Author: Ara Felekian

Asbarez: Zerunyan Offers Armenian Public Officials Lessons on Governance

Ara Felekian
  • Armenia

    •  

  • Latest

    •  

  • News

    •  

  • Top Stories

13 hours ago

Frank Zerunyan with Armenia’s military, law enforcement and civic leaders

BY MATTHEW KREDELL
From USC Price School News

USC Price School of Public Policy Professor Frank Zerunyan returned to Armenia this summer for a fifth year of executive education efforts training public servants and military leaders in public administration and management.

The centerpiece of Zerunyan’s trip was an intensive four-day training course on governance, ethics, collaboration, leadership and strategic planning that he taught at American University of Armenia. While in previous years attendance was dominated by representatives of the defense ministry, this session included a greater variety of public administrators than ever before, featuring officials from the ministries of economics, justice, transportation, energy, finance, defense and sports and entertainment.

For his continued efforts, Zerunyan was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the Public Administration Academy of the Republic of Armenia.

“Through this work, we’ve really been able to shape both the civil public administration and the public administration in terms of leadership in defense forces of Armenia,” Zerunyan said. “I’m really proud of this work. I am exhilarated with my honorary rank and honorary place in the university as an advisor, as well as my honorary doctorate as doctor of laws for public service. The ministries of the Republic, as well as the universities where I teach and advise, recognize that the work we’re doing there is very important to the country. I am humbled with these recognitions.”

He also met with professors in the public administration academy of American University to discuss cutting-edge concepts used at the Price School, sharing information and literature offered in various courses.

Over the past year, the country of Armenia experienced a broad civil disobedience movement, as many citizens protested to express frustration with the country’s oligarchy system and sought a true democracy. As a result, Zerunyan noticed a difference in his classes.

“The mood in Armenia from the younger generation of public servants coming to my class at AUA was different than last year in that there was hope,” Zerunyan said. “Last year, the younger generation was frustrated, exasperated, but this year I saw them speak more passionately about their country, a little more confident in having the upper hand against the oligarchs.”

At the Vazgen Sargsyan Military University, Zerunyan presented his seminar to 50 majors, lieutenant colonels and colonels in the Armenian military. He received stars for his honorary rank of colonel and patches representing the Armenian Army and Air Force to add to the uniform he received during last year’s trip — which he plans to wear around USC in September for Armenia Independence Day.

While in Armenia, Zerunyan also set up a collaboration with the Public Administration Academy of the Republic of Armenia to adapt the State of the Service Survey that he and USC Price Associate Professor Bill Resh developed and have been applying in research of local governments across California.

The survey of government employees seeks to find out how engagement with the public affects employees’ level of satisfaction or burnout.

With Resh’s help, Zerunyan will translate and adapt the survey for the Armenian government. They are looking to set up a formal agreement with the Public Administration Academy and obtain grants to analyze the results of the surveys for government employees in Armenia. The results of which could not only help Armenia, but also provide the researchers knowledge of the frame of mind about public engagement in another country.

Last year, Zerunyan and the Price School began developing the Armenian Scholars program, a 10-year plan to establish the first Ph.D. program in public policy and management in Armenia. The program would provide a full scholarship for one student to come from Armenia to complete a Ph.D. at USC Price, with an agreement that the scholar would return to Armenia to help establish the doctoral program.

Zerunyan noted that the program is in the developmental phase of seeking funding and will soon work on identifying candidates to be the founding scholar and choosing an academic partner in Armenia to house the Ph.D. program. He is targeting the fall semester of 2020 for the arrival of the first Armenian Scholar.

“At USC Price, we tout our ability to be transformational and impactful, and I can’t think of a better way we can transform a nation in public policy and management than we are doing in Armenia,” Zerunyan said. “From teaching on a consistent basis, to providing advice on high levels of curriculum building, coursework and readings, to setting up high-level scholars, who meet our rigorous requirements to go back and help their own country in advancing public policy and management. We, at USC Price, are truly honored to participate in this noble endeavor.”

