Norton earn incompletes. Among House of Representatives hopefuls,
Perlmutter is joined in the dunce-cap brigade by Betsy Markey, Doug
Lamborn, Mike Coffman and Lang Sias, who has thus far failed to respond
to the outfit’s entreaties. And you can bet there’ll be more of them.

Here’s the RMHA’s analysis:

Rocky Mountain Hye Advocates announces the outcome of its nine
month advocacy initiative with 2010 Colorado Delegation Members
and candidates, promoting support for a national Armenian genocide
resolution.

RMHA is a Colorado based non-partisan volunteer advocacy group. In 2008
it became the first Armenian American organization in the nation to
successfully collect Armenian genocide resolution support pledges from
every currently sitting Colorado Delegation member. Colorado’s General
Assembly, Governor, and Denver Mayor annually recognize the Armenian
genocide as historical fact. RMHA’s objective is to secure the full
support of Colorado’s Delegation in implementing this Armenian genocide
legislative mandate, thereby representing the ‘will of Colorado.’

Background: In 2009, following the posting of the Armenian genocide
resolution [H.Res.215], three Colorado Delegation Members honored their
pledge while four failed to uphold theirs. RMHA initiated bold action,
lauding repeated praise for resolution co-sponsors Representatives
DeGette [D/1], Polis [D/2], and Salazar [D/3] and, at the same time,
advising Colorado Armenians of Members who had defected. RMHA’s free
community e-newsletter spread the message.

Later, RMHA issued press releases on its two most prominent Armenian
genocide defectors publicizing its pay-to-play investigation of
Representative Perlmutter [D/7] and the desertion of Colorado’s Senior
Senator Udall [D] as a resolution co-sponsor [S.Res 316]…

The Candidates:

Andrew Romanoff [D] was the first candidate to announce his Armenian
genocide statement and pledge his original resolution co-sponsorship.

His October 2009 statement was released as he declared his candidacy.

It received widespread national Armenian press coverage. Romanoff
reaffirmed his pledge on May 20th and posted it, with his earlier
statement, on his campaign website.

Romanoff became the first Senate candidate to officially champion his
pledge as an official campaign position. In his more recent statement,
Romanoff referenced the unanimity of state bi-partisan legislative
support and declared that it merits a strong Colorado U.S. Senate
position on the Armenian Genocide. He further stated, “Efforts in
Congress, however, to similarly stand together have languished. So I
am renewing my pledge to vigorously work for the Senate adoption of
an Armenian Genocide resolution, and I am proud to do so.”

Ken Buck [R] issued his first Armenian genocide co-sponsorship pledge
statement in February. He reaffirmed it in a June 2nd press release
stating that, “As global leaders, we as Americans are charged with the
responsibility of perpetuating statements and policies that respect
the inalienable rights of every person. As the next U.S. Senator from
Colorado, I will proudly co-sponsor a resolution that will finally
acknowledge the brutality against the Armenians for what it was:
genocide.” Buck is the only Senate candidate to offer a public
announcement of his pledge. It was reported in the Greeley Tribune.

His pledge statements may be found on his campaign web site, confirming
it as an official campaign position.

Michael Bennet [D] is seeking election to a seat he currently holds as
an appointee. In February he became Colorado’s only Armenian genocide
co-sponsor [S.Res.316] sustaining the non-partisan tradition of
past Colorado Senators Allard [R] and Salazar [D]. That same month,
he issued his campaign pledge. It came with an escape clause, “…I
also pledge to support similar legislation in the 2010-2011 Congress”
while at the same time Bennet acknowledges “the lessons of ignoring a
travesty such as this have been made all too clear.” The Senate term
for this seat extends to 2015. RMHA has asked Senator Bennet to issue
a full six year pledge announcement and to post it on his campaign
web site. Bennet is the only Colorado Senate candidate with a family
Holocaust experience — a narrative he shared in his pledge letter.

