Author: Andres-Papazian

EVENTUALLY HOW MUCH WATER IS LEFT FROM LAKE SEVAN?

12:30 February 24, 2015

PanArmenian Environmental Front

It’s commonly known that the water let out from Lake Sevan is used
to produce electricity in Sevan-Hrazdan cascade. “Sevan-Hrazdan
Cascade” CJSC with its seven HPPs was transferred into the ownership
of “International Energetic Corporation” CJSC on 17 July 2003,
who published an information booklet in English and Russian in
2005. The first page of this booklet literally says, “…at least
350-440 million cum water will be annually let out for irrigation
and energetic purposes without causing any harm to Lake Sevan…”

These lines evidently show while transferring the cascade to the
Russian party in 2003, it was guaranteed to let out such volumes of
water from Lake Sevan, otherwise these figures wouldn’t appear in
the official booklet of International Energetic Corporation.

Taking into consideration the fact that less water is transferred
through Arpa-Sevan tunnel to Lake Sevan in recent years than it used
to flow in 2002-2010, while Vorotan-Arpa tunnel hasn’t been exploited
so far, it becomes clear why the increase in the lake level stopped
after 2010.

The public has serious concerns, which will be grounded, if the
following measures are taken:

1. To immediately operate an automatic system for daily monitoring
to control the volumes of water let out from Lake Sevan and flowing
through Vorotan-Arpa-Sevan tunnel, so as each Armenian citizen could
follow this process.

2. To present clear and precise explanations to public, why
Vorotan-Arpa tunnel is not operated at all, and why the rehabilitation
works of Arpa-Sevan tunnel are so prolonged and when will they finish.

3. To display daily information on the official websites of MES
Hydromet Service and Nature Protection Ministry about the volumes
of water flowing into and out of Lake Sevan, as well as to provide
information about the fullness of the main reservoirs in Armenia.

From: A. Papazian

LE PRESIDENT SARKISSIAN SALUE LA DECLARATION DE CRACOVIE DES MEDIATEURS DU KARABAGH

ARMENIE

Le president armenien a recu les co-presidents du Groupe de Minsk
de l’OSCE, Igor Popov (Russie), James Warlick (Etats-Unis), Pierre
Andrieu (France), et le Representant personnel du President de l’OSCE
en exercice, Andrzej Kasprzyk.

Les copresidents ont informe le president sur leurs impressions des
reunions a Bakou. Ils ont discute des questions liees a l’etat actuel
et aux prochaines etapes dans le processus de paix au Karabagh.

Le president Sarkissian a salue la declaration des copresidents du
Groupe de Minsk de l’OSCE faite a Cracovie le 27 Janvier, qu’il a dit
etait different de leurs declarations anterieures car elle appelait
l’Azerbaïdjan a honorer ses engagements envers le processus de paix.

mercredi 25 fevrier 2015, Stephane (c)armenews.com

From: A. Papazian

TwitchFilm (press release)
Feb 24 2015

Review: WATCHERS OF THE SKY, How To Fight Genocide

Peter Martin, Managing Editor

Raphael. Ben. Samantha. Luis. Emmanuel. All are ordinary names for
ordinary people who have one thing in common: an extraordinary desire
to stop genocide.

As explored in Edet Belzberg’s documentary Watchers of the Sky, all
five individuals recognized that a single individual cannot stop the
systematic murder of large groups of people due to their race,
ethnicity, nationality, or religious belief. Yet they have all been
compelled to do something. And they all share the conviction that
genocide can be stopped, even as they acknowledge that it (probably)
won’t be within their lifetime.

Genocide has existed for centuries but it wasn’t defined as such until
the 20th century. The foundation was laid by Raphael Lemkin, born in
1900, who survived atrocities at a young age. Later, when he asked a
legal authority about the slaughter of more than one million Armenians
at the hands of the Ottoman Turks starting in 1915, he was told that
what the Turks did was perfectly within their legal rights because it
took place with the country’s national boundaries, as if a farmer
decided to slaughter all his chickens on his own ranch. Utterly
rejecting this notion, Lemkin made it his life course to make such
actions illegal. As the years passed, he determined that something new
was needed to make his case, and coined the word “genocide.”

Ben Ferencz served in the U.S. Army during World War II and took part
in the liberation of Nazi death camps, which left a permanent scar.
Two years later, however, he was recruited as a lawyer for the U.S.
Army because of that experience, becoming the Chief Prosecutor in the
Nuremberg Trials. He became acquainted with Lemkin and, recognizing
the power and truthfulness of the word “genocide,” used it in the
trial to define the charges against the defendants. It would be years
more before the word became accepted, however, and even longer before
it gained legal authority.