IC of Armenia on the death of a soldier-conscript charged the chief of a warehouse of rocket and artillery weapons

Ara Felekian
Arminfo, Armenia
Aug 13 2018
IC of Armenia on the death of a soldier-conscript charged the chief of a warehouse of rocket and artillery weapons

Yerevan August 13

Mariana Mkrtchyan. The chief of the missile and artillery armament depot of the military unit was charged in the framework of the criminal case on the death of a soldier of conscripted service, private Grant Mangasaryan.

As the press service of the Investigative Committee of Armenia reports, as a result of the complex investigative measures, data were received on the negligent attitude of the authorized representatives of the military unit to their official duties, the circle of persons who committed the alleged crime was specified.

The SC of Armenia recalled that on 4 November 2017 at 12:10 local time, as a result of the explosion in the warehouse of the Nth military unit, the conscripted soldiers Hrant Mangasaryan, who at that moment was carrying out works. Head of the warehouse, contract serviceman G. Yusnunts and Private S. Alumyan were injured of varying severity.

“Based on the factual evidence obtained, it turned out that Major A. Grigoryan, the head of the missile and artillery armament depot of the military unit, violating the rules for the storage of weapons and military equipment in the warehouse, without the right to store the manual cumulative grenades RKG-3, stored them there after the hostilities of 2016 without reporting immediately to the commandership. In addition, ignoring the regulations prohibiting the disassembly of any type of weapons in the warehouse, on November 4, G. Yusnunts, the head of the warehouse of the same service, to bring the above-mentioned grenades into a non-combatant state and put them in boxes. In these works, to which Mangasaryan was involved, an explosion of an anti-tank grenade took place, G. Yusnunts was charged on the grounds of Article 374 of the RA Criminal Code Earlier, in the framework of the criminal case under investigation, the accusation was also brought against the head of the artillery armament depot of the military unit A. Grigoryan (art. 376 Part 2 of the RA Criminal Code),” the RA IC said.