Jane Norton [R] issued her campaign pledge in January and wrote, “I am
honored to pledge that if elected to serve the citizens of Colorado
as their Senator, I will co-sponsor an Armenian genocide resolution
until our nation affirms this tragic historical event.” RMHA has
requested Ms. Norton take the next step and post her statement on
her campaign web site.

RMHA hopes its media effort will sensitize absent Delegation members
on both sides of the aisle — and Senator Udall — to public scrutiny
broadcasting their failure to honor their 2008 campaign pledge on
this human rights issue, the Armenian genocide. The organization
urges every Member who broke their oath to our community to take
this opportunity to rectify their omission of support and become a
resolution co-sponsor.

See below for an Armenian genocide position review of district Members
and challenging candidates.

Representative Diana DeGette [D/1] honored her 2008 Armenian genocide
campaign pledge and co-sponsored H.Res.215 in April 2009. As a gesture
of respect, RMHA has not sought 2010 campaign pledges in District 1.

Representative Jared Polis [D/2] honored his 2008 Armenian genocide
campaign pledge and co-sponsored H.Res.215 in April 2009. As a gesture
of respect, RMHA has not sought 2010 campaign pledges in District 2.

Representative John Salazar [D3] honored his 2008 Armenian genocide
campaign pledge and co-sponsored H.Res.215 in April 2009. As a gesture
of respect, RMHA has not sought 2010 campaign pledges in District 3.

Representative Betsy Markey [D/4] provided her 2008 campaign pledge
to support the Armenian genocide resolution. To date, she has failed
to act on that pledge. She has remained silent since April 2009 when
H.Res.252 was introduced. Ms. Markey broke with the human rights record
of her predecessor, a two-term Armenian genocide resolution co-sponsor.

Cory Gardner [R/4] has pledged to sustain his General Assembly record
of Armenian genocide co-sponsorship, if elected to serve in the House
of Representatives.

Representative Doug Lamborn [R/5] provided his 2008 campaign pledge to
support the Armenian genocide resolution. While a member of Colorado’s
General Assembly, Lamborn co-sponsored an Armenian genocide resolution
and continued in that tradition during part of his first term in the
House. He later withdrew his name in the 110th session and, despite
his ’08 campaign pledge, has not renewed his co-sponsorship. He
is unchallenged.

Representative Mike Coffman [R/6] provided his 2008 campaign pledge
to support the Armenian genocide resolution. To date, he has failed
to act on that pledge.

John Flerlage [D/6] has pledged to co-sponsor an Armenian genocide
resolution if elected to serve in the House of Representatives. In
April 2010, he included his pledge statement to RMHA in his campaign
newsletter and subsequently posted it on his campaign web site. He was
the first candidate to take this action and his leadership served as
an example to other candidates who subsequently replicated his action.

Representative Ed Perlmutter [D/7] co-sponsored an Armenian genocide
resolution in the General Assembly and in his first House term. He
pledged in 2008 to continue that 9 year level of activism. In April
2009 he announced he would not co-sponsor H.Res.252. Later that
year RMHA released the results of its pay-to-play investigation. It
revealed the Congressman had accepted nearly $30,000.00 in campaign
contributions from American military contractors publicly exposed as
lobbying against an adoption of the Armenian genocide resolution.

Perlmutter is not on any House committee associated with the military
or veterans. The investigation was reported in two articles published
in the Eastern Colorado News (2009) and subsequently in the national
Armenian media.

Ryan Frazier [R/7] seeking to represent Congressional District 7 in the
general election issued his Armenian genocide co-sponsorship pledge
in February declaring, “I will add my voice to the national effort
to recognize the historical facts of the atrocities that occurred
and co-sponsor a House Armenian Genocide Resolution.” Mr.

Frazier is facing a primary contest and is the only district candidate
to have provided an Armenian genocide pledge statement. Mr. Ryan issued
a second statement this April for the RMHA Genocide Commemoration
issue, “If evil is not recognized and confronted, atrocities like
this one could happen again.”

