Author: Andres-Papazian

WILL THE LEGAL SYSTEM IMPROVE IN ARMENIA?

hetq
22:09, March 29, 2012

By Prof. Osheen Keshishian

The legal system in Armenia probably is the most untrustworthy
institution. Many people have worked on the legal system for the
past twenty years – to improve them, to bring them to international
standards. The Constitution guarantees a just system. The laws exist,
but the application of the laws, the enforcement of the laws depends
on who the guilty person is or who is the presiding judge and what
relations he/she has with the authorities.

Many frivolous decisions have been taken by the courts – and there
are hundreds of cases to prove the point.

There was a time when the government insisted that if the salaries of
the judges were raised, then the situation will improve and the bribery
will be diminished and hopefully decisions will be taken according to
the Constitution and the law of the country. A few years ago, a judge
decided that the government was wrong and the citizen was right. What
happened? The same day the judge was dismissed from his post…

Over the years many legal minds, attorneys and judges from various
countries have visited Armenia to examine and improve the legal
system. Judges from California, even a United States Supreme Court
Justice has been in Armenia, and other countries have been working
on the system, but again, the enforcement of the laws according to
the Constitution have been very far from being just. The Armenian
Bar Association members of Los Angeles have done their part, they
have made suggestions, but again, there hasn’t been any improvement
in the application of the law and justice. People argue, that it is
a new country and it takes time.

The issue is the even application of the law which unfortunately
is not justly practiced in Armenia. There are many countries where
the law is not justly enforced, but is that a reason to give a
quick verdict in one day, without giving the chance to the “victim”
to appeal. Hundreds of cases have been recorded during the past few
years, and particularly involving Armenians from the Diaspora

World Bank’s managing director Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala in 2009 warned that
the Armenian government should remove the “oligopolistic” structure of
the national economy, bolster the rule of law and show “zero tolerance”
towards corruption. Apparently the statement fell on deaf ears.

Armenia’s Minister of Justice Hrayr Tovmasyan told PACE’s co-rapporteur
Lord John Prescott in Yerevan that survey results indicate that still
80% pf the population have distrust towards Armenia’s judicial power
and system.

Now, Armenia’s Justice Ministry signed an agreement in March of 2012
with Southwestern Law of Los Angeles and the Armenian Bar Association
to start a program and send American lawyers and experts to Armenia
to improve the legal system. Definitely it is a good sign, it is
another attempt and hopefully it will make a dent in the application
of the law. I hope this time will not be wasted and there will be
some improvements in the enforcement and application of the law. We
will see and hope that there will be positive results.

From: A. Papazian

DASHNAKTSUTYUN MEMBER NAMES GENOCIDE RECOGNITION MOST PRESSING ISSUE

PanARMENIAN.Net
March 30, 2012 – 14:03 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Member of ARF Dashnaktsutyun Bureau, head of
Dashnaktsutyun’s parliamentary group in the Armenian National Assembly
Vahan Hovhannisyan said that international recognition of Armenian
Genocide is a priority for Armenia.

Speaking at Dashnaktsutyun’s Hai Dat Committee 4th forum in Yerevan,
Hovhannisyan said: “Due to influence of some political forces,
a question sometimes emerges in the Armenian society whether Hai
Dat’s struggle is still pressing, how it will benefit Armenia, and
what are its economic or financial advantages.”

“Recognition of the Armenian Genocide is the most urgent issue for us;
all others are of secondary importance,” he declared.

Dashnaktsutyun representative said the Genocide still continues
into today. “Closed borders, lack of communications, destruction of
cultural monuments in Turkey and Azerbaijan, the state of war, all
these are consequences of continuous Armenian Genocide,” he emphasized.

Hovhannisyan believes that domestic problems like the corruption,
monopolies, poverty should also be tackled; the people must combat
in all directions.

“Hai Dat is dealing namely with this, and whatever the rumors say,
the Armenian people understands, accepts and shares the combat of
Hai Dat,” he concluded.

From: A. Papazian

KARASIN AND GORDON DWELLED ON NAGORNO KARABAKH CONFLICT ISSUE

ARMENPRESS
MARCH 30, 2012
MOSCOW

Moscow, March 30, ARMENPRESS. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister G.
Karasin had a meeting with Philip Gordon, Assistant Secretary for
Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs on March 28 in Geneva. The
interlocutors exchanged opinions over Russia and U.S. relations with
the CIS countries.