RFE/RL Armenian Report – 08/08/2018

Ara Felekian 
                                        Wednesday, 
Prosecutors Refuse To Free Kocharian
        • Anush Muradian
Armenia - The main entrance to the Office of the Prosecutor-General in Yerevan.
Armenia’s Office of the Prosecutor-General on Wednesday refused to release 
former President Robert Kocharian from custody pending investigation into the 
2008 post-election violence in Yerevan.
It rejected an appeal from Kocharian’s lawyers as well as 46 members of the 
Armenian parliament. The latter guaranteed in writing that he will not flee 
prosecution if set free.
A spokeswoman for the prosecutors, Arevik Khachatrian, said they believe that 
the Special Investigative Service (SIS), a law-enforcement body overseen by 
them, has sufficient grounds to keep the former president under pre-trial 
arrest. His release would not guarantee “the unfettered course of the 
investigation,” said Khachatrian.
Kocharian’s lawyers declined to immediately comment on the prosecutors’ 
decision.“When we get [a copy of] that decision, we will analyze and examine it 
and then present our position, first and foremost in the form of an official 
document,” one of them, Hayk Alumian, told RFE/RL’s Armenian service.
The rejection of the appeal was condemned by deputy parliament speaker Eduard 
Sharmazanov, one of the deputies who signed the petition. The vast majority of 
those lawmakers are affiliated with the former ruling Republican Party of 
Armenia (HHK).
“There is no justice in ‘new Armenia,’” charged Sharmazanov. “Political orders 
rule ‘new Armenia.’”
“What would Kocharian do [if he was freed?] Would he flee? Kocharian didn’t 
flee the Turks during the war [in Karabakh.] Why would he flee us?” he said.
A native of Karabakh, Kocharian governed the unrecognized republic during and 
after the 1991-1994 war. He went on to serve as Armenia’s president from 
1998-2008.
The 63-year-old ex-president stands accused of illegally using the armed forces 
against opposition protesters who demanded a rerun of a disputed presidential 
election held in February 2008.Eight protesters and two police personnel were 
killed when security forces broke up those demonstrations on March 1-2, 2018.
Kocharian denies the accusations as politically motivated. But his arrest on 
July 27 has been welcomed by political allies of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian 
and former President Levon Ter-Petrosian, the main opposition candidate in the 
2008 ballot. Pashinian played a key role in Ter-Petrosian’s 2007-2008 
opposition movement.
Kocharian’s lawyers and the 46 deputies have also submitted the same petitions 
to Armenia’s Court of Appeals. The court is scheduled to open hearings on them 
on Thursday.
Rights Campaigners Urge Release Of Jailed Activist
        • Anush Mkrtchian
Armenia - Shant Harutiunian (L) clashes with another man during an 
anti-government demonstration in Yerevan, 5 November, 2013.
Armenian human rights activists have called on Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian 
to help ensure the release of a well-known political activist who was jailed 
for organizing a violent anti-government demonstration in Yerevan in 2013.
In a joint letter to Pashinian, they described Shant Harutiunian as a political 
prisoner who received disproportionately harsh punishment in an unfair trial.
A veteran nationalist activist, Harutiunian was arrested while leading several 
dozen supporters who tried to march towards then President Serzh Sarkisian’s 
offices in what they called a “revolution of values.” Riot police used force to 
stop the crowd armed with sticks and homemade stun grenades from approaching 
the presidential palace after rallying in Yerevan’s Liberty Square.
Harutiunian and a dozen other arrested men went on trial in June 2014, with 
virtually all of them pleading not guilty to accusations of hooliganism brought 
against them. They were sentenced to between 1 and 7 years in prison. 
Harutiunian was given a 6-year jail term.
Pashinian pledged to help free all “political prisoners,” presumably including 
Harutiunian, when he swept to power in May in a wave of peaceful mass protests 
that brought down Sarkisian’s government.
According to Harutiunian’s lawyer, Inessa Petrosian, the jailed activist wants 
to be formally acquitted and rejects other legal options for his release, 
including a pardon.
“He expects the guilty verdict to be struck down,” Petrosian told RFE/RL’s 
Armenian service. “At the same time he does not want that initiative to emanate 
from himself.”
The lawyer said Pashinian should specifically tell Prosecutor-General Artur 
Davtian to ask the Court of Appeals to acquit her client.
The court upheld the guilty verdicts in February 2015.
Armenian, Russian Troops Hold Joint Drills
Armenia - Armenian and Russian troops hold joint military exercises.
The Armenian and Russian armies are holding joint military exercises in Armenia 
reportedly involving more than 3,000 soldiers and hundreds of tanks, armored 
vehicles and artillery systems.
In a statement, Russia’s Southern Military District said the “joint 
tactical-special exercises” began at two shooting grounds on Monday and will 
continue until August 15. The participating troops have already simulated a 
joint operation against a hypothetical invader, it said, adding that they were 
backed up by warplanes, including MiG-29 fighter jets of the Russian military 
base stationed in Armenia.
The Armenian Defense Ministry did not issue statements on the exercises as of 
Wednesday.
Armenia and Russia have held such drills on a regular basis, highlighting their 
close military ties. In 2014, their militaries targeted an imaginary invading 
force codenamed “Ottomania,” a clear reference to neighboring Turkey.
Armenian leaders have repeatedly said that Armenia hosts Russian troops on its 
territory primarily because of a perceived security threat from Turkey, rather 
than Azerbaijan. From Yerevan’s perspective, the Russian military base in 
Armenia precludes Turkey’s direct military intervention on Azerbaijan’s side in 
the event of another full-scale war for Nagorno-Karabakh.
The latest wargames began three weeks after the Russian base held an exercise 
around a village in Armenia’s northwestern Shirak province which scared many 
local residents. The villagers had not been notified about the drill beforehand.
Although the commanders of the Russian base apologized for the incident, Prime 
Minister Nikol Pashinian condemned it as a “provocation against Armenia’s 
sovereignty.” By contrast, Armenian Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan said a few 
days later that Armenian officials are also responsible for the scare.
Press Review
“Aravot” blasts 46 members of Armenia’s parliament who have called for former 
President Robert Kocharian’s release from prison, saying that they have thus 
become “political kamikazes” and ruined their “political dignity.” “Democracy 
in Armenia has no alternative and there will be no proscription lists here,” 
writes the paper. “Forget about that. But Armenian politics is not a garbage 
dump. It has filters that will inevitably be working.”
Lragir.am reports that a similar petition was also signed on Tuesday by over a 
dozen members of Nagorno-Karabakh’s parliament. The online publication believes 
that the move was agreed with Bako Sahakian, the Karabakh president. It notes 
that the new Armenian government backed Sahakian when he recently faced 
protests by local residents demanding his resignation. It says that Sahakian 
has failed to deliver on his pledges to carry out major reforms in Karabakh.
“Zhoghovurd” reports that the chief of the Armenian police, Valeri Osipian, 
said on Tuesday that his agency will go to great lengths to help ensure the 
freedom and fairness of elections in the country. “The police chief told police 
officers to be vigilant for neutralizing manifestations [of electoral fraud] 
and stressed that police officers displaying inactivity on this issue would be 
strictly punished,” says the paper. It says that the police have never received 
such explicit orders and warnings before. Osipian’s remarks are another 
indication that “serious changes have occurred in Armenia,” concludes the paper.
(Tigran Avetisian)
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2018 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
www.rferl.org

