Author: Andres-Papazian

700,000 CHRISTIANS FORCED OUT OF SUDAN

PanARMENIAN.Net
March 26, 2012 – 21:53 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Hundreds of thousands of people originating from the
mainly Christian, mainly African, South Sudan are effectively being
forced out of Sudan, having been stripped of their citizenship. They
have until 8 April either to leave the strongly Islamic and Arab
northern country or to be treated as foreigners under a regime that
is extremely hostile to non-Muslims and non-Arabs. The deadline was
announced last month, Barnabas Fund reported.

An estimated 500,000-700,000 people, who are mainly Christians of
Southern origin, are affected by the ultimatum. Many of them fled
north during the long civil war and have been there for decades. Few
have ties with the South.

After the South voted to secede in January 2011, Sudan removed
citizenship rights from all those of Southern origin. The Khartoum
government considers that people in the North whose parents,
grandparents or great-grandparents were born in South Sudan, and those
who belong to any Southern ethnic group, are nationals of that country.

There are fears that Christians who remain in Sudan after the deadline
may face increased persecution or even forced repatriation. An influx
of hundreds of thousands of people to South Sudan is likely to trigger
a humanitarian emergency.

Barnabas Fund has been supporting Christians in what are now the
separate countries of Sudan and South Sudan for many years, and is
on hand to help meet their needs in this latest crisis.

It comes as the nascent state of South Sudan is struggling to cope
with escalating needs and problems. A major food shortage is pending,
as drought has ruined crops. The UN World Food Programme (WFP) says
that nearly five million people in South Sudan could suffer from food
insecurity in 2012, with an estimated one million in severe need.

The country’s resources are also strained by the arrival of refugees
from South Kordofan and Blue Nile in the border region between Sudan
and South Sudan. Around 185,000 people have fled to South Sudan and
Ethiopia to escape the ongoing aerial bombardment of civilians by the
Sudan Armed Forces. Many more, over 400,000, are internally displaced.

The region has been under attack since mid-2011. The Nuba Mountains
area, which is around 30 per cent Christian, has been one of the
worst hit.

This is the latest genocidal campaign by the Sudanese government,
which wants a purely Arab and Islamic state.

Dr Patrick Sookhdeo, International Director of Barnabas Fund, said:
Despite the end of the long civil war and independence of South Sudan,
Christians in both nations continue to suffer grievously. South Sudan
is taking the strain as hundreds of thousands of people flee from
President Omar al-Bashir’s ongoing brutal campaign to Islamise and
Arabise Sudan completely.

Our brothers and sisters need our help and prayers as they are forced
to leave their homes and rebuild their lives elsewhere.

From: A. Papazian

FILMMAKER TO SPEAK ON DIGITIZATION OF GENOCIDE SURVIVOR ACCOUNTS

PanARMENIAN.Net
March 26, 2012 – 22:40 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – On April 13, acclaimed filmmaker Dr. Carla
Garapedian will give a lecture entitled “The Digital Revolution:
Armenian Genocide Survivor Testimonies and the Shoah Visual History
Archive” at the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research
(NAASR) Center in Belmont, The Armenian Weekly reports.

The lecture will be co-sponsored by the Armenian Film Foundation
(AFF), of which Garapedian is a Board member, and NAASR; and it will
be in memory of Dr. J. Michael Hagopian (1913-2010), the founder of
the AFF and NAASR’s first Board member for California (1959-65).

Garapedian will discuss the new ways Armenian Genocide survivor and
witness testimonies are being made available to universities around
the world via the Shoah Foundation Institute’s Visual History Archive.

Founded by filmmaker Steven Spielberg, the Shoah Foundation contains
52,000 Holocaust survivor video interviews and is now adding
testimonies from other genocides, including the Armenian Genocide. Dr.

J. Michael Hagopian’s 400 filmed survivor interviews will be the
first of the Armenian Genocide testimonies to be included in this
digital collection. Garapedian, the project leader for the Armenian
Film Foundation’s digitization effort, will give a demonstration of
the powerful search engine, and discuss the challenges of presenting
survivor information via the internet.