Besides, the sides touched upon issues on settlement of Nagorno
Karabakh and Transdniestrian conflicts.

From: A. Papazian

POLICE VIOLATED ARMENIA’S LAW “ON LANGUAGE” – OMBUDSMAN

news.am
March 30, 2012 | 10:57

YEREVAN. – Armenian Ombudsman Karen Andreasyan has issued an evaluation
of the Ministry of Territorial Administration activities for 2011.

The assessment is as follows:

Shortcomings and problems identified

Although the Ministry of Territorial Administration (MTA) in order
to provide housing to refugees expelled from Azerbaijan in 2011
presented financial application from the state budget for the total
of 4 billion AMD, this year the application was not confirmed as in
previous years, and one of the most serious issues of refugees, i.e.,
the housing issue, has not been solved yet.

Conditions of refugees living especially in remote villages continues
to be difficult where the most part of persons deported from Azerbaijan
still live in to stay in especially difficult situation of the refugees
living in remote villages, where most of the persons deported from
Azerbaijan, still live in dilapidated buildings, rental apartments
or relatives.

Based on the corresponding information of the MTA State Migration
Agency the term of the conventional travelling document has not
been prolonged by the Visa and Passport Department of the RA Police
for those refugees towards whom the process of discontinuation or
invalidation of the status has been launched and the decision of the
authorized body is the stage of appeal, despite of the fact that this
guarantee is enshrined in the RA Law “On Refugees and Asylum”.

In the conventional traveling documents of refugees details of
the person are written in English only by the Visa and Passport
Department of the RA Police ignoring the RA law “On Language” and
the corresponding decision of the RA Government.

The provided donations were not sufficient for comprehensive
development of communities.

Heads of village communities often declined persons’ request for
necessary information reasoning the decline by non-payment of land
or other taxes; transparency and publicity of local self-government
bodies activities are violated, requirements for reception of citizens.

In spite of the administrative control that was carried out,
various violations of the RA legislation were found out in
communities; supervision performed by regional governors has not been
satisfactorily assessed by interviewed specialists and representatives
of non-governmental organizations.

Positive Developments

On January 13, 2011 the RA Government positively assessed the concept
on RA State Migration Regulation Policy, which defines 14 directions
of State Migration Regulation Policy and mechanisms to achieve the
identified goals.

On November 10, 2011 the RA Government approved the 2012-2013 Action
Plan for the implementation of the State Migration Regulation Policy.

The process of privatization of housing of the persons who were
deported from Azerbaijan from 1988-1992 and got Armenian citizenship
was ensured.

From: A. Papazian

GRANDMA’S TATTOOS TO BE SCREENED IN GLENDALE APRIL 18

PanARMENIAN.Net
March 30, 2012 – 11:49 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – The film Grandma’s Tattoos will screen on April 18,
2012 in the Glendale Public Library Auditorium,

The documentary chronicles filmmaker Suzanne Khardalian’s quest to
expose the extreme abuse suffered by her grandmother, a survivor of
the Armenian Genocide.

“Grandma was abducted and held in slavery for many years somewhere
in Turkey. She was also forcibly marked, – tattooed – as property,
the same way you mark cattle. I share the shame, the guilt and anger
that infected my grandma’s life”, states Khardalian. Grandma’s Tattoos
sheds light on the story of thousands of forgotten female survivors
of the Armenian Genocide, many of them children and teenagers, who
were raped, abducted, and forced into prostitution.

After the film a discussion will take place with Ara Khachatourian,
the English editor of Asbarez daily newspaper, and Paula Devine,
Chair of the City of Glendale’s Commission on the Status of Women. The
program is sponsored by the Glendale Public Library and the Associates
of Brand Library & Art Center. The film is the first offering in a
film series sponsored by The Associates of Brand Library & Art Center.

From: A. Papazian

TURKISH MINISTER WATCHES OVER ARMENIAN CHURCH TURNED INTO CULTURE CENTER

news.am
March 30, 2012 | 00:04

Turkish Minister of Culture and Tourism Ertugrul Gunay visited a
historical Armenian church in Amasya province.

As Turkish Zaman paper informs, the minister asked about the
restoration works informing that the ministry will allocate additional
funding to finish the restoration. After restoration the Armenian
Church will serve as a culture center.