Eating pomegranates could help manage high blood pressure

Ara Felekian
PanArmenian, Armenia
– 13:45 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – High blood pressure can be avoided by making simple diet changes. Eating fewer salty foods and more vegetables can help someone stop levels getting too high, which could cause premature death. Eat this potassium-rich food to reduce hypertension risk, The Express says.

High blood pressure could be slashed by eating a whole pomegranate.

The seeds of this tropical fruit and its juice are rich in potassium, according to clinical nutritionist Dr Josh Axe, which could help slash hypertension.

“They’re also loaded with fibre, vitamin C and vitamin K, among other nutrients,” added Dr Axe.

“Pomegranate juice has also been found to be one of the healthiest fruit juices in the world.”

The fruit contains an estimated 236 milligrams of the blood pressure lowering nutrient in each 100 grams, according to the United States Department of Agriculture.

High blood pressure can be caused by an imbalance between two vital nutrients, sodium and potassium, in the blood.

“Potassium is a key mineral that the body relies on heavily to function properly,” they said. “It helps to lower blood pressure by balancing out the negative effects of salt.”

“Your kidneys help to control your blood pressure by controlling the amount of fluid stored in your body.

“[They] do this by filtering your blood and sucking out any extra fluid, which it then stores in your bladder as urine.

“This process uses a delicate balance of sodium and potassium to pull the water across a wall of cells fro the bloodstream into a collecting channel that leads to the bladder.”

A study published in 2013 found eating pomegranates for two weeks helped lower blood pressure.

Just 21 participants who already had high blood pressure took part in the trial, and needed to consume 150ml of pomegranate juice a day for two weeks.

Published in the journal Phytotherapy Research, the results showed a drop in blood pressure for participants.

Wireless device detects heart dysfunction in child cancer survivors

Ara Felekian
Health Data Management

Wireless device detects heart dysfunction in child cancer survivors

By Greg Slabodkin

Published
  • , 7:40am EDT

A prototype wireless device designed for detection of heart dysfunction in childhood cancer survivors treated with chemotherapy is comparable to cardiac magnetic resonance imaging.

That’s the conclusion of researchers who compared the accuracy of the Vivio handheld mHealth platform with both echocardiography and CMR imaging for assessment of cardiac function—specifically, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF)—in childhood cancer survivors.

Researchers found no difference in average LVEF measurement between Vivio and CMR—56.8 percent vs. 56.5 percent, respectively—in a study involving 191 patients who had been exposed to anthracycline chemotherapy. Results were published in the July issue of the journal Clinical Cancer Research.

Anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity can cause irreversible heart failure. Consequently, after the completion of their chemotherapy, childhood cancer survivors are recommended to undergo screening for the detection of heart dysfunction.