The life stories and experiences of Lemkin through to the 1950s are
weaved together with those of Ferencz and others who are active today.
Samantha Power, a new college graduate in 1992, was drawn to what was
happening in Bosnia, and reported on the atrocities committed there.
Her Pulitzer Prize-winning book, A Problem in Hell, served as
inspiration for this film. She now serves as U.S. Ambassador to the
United Nations.

Luis Moreno Ocampo was a prosecutor in the Juntas trial in Argentina
in the 1980s and in 2003 became the first Chief Prosecutor of the
International Criminal Court. The film focuses on a case he pursued
against Omar al-Bashir, the President of Sudan, accused of genocide.
Finally, Emmanuel Uwurukundo, who saw his entire family slaughtered
during the genocide in Rwanda in 1994, talks about his efforts to help
in Chad, where he is UN Refugee Agency Field Director.

Frankly, Watchers of the Sky is not an easy film to watch. Oh,
director Belzberg eases into things, with starkly animated images and
quotations from Raphael Lemkin floating across the screen. It’s a very
down-to-earth approach, keeping a balanced, calm tone as the full
realization slowly dawns. And then the cumulative weight of the
subject matter — millions and millions of dead people, children
raped, women tortured, families (literally) torn apart — becomes
nearly overwhelming.

But all is not lost, and much of that is due to the quiet courage
displayed by the interview subjects. They are not superheroes, flying
in to right the wrongs of mankind and then tucking back into bed. Nor
do they pose themselves as heroes of any kind; there is no braying and
bragging.

Rather, there is the growing realization that these people know that
they are walking on a very long path. Maybe you’ll be moved to join
them; maybe not. In any event, they will keep walking and doing what
they can, for the betterment of mankind.

The film is available to watch via various Video On Demand platforms
as of Tuesday, February 24. It will also be available on DVD; bonus
features include interviews with Lemkim family members, bonus footage,
and deleted scenes. More information is available at the Music Box
Films website.

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT VOTES DOWN GOVERNMENT-CRISIS BILL

YEREVAN, February 25. /ARKA/. On Wednesday, the Armenian National
Assembly voted down a government crisis bill proposed by factions of
Prosperous Armenia and Heritage political parties and the Armenian
National congress bloc yet in October 2014.

The parties then insisted on urgent discussion, but the bill was not
discussed because the parliament was busy.

On Monday, the bill was eventually put on the National Assembly’s floor
and sparked hot debates between the authorities and the opposition
and inside the opposition as well.

As a result, only 16 MPs supported the bill, while 67 voted against
it and six abstained. Prosperous Armenia, the second biggest faction,
missed the discussion and vote saying it was boycotting the session
because of the complicated and tense political situation inside
the country.

Levon Zurabyan, head of Armenian National Congress faction, presenting
the bill at the session, said that the country leadership’s activity
resulted in failure everywhere – in economy, social sector, foreign
and domestic policies etc.

From: A. Papazian

ON 26 FEBRUARY METS AYRUM TO DECIDE ON CHANGING LAND AREA CATEGORY FOR NEW TAILING DUMP OF AKHTALA ODP

18:46 February 23, 2015

EcoLur

The Aldermen’s Council of Mets Ayrum community will convene a meeting
at 9:30 on 26 February to make a decision on changing the status of
12 ha agricultural land areas for the construction of a new tailing
dump by Akhtala Ore Dressing Plant. For the construction of a new
tailing dump 12.10684 ha from Mets Ayrum community and 27.98901 ha from
Tchotchkan community will change the category of the land areas from
agricultural to industrial. Tchotchkan Rural Municipality has already
reached a decision on the change of the category of the land areas.

The only person opposing to the protest demonstration, Oleg Durgaryan,
will be on a business trip and won’t be able to take part in the
meeting. Oleg Durgaryan has filed a letter to the community head
requesting to postpone the meeting, but avail. “The community head
has decided to convene a meeting at 09:30 a.m, as most villagers
are busy will daily activities and their participation at such
hour is improbable. The selected hour is also not convenient for
the involvement of mass media. Nevertheless, we call all community
residents, interested citizens, structures and mass media, as well
as environmentalists to express their position and to be informed,”
Oleg Durgaryan posted on Facebook.