Lang Sias [R/7] has not responded to repeated requests to provide an
Armenian genocide resolution pledge statement.

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIAN LAWYERS LEARNING FROM CRESTVIEW HILLS LAW FIRM
David Kohli

kypost.com

July 27 2010
Kentucky

Visit is part of Community Connections program

CRESTVIEW HILLS, Ky. – Crestview Hills law firm Dressman Benzinger
Lavelle recently played host to 10 Armenian lawyers.

The visit was part of a Community Connections program designed to
give the Armenian lawyers some insight into how American law firms
operate and also build relationships between the two countries lawyers.

The 10 lawyers are from the Armenian capital of Yerevan. All work in
a new law firm or Armenia’s new public defender program. Armenia is
transitioning to a more democratic judiciary system.

“We are showing them ideas they can implement immediately and also
ideas they can work toward over the years,” said Jan Sherbin, who is
managing the Community Connections program.

The Armenian lawyers will spend three weeks in the Cincinnati area,
visiting law firms, courts, judges, law professionals and universities.

From: A. Papazian

GM GABRIELIAN PERFORMS SUCCESSFUL START AT PARDUBICE CHESS OPEN

Aysor
July 27 2010
Armenia

Grand Masters Artur Gabrielian and Sergey Kasparov have scored 3,5
points out of 4 at the Chess Open taking place in Czech town of
Pardubice and are a half a point behind tournament’s three leaders,
Armenian Chess Federation said.

GM Sergey Grigoriants scored 3 points, IM Karina Hambardzumova earned
2 points. The Open Chess tournament in Pardubice gathered together
310 players.

From: A. Papazian

IT IS TIME TO CALL TO LIFE RESOLUTION “RECOGNITION FROM BELOW”

Aysor
July 27 2010
Armenia

“We welcomed International Court of Justice ruling on Kosovo but the
point is what actions we can expect after it,” European Integration NGO
Chairman, political scientist Karen Bekaryan told a press conference.

“It is high time that we try to consider the two processes – Nagorno
Karabakh peaceful settlement and Nagorno Karabakh recognition as
parallel processes developing separately,” Bekaryan stressed mentioning
that Hague Court ruling is a very convenient occasion for NKR Foreign
Ministry to act.

Karen Bekaryan also attached importance to Artsakh parliament’s role
and activity.

In his words, “it is high time to use all possible methods to call
to life resolution “recognition from below.”

Thus he attached importance to use of all international arenas to
demonstrate Artsakh’s being a subject. Besides active foreign policy,
according to him, “we should expect active involvement from NKR today.”

From: A. Papazian

“HAGUE COURT RULING WILL AFFECT NEGOTIATIONS”

Aysor
July 27 2010
Armenia

“International Court of Justice ruling will have a direct impact on
the Nagorno Karabakh settlement negotiations,” European Integration
NGO Chairman, political scientist Karen Bekaryan said.

The political scientist is convinced that Armenian parliamentary
diplomacy has a possibility of taking rather interesting steps. The
parliament can initiate steps to launch consultations with friendly
countries’ parliaments to achieve Karabakh recognition.

He also said that Armenia’s civil society and media should be more
active in this issue.

The Armenian Diaspora should prioritize the Nagorno Karabakh
recognition process, according to the speaker.

From: A. Papazian

TIME FOR RECOGNITION OF ARTSAKH INDEPENDENCE IS NOT APPROPRIATE

Aysor
July 27 2010
Armenia

Now it is not appropriate time for recognition of Artsakh independence,
European Integration NGO Chairman, political scientist Karen Bekaryan
told reporters.

The political scientist quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh
Kocharyan to have said that “the issue of Nagorno Karabakh recognition
is always on Armenia’s agenda, there is just a problem of appropriate
time and occasion.”

“To work on recognition does not imply to work with Armenia only,”
Bekaryan said.

From: A. Papazian