While CMR imaging is considered the gold standard, it is expensive and is not widely accessible. However, the wireless device from Avicena collects pulse waves and phonocardiogram data from the carotid artery, which is transmitted to a smartphone or tablet, and leverages an algorithm that measures LVEF, which is commonly used to assess heart function.

According the co-authors of the study—some of whom hold equity, employment agreements and consulting agreements with Avicena—Vivio eliminates the need for result interpretation and enables real-time monitoring of heart health.

“This accessible technology has the potential to change the day-to-day practice of clinicians caring for the large number of patients diagnosed with cardiac dysfunction and heart failure each year, allowing real-time monitoring and management of their disease without the lag-time between imaging and interpretation of results,” researchers conclude.

Also See: Hybrid heart imaging can foresee major cardiac events

Saro Armenian, DO, lead author and director of the Childhood Cancer Survivorship Clinic at the City of Hope in Duarte, Calif., notes that Vivio was developed by students and engineers at Caltech, who then founded Avicena.

“Vivio obviates the need for childhood cancer survivors to be physically seen at a medical center to undergo cardiac assessments, which can be done remotely,” says Armenian, who emphasizes that the device is not meant to replace echocardiography or CMR imaging, which both generate images of the heart and provide a more comprehensive assessment of cardiac health. “It’s meant to be a preliminary screening so that we can potentially identify individuals who need closer surveillance and monitoring.”

According to Armenian, although 90 percent of long-term cancer survivors—individuals surviving more than five years after their initial diagnosis—are actively engaged in regular medical care, fewer than 30 percent undergo routine recommended risk-based screening.

“We need a method to facilitate the population-based screening that is being underperformed in these cancer survivors,” he observes. “This study is the first step in thinking about new paradigms of long-term monitoring and care delivery for cancer survivors who are at risk for severe and life-threatening health conditions. It’s important to think about more proactive and convenient approaches for early detection, early surveillance and early prevention to help potentially reverse heart disease before it becomes clinically apparent in this population.”



Azerbaijan’s armament and the attempt to pull us into this race can’t not concern, says Armenian army chief

Ara Felekian
| 17:58 | June 29 2018
Categories
Politics
Region

Azerbaijan’s armament and attempts to pull the Armenian side into an arms race can’t not concern not only Armenia but also the entire international community because it jeopardizes the stability of the entire region, Major general Artak Davtyan – Chief of the General Staff of the Armenian Armed Forces told ARMENPRESS.

“It would be naïve to think that the defense ministry of Armenia is acquiring information about the armaments of the Azerbaijani military arsenal from the parade in Baku. Naturally we are aware of what weapons the adversary has, which types it emphasizes the most, what it is trying to acquire etc. Certainly, Azerbaijan’s armament and the attempt to pull us into this race can’t not concern, moreover not only us but the entire international community, because it jeopardizes the stability of the entire region, moreover in the case of the current Azerbaijani leadership, which is known for its bellicose rhetoric.

I assure our citizens that the Armed Forces of Armenia have sufficient means for the effective implementation of their missions. Moreover: we are taking practical steps to gain qualitative advantage in terms of armaments, also through boosting development of our own military industry. Our society will periodically have the chance to get convinced in this. The above-mentioned issue is under the attention of the state’s military-political leadership and daily supervision. Holding a parade and implementing a military mission are different actions and a bright example of this are the “luxurious” military parades which are held in Baku for more than two decades, and simultaneously tactical and strategic losses,” Artak Davtyan said.