From: A. Papazian

Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region
104 North Belmont Street, Suite 200
Glendale, California 91206
Tel: 818-500-1918
Fax: 818-246-7353
Email: [email protected]
Web:

Ghazir Armenian Orphan Rug
Presented to President Calvin Coolidge in 1925
Thursday, February 26th | 7PM | Glendale Public Library

The public is invited on Thursday, February 26, 2015, at 7pm to a
power point presentation of the Ghazir Armenian Orphan Rug by Maurice
Missak Kelechian at the Glendale Central Library Auditorium, 222 East
Harvard Street in Glendale. The presentation will be in
English. Admission will be free. Library visitors receive 3 hours FREE
parking across the street at The Market Place parking structure with
validation available at the Loan Desk.

The program is sponsored by the Glendale Library, Arts & Culture
department and the ANCA-WR Initiative “America We Thank You: An
Armenian Tribute to Near East Relief,” which recognizes the outpouring
of philanthropic generosity and humanitarianism by the American people
from the onset of the Armenian Genocide that rescued and rehabilitated
over 1,000,000 refugees and 132,000 Armenian orphans.

Msar Palace in Ghazir is about 20 miles from Beirut, Lebanon, perched
on a hill, the Msar (often spelled Mizar) palace in Ghazir was built
during the 19th century by a Lebanese prince, Emir Chehab II. Early in
1923, the Near East Relief organization rented Msar palace and turned
it into an Armenian girls’ orphanage, the largest in the area. Under
the American flag, the orphanage became a safe haven for 1400 Armenian
girls who had witnessed the destruction of their country, during the
Armenian Genocide. The place is well known for its rug factory. From
1923 to 1930, the orphanage produced 3254 rugs and around 1000 orphan
girls certified in the art of rug weaving. These girls made history by
introducing the art of rug weaving into the Lebanese culture.

Three years after the Ghazir orphanage was founded and within a period
of ten months, seven Armenian orphan girls wove their masterpiece rug
on behalf of tens of thousands of Armenian orphans around the world.

The Ghazir Rug, also known as Armenian Orphan Rug is a magnificent
11.7 by 18.5 feet rug, woven into 4,404,206 individual hand-tied knots
of figures of more than one hundred animals and plants. The solemn
expression of pain and sorrow for everything lost: homeland, loved
ones and, trust in humanity. In December 1925, the rug was presented
to United States President Calvin Coolidge as a token of gratitude and
it stayed with Coolidge and his family even after he left the
office. The rug was returned to the White House in 1982, and stored in
the storage room for thirty-two years until November, 2014 when it was
exhibited at the White House Visiting Center.

“The Ghazir Rug is not just a carpet; it is a tangible connection to
the first genocide of the Twentieth Century -a silent, beautiful
rebuttal to those who deny the murder of 1.5 million men, woman and
children in a campaign of mass murder, forced marches, rape and
looting that befell the Armenian people from 1915-23. ” — Congressman
Adam Schiff–

From: A. Papazian

LIBERTE D’EXPRESSION ET INCITATION A LA HAINE : DES ONG TURQUES OEUVRENT CONTRE LES ULTRA-NATIONALISTES DE TURQUIE

Publie le : 24-02-2015

Info Collectif VAN – – Une coalition d’ONG
armeniennes et turques (dont l’IHD, Association turque des Droits
de l’Homme, partenaire du Collectif VAN) sont intervenues dans le
procès en appel de Perincek qui s’est tenu devant la Grande Chambre
de la CEDH a Strasbourg le 28 janvier 2015. Dogu Perincek, politicien
turc ultra-nationaliste et membre du Comite Talaat Pacha [Nota CVAN :
le ‘Hitler’ turc], avait ete condamne en Suisse pour incitation a
la discrimination après avoir qualifie le genocide armenien de >. Perincek avait porte plainte devant la
CEDH et avait gagne en première instance le 17 decembre 2013, en
faisant valoir que sa liberte d’expression avait ete violee par la
Suisse. Cette dernière a fait appel et une coalition d’organisations
armeniennes et turques est intervenue en deuxième instance. Payam
Akhavan, qui representait la coalition, note avec raison que : >. Le Collectif VAN vous invite a lire
la traduction d’un article en anglais publie sur le site CivilNet le
24 janvier 2015.

Legende photo : Payam Akhavan, professeur de droit international.