The Church has open before the Armenian Genocide. After the formation
of the Turkish Republic and until the 1980s Dogan Sinemasi Culture
Center was working in the church, then it was given to the Turkish
Office of Religious Affairs. Later the Ministry of Culture and Tourism
took charge of the church building.

From: A. Papazian

NOTEBOOK STOLEN FROM MORMON CHURCH CONTAINS DATA ON ARMENIA’S POLITICAL OPPOSITION – NEWSPAPER

NEWS.AM
March 30, 2012 | 08:57

YEREVAN. – “There was a burglary at The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints (the Mormons) in [Armenia’s capital] Yerevan, on
March 26. Unidentified men had stolen the Church’s computer (notebook).

According to Zhoghovurd’s sources, the stolen computer contains fairly
interesting information on some forces which carry out activities
in Armenia’s [political] opposition and on their financial actions,”
Zhoghovurd daily writes.

From: A. Papazian

UNE SOCIETE FINLANDAISE SUGGÈRE DE FONDER UNE USINE DE MOISSONNEUSE-BATTEUSE EN ARMENIE
Stephane

armenews.com
vendredi 30 mars 2012

Le ministre de l’administration territorial Armen Gevorkian a
recu une delegation de la societe finlandaise Sampo Rosenlew qui
est specialisee dans la fabrication de moissonneuses-batteuses. La
societe a ete fondee il y a 150 ans.

Selon le service de presse du ministère, les membres de la delegation
ont parle de l’interet de leur societe quant au marche armenien
et de leur intention de fonder une usine ici pour assembler des
moissonneuses-batteuses. La societe dirige de tels projets dans
beaucoup de pays dont quelques etats de la CEI.

L’execution d’un tel projet donnera une occasion non seulement de
repondre a la demande domestique du pays mais permettra d’exporter
aussi des moissonneuses-batteuses vers d’autres pays selon les membres
de la delegation Finlandaise. La societe a l’intention d’executer
son projet sur la base d’une association.

From: A. Papazian

MEDIATORS SHOULD ENSURE WITHDRAWAL OF OCCUPATION FORCES FROM NAGORNO-KARABAKH

Trend
March 29 2012
Azerbaijan

The mediators in the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
must achieve a dialogue between the communities and the withdrawal
of occupation forces, Director of the Center of Political Innovations
and Technologies, political scientist Mubariz Ahmedoglu told Trend.

Ahmedoglu said appeal on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict made by Foreign Ministers of the OSCE Minsk Group drew
attention from some points of view.

“First of all the appeal of the co-chairs isn’t implemented within a
short period elapsed from the appeal. Second this sudden appeal means
a great progress in resolution of the conflict as a dialogue between
Armenians and Azerbaijani lived in Nagorno-Karabakh is shown as a
main road leading to peace. Issue of confidence-building measures, as
well as the withdrawal of snipers from the contact line is not put,”
Ahmedoglu said.

“Statement of the Foreign Ministers of member countries of OSCE
Minsk Group can also be seen as a reaction to the steps taken by
Russia to annexation of Transnistria, South Ossetia and Abkhazia,”
Ahmedoglu said.

The composition, principles of action, the statute of OSCE Minsk Group,
which has been operating during 20 years, showed its complete failure,
causing serious concern, the analyst said.

“Elimination of gaps in this area is a requirement of the day. At the
same time we must not forget about another issue. Three major nations
of the world have always boasted that they had come to a unified
position on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Now, the position of the
Russian Federation, which it demonstrated to other conflict zones
in the CIS space, once may have an impact on the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict, and thus, the format of a single co-operation of the three
leading nations of the world, may be destroyed,” Ahmedoglu said.

According to him, the only ones to blame for delays and the current
status of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict are mediators, so that in
the result of the OSCE Minsk Group activity, the true position of the
Armenian leadership in resolving this conflict is not clear neither
to Armenian people nor to the international community.

“Thanks to information provided by the co-chairs, in France and the
United States people really believe that Armenia will once peacefully
settle the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, will withdraw the armed forces
from the occupied territories, agree to a return of Azerbaijanis
to the land of their fathers and grandfathers. Mediators played an
important role in informing the world, including the leadership of
their countries, about Armenian lies” the political analyst said.

Armenia began to arm itself in recent years, which is also the result
of the OSCE Minsk Group, he said. Today the expenditure of the state
budget of Armenia for military purposes is more than Azerbaijani in
percentage comparison.