RFE/RL Armenian Report – 06/18/2018

Ara Felekian 
Monday,

Ex-General Arrested Amid Unrest In Armenian Town

June 16, 2018

        • Emil Danielyan

        • Ruzanna Gishian

Armenia - Retired General Manvel Grigorian speaks at a congress of the

Yerkrapah Union in Yerevan, 18 February 2017. Manvel Grigorian, a retired but still influential army general, and a reputed

crime figure challenging him were arrested on Saturday amid rival

demonstrations held by their supporters in the Armenian town of Echmiadzin. The town, which is home to the Mother See of Armenian Apostolic Church, has

been governed by Grigorian’s son Karen for almost a decade. Hundreds of local

residents protested against the mayor in recent days, accusing him of

corruption and mismanagement and demanding his resignation. Speakers at the rallies there also called for an end to what they say an

atmosphere of fear created by Manvel Grigorian, who has long held sway in

Echmiadzin and nearby villages. They used the slogans and tactics of a recent

nationwide protest movement that toppled Armenia’s previous government. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian, who swept to power as a result of that

movement, denounced this fact on Friday. “It’s unacceptable that criminal

elements are desecrating symbols of our revolution of love and solidarity and

exploiting the revolution in mafia wars,” he wrote on Facebook. “We will not

allow that.”

Pashinian clearly alluded to reports that the man behind the protests against

the Grigorians is Artur Asatrian, an Echmiadzin native who has long been

branded a crime figure by Armenian media. Armenia - People rally in Echmiadzin to demand the resignation of its Mayor

Karen Grigorian, 16 June 2018. On Saturday, officers of the National Security Service (NSS) raided Asatrian’s

Echmiadzin compound and other properties owned by the man better known as “Don

Pipo.” Asatrian and four other men, all of them Russian citizens, were arrested

as a result. In a written statement, the NSS said that Asatrian is suspected of illegally

possessing weapons and kidnapping three individuals who had allegedly plotted

to assassinate him a few years ago. In an apparently related development, security officers also searched the

Echmiadzin villa of Manvel Grigorian. They found and confiscated large

quantities of “illegally acquired” weapons and ammunition before detaining the

once powerful general, according to the NSS statement. The security service added that it immediately notified the speaker of

Armenia’s parliament, of which Grigorian is a member, about the arrest. It did

not specify whether it will press criminal charges against the ex-general

affiliated with former President Serzh Sarkisian’ Republican Party (HHK). Under Armenian law, he cannot be formally charged and kept in custody for more

than three days without the parliament’s consent. Grigorian, 61, is a prominent veteran of the 1991-1994 of the war in

Nagorno-Karabakh who served as Armenia’s deputy defense minister from

2000-2008. He is also the chairman of the Yerkrapah Union of Karabakh war

veterans, an organization which was particularly influential in the 1990s and

the early 2000s. Armenia - Mayor Karen Grigorian (second from left) joins his supporters

rallying in Echmiadzin, 16 June 2018. The HHK’s parliamentary faction, the largest in the National Assembly,

expressed serious concern at Grigorian’s arrest, saying that it violated a

constitutional provision regulating detentions of lawmakers. It suggested that

“mainly political motives” are behind the high-profile criminal case. A statement by the faction also called on Armenian prosecutors to ensure the

“legality of the investigation” and Grigorian’s immediate release from custody. Footage aired by the Armenia TV channel showed the HHK faction leader, Vahram

Baghdasarian, leaving the Yerkrapah office in Echmiadzin shortly before the

official announcement of the arrests. The NSS raids and arrests came as Karen Grigorian’s opponents stepped up the

pressure on the Echmiadzin mayor, blocking the town’s main streets in the

morning. The embattled mayor organized a counterdemonstration in the town’s

central square later in the day. Riot police were deployed there to prevent

possible clashes between the rival groups of protesters. Karen Grigorian rejected the demands for his resignation and defended his track

record when he spoke to reporters. He also offered to embark on a dialogue with

his detractors. Armenian Mayor Resigns After Corruption Claims Against Ex-General

Հունիս 18, 2018

        • Arman Hovhannisyan

        • Ruzanna Stepanian

        • Marine Khachatrian

Armenia - A screenshot of official video of security officers finding large

stockpiles of food in a villa belonging to retired General Manvel Grigorian, 17

June 2018. Կիսվել

        • 49

Կարդալ մեկնաբանությունները

Տպել

The embattled mayor of the Armenian town of Echmiadzin resigned late on Sunday

after law-enforcement authorities made new and far more embarrassing

accusations against his father, retired General Manvel Grigorian, arrested by

them. The National Security Service (NSS) claimed to have found in Grigorian’s

mansions not only large quantities of illegal acquired weapons but also large

stockpiles of food and other supplies meant for Armenian army soldiers. The NSS

accused him of misappropriating those items. The allegations, backed up by an official video of searches conducted by

security officers, caused widespread shock and outrage in Armenia. They led the

former ruling Republican Party (HHK), to which Grigorian has long been allied,

to stop describing the criminal case against him as politically motivated. The once powerful general, who served as deputy defense minister from