La solidarite armeno-turque contre la haine : Le procès Perincek
devant la Cour europeenne

CivilNet

24 janvier 2015

Payam Akhavan est professeur de droit international a l’Universite
McGill a Montreal (Canada) et chercheur invite a l’Universite
d’Oxford. Il a ete auparavant procureur des Nations-Unies a la Haye
et a servi comme conseiller dans des procès majeurs devant les cours
et les tribunaux internationaux. Il a parle a CivilNet au sujet de
sa representation d’une coalition d’ONG armeniennes et turques qui
sont intervenues dans le procès Perincek qui sera entendu par la
Grande Chambre de la CEDH a Strasbourg ce 28 janvier [Nota CVAN :
L’article a ete ecrit le 25 janvier]. Dogu Perincek, politicien
turc ultra-nationaliste et membre du Comite Talaat Pacha, avait
ete condamne en Suisse pour incitation a la discrimination après
avoir qualifie le genocide armenien de >. Devant la Cour europeenne il a reussi a faire valoir que sa
liberte d’expression avait ete violee, et qu’il n’incitait pas a
la haine car il questionnait seulement la classification juridique
des evenements de 1915 qu’il ne niait pas. Après une campagne des
ONG armeniennes et turques, le gouvernement suisse a ete convaincu
de porter l’appel devant la Grande Chambre de la Cour europeenne,
pour tenter d’annuler cette decision erronee.

[Nota CVAN : L’article a ete ecrit avant l’audience qui s’est tenue
le 28 janvier 2015 devant la CEDH]

Professeur Akhavan, comment vous etes-vous implique dans le procès
Perincek ?

J’ai ete d’abord alerte de la decision concernant Perincek par mes
amis de l’Institut Zoryan a Toronto. Ils etaient très preoccupes par
ce precedent juridique, utilise par le gouvernement turc, tout comme
par les politiciens ultranationalistes, pour affirmer que la Cour
europeenne niait que les evenements de 1915 constituaient un genocide.

Ce n’est pas bien sûr ce que la Cour avait declare, mais sa decision
etait tordue et controversee, ce qui a renforce la politique de longue
date de deni et d’incitation a la haine contre les Armeniens. Zoryan a
mene une campagne coûteuse pour publier des annonces dans les journaux
suisses en francais et en allemand, ainsi que pour collaborer avec
les autres organisations armeniennes afin de convaincre la Suisse
d’interjeter appel. Ils ont dû surmonter l’opposition de la Turquie
qui ne voulait pas bien sûr que le procès aille en appel. La Turquie
etait intervenue en faveur de Perincek bien que ses propres cours
(la Cour penal d’Istanbul) l’avaient reconnu coupable d’etre un membre
dirigeant de l’organisation terroriste Ergenekon ! Il est important de
noter que les ONG turques, telle que l’Association turque des droits de
l’homme, l’organisation turque des droits de l’homme la plus ancienne
et la plus grande, comptant des milliers de membres, avait egalement
ecrit a la Suisse s’exprimant en faveur de l’appel. Une fois que
la Suisse a accepte de faire appel, nous avons decide de former une
coalition des organisations armeniennes et turques pour intervenir
dans ce procès. Nous avons pense que la formation de la coalition
elle-meme serait un message puissant adresse a la Cour, indiquant
que ce n’etait pas un problème > : c’etait un problème
relevant des droits de l’homme. Perincek n’etait pas interesse par
les debats academiques sur le droit international, ni par le fait
que le terme > s’applique aux evenements de 1915 ou
non. C’est un politicien ultra-nationaliste dont la plateforme est
une incitation a la haine contre les Armeniens, basee sur les theories
paranoïaques de conspiration et le revisionnisme historique. Il etait
egalement imperatif pour la Cour de connaître les details du jugement
d’Ergenekon, et pour cela nous avons eu besoin d’avocats, de militants
et de traducteurs turcs qualifies et devoues, ainsi que de mois de
travail en coordination avec les chercheurs competents et diligents a
l’Institut Zoryan, et les avocats a Londres et a Oxford pour parcourir
les 17.000 pages de la decision, la jurisprudence internationale et
les arguments complexes afin de trouver ce qui etait le plus pertinent
pour etablir les motifs descriminatoires de Perincek. Donc finalement,
la coalition a ete formee de l’Institut Zoryan, ou plutôt de l’Institut
d’etudes sur le genocide et les droits de l’homme, qui fonctionne sous
l’edige de Zoryan, de l’Association turque des droits de l’homme [Nota
CVAN : IHD] et du Centre > d’Istanbul,
et les efforts combines de cette equipe, je crois, ont donne des
resultats exceptionnels en termes de qualite et d’importance de la
plaidoirie [Nota CVAN : presentee sous forme ecrite uniquement], qui
pourrait avoir un effet considerable sur la decision de la Cour et qui
presente des preuves qu’aucune autre partie n’a apportees auparavant
dans ce procès. En d’autres termes, sans cette intervention, sans
cette coalition d’ONG, les details du jugement d’Ergenekon et les
vrais motifs de Perincek n’auraient pas ete mis en lumière.