“Three years ago, Armenia was in talks with international institutions
for a loan. International financial institutions have demanded
additional guarantees for its issue. Armenia began to negotiate with
Fitch to get guarantees. After the activities of the Armenian lobby
the Fitch international rating agency has agreed to provide a letter
of guarantee to the World Bank and International Monetary Fund,
but has put forward a condition that a letter of guarantee stating
that no war will be in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict must
be given,” Ahmedoglu noted.

They presented to Fitch a letter of guarantee that the OSCE Minsk
Group, and three co-chairs will not allow the war in Nagorno-Karabakh
region, he said. From the obtained credits Armenia provided funds
for weapons.

“The sudden increase in funds allocated by Armenia for arms, which
began in 2009, is connected with it. Thus, the mediators, using the
fact they will not allow the war in the region as a cover actually
helped to arm Armenia. Maybe, mediators saw in Armenia’s arming
factor that will prevent war. But the result is obvious: the region
is now more ready for war than for peace. While the war has not begun,
it can be prevented,” said the analyst.

If we consider that the mediators by their visits deceived their
countries’ leaders, we consider it useful to change the method of
their activities, he said.

“The three co-chairs for a long time – from several weeks to several
months – while being in the region, begin to organize a dialogue
between the communities of Nagorno-Karabakh, establish it and bring
the number of participants in a dialogue from each side to at least
500 people. It would be better to conduct systematically organized
dialogues on the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, in the cities of
Shusha and Khankendi. With the organization of dialogue between the
Armenian and Azerbaijani communities of Nagorno-Karabakh foundation
is laid for the withdrawal of Armenian forces from Nagorno-Karabakh,”
said Ahmedoglu.

Not only Russia but the United States can exert military pressure
today on, he said.

“The upcoming parliamentary elections, and the expected military
strikes on Iran, increased military pressure of the U.S. on Armenia.

Meetings held by the Armenian defense minister in the United
States, and in particular with the U.S. Secretary of Defense and
the heads of the CIA, give an idea of their contents. If there are
no serious objective efforts of mediators, their hard work, then war
is inevitable,” added the analyst.

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

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

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

From: A. Papazian

LONGTIME AP CORRESPONDENT JOSEPH PANOSSIAN DIES
By BASSEM MROUE

Star News

March 28 2012

BEIRUT – Joseph Panossian, a longtime Middle East correspondent
for The Associated Press who covered transformative events from the
Lebanese civil war to the U.S. invasion of Iraq, has died, his family
said Wednesday. He was 74.

Panossian, who was undergoing chemotherapy for lung cancer, died March
13 in Armenia, where he had been living for the past three years,
said his wife, Annie.

He was described by colleagues as always ready with a joke to defuse
the region’s stressful and often dangerous news events. Panossian
retired from the AP in 2007 after 45 years.

“Joe was by far the best Arabic linguist and translator on the staff,”
said Robert H. Reid, AP’s Middle East regional editor. “He was devoted
to the AP and never would let illness, errands or, during the civil
war, shell fire keep him from coming to work and doing the best
possible job.”

Born in 1937 in Jaffa in British-mandate Palestine, Panossian was
displaced to east Jerusalem following the creation of Israel in 1948.

He moved to Lebanon in 1951.

“His dream was that one day he would take me to Jaffa to show me the
place where he was born,” his wife said. Jaffa is now part of the
Israeli city of Tel Aviv.

Panossian joined the AP in Beirut in the early 1960s and moved to the
Mediterranean island of Cyprus in 1976. He was based in Cyprus for
21 years, covering events including the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war and the
1985 killing of three Israeli citizens in the coastal city of Larnaca.

He returned to Beirut in 1997, and over the next decade he witnessed
the Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000 after an 18-year
occupation, the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik
Hariri and the departure of Syrian troops from Lebanon.

At the start of the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, Panossian spent
time in Qatar helping monitor Arabic media, using his knowledge of
local Arabic dialects.

“He loved his career,” Annie Panossian said of her husband.

Panossian was also the editor of an Arabic-language bimonthly AP
cultural bulletin that had subscribers throughout the Arab world.

In 2009, Panossian moved to Armenia with his wife to be close to
their children.

He is survived by his wife, two sons and four grandchildren. He was
buried in the Armenian capital of Yerevan.

From: A. Papazian