2000-2008, was taken into custody on Saturday on the third day of street

protests against his son Karen, who has been Echmiadzin’s mayor for almost a

decade. The protests were reportedly organized by Artur Asatrian, an Echmiadzin

native whom Armenian media outlets have long described as a crime figure. Asatrian, who is better known to the public with his “Don Pippo” nickname, and

his four bodyguards were also arrested on Saturday. The NSS accused them of

illegal arms possession and kidnappings. Mayor Grigorian staged a counterdemonstration of his supporters and rejected

calls for his resignation as the security service raided his father’s two

opulent villas located in Echmiadzin and a nearby village. The NSS initially

claimed to have found and confiscated only “illegally acquired” weapons and

ammunition stashed there. Armenia - Echmiadzin Mayor Karen Grigorian holds a news conference in Yerevan,

16 Jun 2018. The HHK, which is headed by former President Serzh Sarkisian, was quick to

condemn Manvel Grigorian’s arrest and demand his release. Also, more than a

hundred people protested against his detention outside the NSS headquarters in

Yerevan on Saturday night. The protesters were mostly members of the Yerkrapah

Union of Nagorno-Karabakh war veterans. Grigorian, who was a prominent field

commander during the war, has led the union for nearly two decades. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian defended the arrest in a video address to the

nation aired through Facebook on Sunday afternoon. He was the first to announce

that Grigorian is also suspected of large-scale embezzlement. “There are strong suspicions that he misappropriated aid sent to the people of

Karabakh and the army and these suspicions are substantiated by the results of

searches conducted at his properties,” said Pashinian. “Nobody denies that Manvel Grigorian is a hero of Artsakh (Karabakh),”

Pashinian went on. “But even the heroes have no right to steal aid sent by

schoolchildren in Gyumri, Echmiadzin and Yerevan to soldiers fighting on the

frontlines and to feed his wild animals with it.”

Armenia - Canned food found in a villa belonging to retired General Manvel

Grigorian, . The NSS released the video later in the day. It showed NSS officers discovering

large amounts of underwear, medication and field rations for soldiers provided

by the Armenian Defense Ministry as well as other food donated by ordinary

Armenians at a sprawling compound in Grigorian’s native village, Arshaluys. The donations were made by local communities, public schools and other civilian

institutions during the April 2016 war in Karabakh. Some of the food parcels

purportedly found in Grigorian’s villa contained letters of support written by

schoolchildren to Armenian frontline troops. “It emerged that Manvel Grigorian has used the food meant for soldiers

participating in the four-day April [2016] war for feeding animals of his

private zoo,” the NSS charged in a statement. It said Grigorian also

misappropriated several vehicles that were donated to the military two years

ago. The video also featured many weapons, including rocket-propelled grenade

launchers, as well as several dozen expensive and retro cars parked in the

Arshaluys compound. It was swiftly aired by Armenia’s main TV channels and

widely shared on social media. “I, Karen Grigorian, am resigning by my will,” the Echmiadzin mayor said in a

late-night Facebook post. He did not elaborate. The HHK reacted to the embarrassing video on Monday with a statement which

called the ex-general’s alleged corruption “unacceptable and outrageous.” “We

are shocked and outraged that such things could have possibly been done by

anyone, especially a general who had actively participated in the Artsakh war,”

read an HHK statement. “While respecting the presumption of innocence, we are declaring tha

Search declared against Masis sports school headmaster within criminal case on disorders in Erebuni

Ara Felekian
| 18:03 | June 14 2018
Category
Society

Investigatory and operative-searching measures of great volume are ongoing in the framework of the criminal case investigated in Yerevan Investigative Department of the RA Investigative Committee to find all those involved in disorders that took place in Erebuni administrative district on April 22. As a result, actual data were obtained that the headmaster of sports school of Masis was involved in disorders, search was declared against him.