Garapedian is the director of the film “Screamers,” which was widely
credited with helping to change the public debate on recognition of
the Armenian Genocide in 2006 and 2007. Other films include “Lifting
the Veil,” about the brutal treatment of women in Afghanistan, and
“Iran Undercover,” about the underground student movement in Iran,
which won the Edward R. Murrow Award in 2005 as part of the PBS
Frontline World series. She worked closely with J. Michael Hagopian
on his “Witnesses” trilogy.

Garapedian earned a Ph.D. in international relations at the London
School of Economics and Political Science before working as a producer,
director, and correspondent based in London. She is the recipient of
the Armin T. Wegner Humanitarian Award and the ABGU Generation Next
Community Hero Award, and was recently given the Clara Barton Medal
of Gratitude from the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute.

From: A. Papazian

BODY OF 57-YEAR-OLD MAN IS FOUND IN ARMENIA – DEATH REASONS ARE UNKNOWN YET

news.am
March 26, 2012 | 18:48

YEREVAN. – A message was received at 12.44 p.m. on Sunday that a
citizen had died and the help of rescuers was needed.

As the press service of Armenia’s Emergency Service informs, rescuers
went to the scene.

After opening the door the rescuers found the corpse of Arsen V., 57.

The reasons of his death are unknown yet.

From: A. Papazian

PRESIDENT OF KARABAKH GIVES ASSIGNMENTS FOR SOLUTION OF HADRUT ISSUES

ARMENPRESS
MARCH 26, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, MARCH 26, ARMENPRESS. Artsakh Republic President Bako Sahakyan
convoked a working consultation March 26 dedicated to socioeconomic
problems in the southern wing of the Hadrut region.

Press office of the Karabakh President told Armenpress that special
attention was paid to the issues of ameliorating demographic situation,
developing the spheres of agriculture and irrigation. Bako Sahakyan
considered those three directions closely interrelated adding that
drawbacks in each would have a negative impact on the rest.

The NKR President underlined the socioeconomic and political
significance of developing the republic”s southern regions, which
requires corresponding approach for their planning and realization.

President Sahakyan gave concrete assignments to the heads of concerned
structures on proper implementation of the activities.

Premier Ara Haroutyunyan and other officials partook at the
consultation.

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIA TO PARTICIPATE IN EURONEST PLENARY SESSION IN BAKU

news.am
March 26, 2012 | 16:27

YEREVAN.- Armenia will participate in the work of Euronest plenary
session to be held in Baku on April 1-4.

Baku has already provided security guarantees and the Armenian side
is ready to leave for Azerbaijani capital, MP Hovhannes Sahakyan told
journalists on Monday.

He said that political circles in Azerbaijan are artificially heating
up tensions threatening with demarche against the Armenian delegation.

“If we go to Azerbaijan, we have something to say not ontly in the
context of Euronest. If necessary, we will raise certain issues on
Karabakh,” he said.

MP said that representatives of all political forces presented in
the parliament will go to Azerbaijan. The Armenian delegation will
include ten MPs.

Sahakyan said Armenia will present reports and resolution in the
committes on political issues, economic integration, social issues,
culture, education.

Euronest is parliamentary assembly of the member states of the Eastern
Partnership project.

From: A. Papazian

PUBLIC MUST DEMAND HIGH QUALITY ELECTIONS – ARF DASHANKTSUTYUN

news.am
March 26, 2012 | 12:51

YEREVAN.- Public must demand high quality elections, said head of ARF
Dashnaktsutyun parliamentary group Vahan Hovhannisyan. He considers
there must be no foreign interference.

“In case of foreign interference we will have Ukraine’s Orange
revolution, as a result economic collapse, arrests of the opposition,
etc.,” he told journalists on Monday.

According to him, the elections meeting international standards should
be held under public pressure, but not foreign interference.

“External pressure cannot be for free, we have to pay price which may
be unacceptable for Armenian citizens. If you want changes, you must
rely on yourself,” he concluded.

Parliamentary elections in Armenia are scheduled for May 6, 2012.

