Author: Babajanian Karo

LES FONTAINES D’HABAP ONT ROUVERT
Stephane

armenews.com
mardi 7 fevrier 2012

Le village Habap (aujourd’hui Ekinozu) a organise une ceremonie
inaugurale de reouverture des fontaines. Ce Fvillage est celui
d’Heranus grand-mère de Fethiye Cetin (plus tard rebaptise Seher)
qui a ete banni du village il y a 95 ans.

La restauration des deux sources a pris fin après deux ans de travaux
effectues par la Fondation Hrant Dink.

Le projet de restauration a ete dirige sur une base volontaire par les
architectes Nihan Sagman, Mehmet Erkok et Savas Ekinci et l’historien
Ozge Altinkaya Erkok.

Vendredi 25 novembre, les Fontaines Inferieures et Superieures ont
ete rouvertes lors d’une ceremonie suivie le Secretaire general de
l’Administration Provincial d’Elazig Nazif Bilginoglu, le maire du
canton Bekir Yanilmaz et le chef du village d’Habap, Hayati Yarmedelen.

Le travail de restauration a ete soutenu par le Ministère turc de la
Culture, la Fondation Chrest, la Fondation de la Societe Ouverte.

L’avocate Fethiye Cetin a dit lors de la ceremonie inaugurale ”
Ma grand-mère Heranus a bu de l’eau de ces fontaines il y a cent ans “.

Les elèves de l’Ecole primaire du Village d’Habap ont contribue a la
ceremonie en executant une danse traditionnelle.

Les fontaines renovees montrent plusieurs printemps et arcs. Les
experts voient dans ces puits un exemple classique d’architecture
armenienne. Le fait que le village d’Habap a deux puits suggère que
la place etait un lieu important au temps où les fontaines ont ete
construites. Aujourd’hui, le village d’Habap comprend 200 constructions
avec une population de 1450 personnes.

Habap dans les vieux temps

Habap ou Hebap (‘Havav’ en armenien) comprenait 500 bâtiments lors de
la periode Ottomane. Quand le village etait peuple par des armeniens il
avait trois eglises, un monastère et deux fontaines. Ces deux fontaines
ont ete appelees la Fontaine Superieure et la Fontaine Inferieure.

Une inscription sur la Fontaine Superieure en armenien indique
l’annee 1634.

OLYMPIC CHAMPION ARMEN NAZARYAN THINKS ABOUT COMEBACK

news.am
February 06, 2012 | 18:31

Olympic Greco-Roman wrestling champion Armen Nazaryan is thinking
about return to the competition.

In an interview with Bulgarian Tema Sport, Nazaryan said he had not
made final decision but is training to lose some kilograms.

“So if I improve my shape, I’ll probably compete in the 66kg category
at the Olympic qualifications in April,” Reuters quotes the sportsman.

Armen Nazaryan, Armenian by origin, first won gold in Atlanta
representing the Republic of Armenia. Later he moved to Bulgaria and
took up Bulgarian citizenship. He won gold at the 2000 Sydney Olympic
Games and bronze in Athens in 2004.

ENQUETE EN SUISSE CONTRE UN MINISTRE TURC POUR NEGATIONNISME

20minutes.fr
6 Fev 2012
france

La justice suisse a ouvert une enquete preliminaire afin de determiner
si un ministre turc en visite en Suisse a viole la loi par des propos
sur le genocide armenien. “Nous n’en sommes qu’aux premières etapes”,
a dit ce lundi a Reuters la procureure du canton de Zurich, Christine
Braunschweig. “Nous ne savons pas encore ce qui a ete dit, ni quand
ou comment.”

Selon differents medias, le ministre turc des Affaires europeennes,
Egemen Bags, s’en est pris a Davos puis a Zurich au projet de loi
qui prevoit de criminaliser en France la negation de genocide. Il a
affirme qu’il n’existait pas de genocide armenien. Selon le journal
turc Hurriyet, le ministre n’a pas souhaite faire de commentaires avant
la fin de l’enquete preliminaire. Christine Braunschweig a indique
que l’Association Suisse-Armenie avait informe les autorites suisses
sur les propos du ministre. La Suisse possède dans son code penal
un article qui reprime les actes de racisme, y compris la negation
publique des genocides.