Est-ce que ce procès concerne la verite historique du genocide armenien
? Quel est l’enjeu veritable ?

Nous avons souligne que ce procès ne traitait pas de la verite
historique en tant que telle. Du point de vue du droit relatif aux
droits de l’homme, la liberte d’expression formulee dans l’article
10 de la Convention europeenne des droits de l’homme, est soumise
a certaines limitations. L’une d’entre elles concerne les cas où la
parole exprimee equivaut a de l’incitation a la discrimination et a la
haine. Donc, les debats sur la verite historique ou la qualification
juridique des atrocites en tant que genocide ou une autre etiquette,
ne representent pas le vrai problème. La question fondamentale est
de savoir si les declarations de Perincek, lorsque qu’elles sont
considerees dans leur propre contexte, constituent de l’incitation
a la discrimination et a la haine.

Qu’est-ce que l’intervention de la coalition a ajoute que les
autres parties du procès n’avaient pas deja dit ? Pourquoi est-elle
importante ?

La Cour n’avait pas considere l’effet des declarations de Perincek
sur les Armeniens de Turquie. Il est difficile d’affirmer que ses
declarations incendiaires menacent des Armeniens en Suisse. Mais tous
ceux qui connaissent l’assassinat de Hrant Dink et la dissimulation
continue pour s’abstenir de punir les coupables, savent qu’appeler le
genocide armenien un > est un propos manifestement
haineux, et peut meme conduire a la violence contre des Armeniens en
Turquie. Le jugement suisse contre Perincek a fait reference a son
appartenance au Comite Talaat Pacha, donc ce fait est consigne dans
le procès-verbal. Tout ce que nous avons fait, c’etait de fournir
a la Grande Chambre une image plus complète de la signification de
ce comite auquel, bien evidemment, la Cour penale d’Istanbul a fait
aussi reference dans le jugement d’Ergenekon. De fait, ce jugement
fait reference a Perincek comme etant la tete de la >
et de la >, il se refère a sa promotion de la
haine contre les Armeniens, et, en outre, il relie Ergenekon au meurtre
de Dink et des membres d’autres minorites chretiennes de Turquie.

L’intervention de la Turquie fait valoir desesperement que seul ce
que Perincek a fait en Suisse est pertinent ; que la Cour devrait
en quelque sorte ignorer qui est Perincek en realite et pourquoi il
mène sans relâche sa campagne de deni du genocide armenien. Il est
clair que le procès ne porte pas sur le fait de savoir si des avocats
internationaux pourraient contester la qualification juridique de
genocide pour ces evenements; et ce serait une erreur de se presenter
a la Cour et d’affirmer que c’est un genocide comme si c’etait ca
le problème. La question est de savoir si Perincek a des motifs
discriminatoires, et la reponse a cette question est plutôt evidente.

Comment compareriez-vous l’intervention de cette coalition d’ONG et
celles de l’Armenie et de la Turquie ?

Les gouvernements sont evidemment importants, etant donne que ce sont
eux qui ont signe la Convention europeenne que la Cour a etablie. Mais
les gouvernements ont des interets politiques et leurs perspectives
sont determinees par des considerations differentes de celles des
acteurs de la societe civile, telles que les ONG des droits de
l’homme. Je pense qu’il est important que l’Armenie soit intervenue
dans cette deuxième audience, tout comme la Turquie l’avait fait en
première instance, ainsi que maintenant, dans la seconde. Peut-etre
leurs plaidoiries respectives vont-elles se neutraliser l’une l’autre.

Mais je crois que la Cour va prendre en compte le fait que des ONG
armeniennes et turques des droits humains, qui ne sont pas motivees
par des interets politiques, unissent leurs forces pour exposer le
programme haineux et violent de Perincek. Et je crois que les details
du jugement d’Ergenekon seront des preuves cruciales – basees sur la
decision des propres tribunaux de la Turquie ! – de ses motivations.