From: A. Papazian

HABER5: OBAMA-ERDOGAN MEETING HIGHLIGHTS ARMENIAN GENOCIDE ISSUE

Panorama.am
26/03/2012

Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan had a meeting with U.S. President
Barack Obama in South Korea. Two-hour long meeting highlighted issues
related to Iraq, Iran, Syria, Libya, Cyprus and Turkish-American
cooperation.

According to Haber5 Erdogan told the reporters they have focused
on Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict also. Turkish PM described Minsk
process during those 20 years as inefficient.

“I’ve told President Obama that we can exercise pressure on Azerbaijan,
and that Russia, France and U.S. should put efforts on Armenia,”
Erdogan said.

Tayyip Erdogan has also focused on the international recognition
process of Armenian Genocide. PM Erdogan expressed discontent that
the topic appears on agenda regardless who the ruling power is –
the democrats or the republicans.

From: A. Papazian

THE COLOR OF POMEGRANATE HIGHLIGHTS OPENING OF CAUCASUS FILM FESTIVAL

Panorama.am
26/03/2012

Caucasus Film Festival will be held in Tbilisi between 26-31 March.

The kickoff will be highlighted by Sergey Parajanov’s The Color of
Pomegranate, Georgian mass media reported.

Caucasus Film Festival is held in Yerevan, Baku and Tbilisi supported
by Embassies of Great Britain in the South Caucasus.

The programme comprises 12 films including “Pepo” by Hamo Beknazaryan,
“The Color of Pomegranate” and “The Shadow of Forgotten Ancestors”
by Sergey Parajanov, “Bonded Parallels” by Hovhannes Galstyan,
“Chienne d’histoire” by Serge Avedikian.

From: A. Papazian

NIKOL PASHINYAN INVITES SAMVEL ALEXANYAN TO PARTICIPATE IN TELEVISED DEBATE

Panorama.am
26/03/2012

“Given the situation around Yerevan’s constituency No.7, I am inviting
Samvel Alexanyan to participate in a televised debate, and I am
calling on TVs to hold a debate in any format,” editor-in-chief of
Haykakan Zhamanak daily Nikol Pashinyan, HAK-backed candidate running
in constituency No.7, told a news conference.

“Let us organize a debate and see what kind of politician Samvel
Alexanyan is, if he is not a businessman, as they claim,” said
Pashinyan.

From: A. Papazian

‘YOU’RE EITHER WITH US OR AGAINST US,’ SAYS OPPOSITION CANDIDATE ARAM MANUKYAN

epress.am
03.26.2012

Nominated in the no. 4 electoral district for the upcoming
parliamentary election, Pan-Armenian National Movement (HHSh) party
leader Aram Manukyan informed Epress.am that he has no competition in
this constituency. He said, however, that he has only issue: he wants
the people’s vote in order to remove the current ruling authorities
from power. According to Manukyan, those are not with him support
the ruling authorities.

Recall, also nominated in the same district are Heritage Party
MP Zaruhi Postanjyan, former editor of the daily 168 Zham (“168
Hours”) Satik Seyranyan, Armen Yepjemyan and Artak Sargsyan from
the ruling Republican Party of Armenia, and Aleksan Minasyan (no
party affiliation).

In the opposition candidate’s opinion, the issue is not who has what
competition or platform, it’s something else – “either you’re with
[Armenian President] Serzh [Sargsyan] or you’re against him”.

“I evaluate [competitors] only this way: how they will be decided on
this matter. Those who say that their aim is a change of government,
I will gladly collaborate with them, [but] those who won’t do that will
be in another arena, [among] those who defend Serzh Sargsyan,” he said.

Asked by Epress.am whether the nomination of two opposition candidates
(he and Zaruhi Postanjyan) in the same constituency won’t perhaps work
in favor of the ruling authorities, Manukyan said being an opposition
is determined by being in support of or against the authorities.

Recall, Zaruhi Petrosyan, in an earlier conversation with Epress.am,
also said she didn’t believe she had any competition in this district,
even between opposition candidates, saying, “Our voters are completely
different.”

From: A. Papazian