It was earlier informed that on April 22, 2018 a group of people, some of them with medical masks, assaulted the protesting citizens and used violence against them with stones, blackjacks, electric shock devices.

A criminal case was initiated according to the Part 2 of the Article 225 of RA Criminal Code preliminary investigation of which is conducted in the RA IC Yerevan Investigative Department. 5 people were found the injured party.

An investigatory plan was worked out, an investigatory group was formed and comprehensive, complete and objective investigation is conducted, measures are taken to identify the people having committed the alleged crime.

During preliminary investigation videos on the incidents in the crossroad of Erebuni and Nor-Aresh 26th Streets on April 22, as well as media publications related to the case were downloaded and attached to the criminal case, police subdivisions were tasked to take operative-searching measures, numerous people were questioned.

As a result, actual data were obtained on the allegation that the headmaster of sports school of Masis A. Hakobyan, born in 1976, was involved in disorders..

On the base of the obtained sufficient evidence on a decision was made to involve him as a defendant according to the Part 2 of the Article 225 of RA Criminal Code and on the same day a motion was submitted to use detention as a pretrial measure against him. The motion was sufficed. Search was declared against A. Hakobyan. The relevant subdivisions of the police were tasked to take measures to find A. Hakobyan and bring him to the investigative body.

Thus, as of June 14, within this criminal case 8 people were involved as a defendant and search was declared against one of them.

Note; Everyone charged with alleged crime offence shall be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law.

Sports: Weightlifting Federation lift Armenia’s doping suspension early

Ara Felekian
PanArmenian, Armenia
– 12:37 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – The International Weightlifting Federation announced on Tuesday, June 12 that Armenia, Turkey and Azerbaijan will have their doping-related suspensions from international weightlifting competitions lifted early.

As part of a continuous monitoring process in place since the suspensions took effect, the Independent Monitoring Group (IMG), composed of independent anti-doping experts, has now found that three of the suspended members have met all the criteria to warrant the provisional restoration of some of their rights as members.

This includes a conditional return of athletes to competition under stricter eligibility requirements compared to those regularly imposed by the IWF.

Armenia has been given the opportunity to participate with youth athletes at youth IWF events from June 19 and with junior and senior athletes and Technical Officials from August 19.

The decision to favour youth athletes reflects a decision of the IWF Executive Board to provide additional opportunities for a young and demonstrably clean generation of young weightlifters who can serve as ambassadors for the sport in international competition.

Other rights of the three Member Federations remain suspended, including:

– The right to organize IWF Events, IWF Congress, IWF Executive Board meetings, meetings of IWF Commissions and Committees;

– The right to participate in the Congress with voting rights;

– The right to submit proposals for inclusion in the Agenda of the Congress;

– The right to submit proposals for the modification of the IWF Constitution, Technical and Competition Rules & Regulations;

– The right to take part in and benefit from the IWF Development program apart from Education and Anti-Doping Seminars.

Armenia was among nine of the world’s most successful nations banned from the 2017 International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Championships in Anaheim because of multiple doping offences at the Olympic Games.

It was reported earlier that the IWF is effectively allowing Armenia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Belarus only two places each at Tokyo 2020 – as the new rules state that any nation with 20 or more doping violations from 2008 to 2020 will have just one man and one woman at the Games.

The press conference of the alternative music group “Omank” from Istanbul took place

Ara Felekian 
Please find the attached press release of the Ministry of Diaspora.
Sincerely,
Media and PR Department:
( 374 10) 585601, internal 805
----------------------
Sincerely
Department of Press and Public Relations
( 374 10) 585601, extension 805


157. "Omank" alternative music group press conference.docx
application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document



JPEG image


2.jpg
JPEG image


3.jpg
JPEG image


4.jpg
JPEG image