Finalement, je pense qu’avec tout ce tapage mediatique et l’attention
accordee a ce procès, nous ne devons pas oublier que les vrais heros
sont les militants turcs des droits humains et les intellectuels
qui manifestent leur solidarite avec leurs compagnons armeniens de
Turquie qui vivent sous une pression, une intimidation et meme une
violence croissantes. Les militants turcs sont confrontes a des
messages haineux et des menaces de mort pour avoir manifeste leur
solidarite sur la question du genocide armenien. Ils sont courageux
et justes et meritent nos eloges et notre reconnaissance en tant que
voix parmi les plus importantes dans l’affaire Perincek.

(c)Traduction de l’anglais Collectif VAN – 10 fevrier 2015 –

Lire aussi :

Dossier du Collectif VAN : Affaire Perincek

Source/Lien : CivilNet

From: A. Papazian

WHO ARE THE ASSYRIAN CHRISTIANS?

ChristianToday
Feb 24 2015

by Carey Lodge 24 February 2015

Islamic State militants have abducted at least 90 Assyrian Christians
in north-eastern Syria, sources have confirmed, though the number
could be as many as 200.

Jihadists undertook dawn raids in a number of villages near Tel Hmar,
south of the Khabour river, on 23 February.

An ancient branch of Christianity, the Assyrian Church of the East
has roots dating back to the 1st century AD. Assyrian Christians
speak Aramaic, the language of Jesus, and have origins in ancient
Mesopotamia – a territory which is now spread over modern day northern
Iraq, north-east Syria and south-eastern Turkey.

Advertisement

They are not in communion with the Orthodox Church communities, nor
with the Catholic Church, and mainly follow East Syrian Rite liturgy.

The ethno-religious group has suffered extreme persecution in the
past. In the 1890s, the Assyrian genocide wiped out around half of the
population, an estimated total of between 275,000 and 300,000 deaths.

The collapse of the Ottoman Empire in 1923 then forced many Assyrians,
Armenians, Greeks and Georgians to emigrate, with most settling
in Europe.

At least 400,000 Assyrians fled Iraq between 2003 and 2009, and many
more left when IS began its insurgency last year. Campaigners now
fear that those who remain are facing another genocide at the hands
of the Islamist group.

“Unfortunately, I have to say so,” Ninson Ibrahim, Senior Syria
Advisor for A Demand for Action (ADFA), a group campaigning for the
protection of religious minorities, told Christian Today.

“ISIS have been in this territory for quite some time, for several
months, and they have been trying to get inside the big cities but
have failed, so it seems they are trying to occupy the villages
surrounding those cities instead.

“It started in Iraq and now it’s also happening in Syria, and the
Assyrian people have their roots in Iraq and Syria, but most have
now fled the Middle East. So maybe they won’t be extinguished, but
they will definitely not be living in their home countries.”

ADFA is calling for greater support for minority groups most vulnerable
to IS militants. “If nothing is done, I think there won’t be any
Christians left in Syria, or Assyrians at all, unfortunately that’s
the truth,” Ibrahim said.

From: A. Papazian

TERM OF ARREST OF ARIF YUNUS EXTENDED FOR FIVE MONTHS

Turan Information Agency, Azerbaijan
February 23, 2015 Monday

Baku / 23.01.15 / Turan: Today the Nasimi court extended for another
5 months – until August 5, 2015, the term of arrest of the conflict
researcher Arif Yunus accused of high treason.

Turan was told by the lawyer Afghan Mammadov. He said the court’s
decision is unreasonable. The defense intends to file an appeal. He
also noted that Yunus refuses to testify.

Yunus was arrested on August 5, 2014, a week after the arrest of his
wife, human rights activist Leyla Yunus. The couple is accused of
espionage in favor of Armenia. However, they reject the allegations
and find them far-fetched and politically motivated.

Amnesty International recognized them as “prisoners of conscience”.

From: A. Papazian

TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL: ARMENIA CORRUPTION AT STANDSTILL

11:55, 24.02.2015

YEREVAN. – Corruption is at a stagnation phase in Armenia.

The Executive Director of Transparency International Anti-corruption
Center NGO of Armenia, Varuzhan Hoktanyan, stated the aforesaid at
a press conference on Tuesday

He recalled that in accordance with last year’s data, the Corruption
Perceptions Index in Armenia is 36, which means the situation in the
country is similar to that in highly corrupt countries.

“Let’s not forget that this refers not solely to bribery, but backing,
[and] misuse of official position,” Hoktanyan said. “There are three
reasons why corruption is in this state in our country: Business
and politics have interwoven, monopolization is widespread, and the
branches of power are not free.”

To note, Armenia is above Azerbaijan and Iran, but below Georgia in
the Corruption Perceptions Index.

From: A. Papazian