En decembre 2007, le Tribunal federal avait confirme la condamnation du
politicien turc Dogu Perincek qui avait declare en 2005 que le genocide
armenien etait un “mensonge international”. Les juges federaux avaient
alors souligne que les evenements de 1915 relevaient du genocide aux
yeux de nombreux historiens, du Parlement europeen et de nombreux
parlements nationaux.

ARMENIAN CEMETERY DAMAGED

Hurriyet Daily News
Feb 6 2012
Turkey

An under-construction chapel in a historic Armenian cemetery in
Malatya that houses the remains of journalist Hrant Dink’s family
was demolished Feb. 3 by municipal teams, causing incredulity in the
Armenian community.

“If this is deemed suitable for us, what can we do? They are knocking
down our place of last prayer [the chapel]. This is very unfortunate
for Malatya,” Hosrof Köletavitoglu of the Philanthropist Armenians
from Malatya Association (HAYDER) told the Hurriyet Daily News.

Only a few burials a year are still made on the cemetery’s remaining
0.2 hectares, Köletavitoglu said, adding that funerals were processed
at a tent they had named the “place of last prayers.” The demolished
chapel was being built through money raised by Armenians who live in
Istanbul but are originally from Malatya.

“We consulted the office of the governor and the municipality to
build us a small chapel in place of the tent. We asked them to build
it for us. When they said they could not build it, we said, ‘Then
allow us to build it.’ We started the construction as soon as we got
the building permit; we were about to finish it,” Köletavitoglu said.

“Heavy construction equipment is going over the graves of my
ancestors,” Köletavitoglu said, adding that this situation pained him.

“We are not building this tiny chapel for the 50 Armenians living
here. It is our fathers, our ancestors that are buried here.”

Meanwhile, officials from Malatya Municipality told the Daily News that
several complaints and reports had been lodged with the municipality
and that they had determined that a guard’s cabin was also being
built separately to the chapel, leading them to order the demolition
of the cabin.

“Our target was only to knock down the guard’s house, but a
misunderstanding caused the whole construction to be knocked down,”
an official said.

However, Köletavitoglu said they had earlier declared that they were
going to build a building for the guard and that a misunderstanding
was impossible.

Former HAYDER head Garo Paylan agreed with Köletavitoglu and said
he was also very sad that earthmovers were operating on top of his
family’s graves.

“The demolished chapel was over my grandfather’s grave,” Paylan said.

“I think it was because of the ‘genocide denial motion’ in France.

Because when the motion was in question, the municipality first asked
us to lower the roof of the chapel even though the project had been
approved before.”

Last year the Malatya Governor’s Office had discussed plans to restore
a historic Armenian Church in Malatya located in the neighborhood
where Dink was born, Köletavitoglu said.

“On one hand, a tiny chapel is being knocked down; on the other
hand talks on a historic church being restored are continuing. These
contrasts confuse us,” he said.

GEVORGYAN: LET VIDEOS PROVE THE CASE
By Siranuysh Gevorgyan

ArmeniaNow
07.02.12 | 15:16

Hayk Gevorgyan, a 45-year-old deputy editor and reporter for the
pro-opposition Haykakan Zhamanak (Armenian Time) daily, who has
recently been detained being accused of a hit and run and was released
on Monday, at a press conference on Tuesday refuted that he had hit
anyone while backing out of a parking lot. The journalist says he
was arrested because of his opposition-friendly reporting.

Gevorgyan was arrested on February 3 and was released on Monday after
the expiration of the 72-hour period for preliminary detention. He
has been ordered to stay in Armenia while the investigation is ongoing.

Gevorgyan who is known for his critical reporting against the
authorities, mainly writes about the economy, however recently he
published an article attacking RA Chief of Police Vladimir Gasparyan,
with a headline reading: “And God Said Vova”. Many believe that
Gevorgyan’s arrest is connected with this very article.

To prove Gevorgyan’s guilt police released a video in which a
middle-aged man, identified as Ashot Frangulyan, tells how the
journalist hit him while backing out of a parking lot on January 13,
leaving him with a broken foot and a concussion. The man says the
journalist would not even respond to his calls for help, but instead
yelled at him and threatened to call police.

Gevorgyan stated on Tuesday that his car had not even touched
Frangulyan, adding that on the day of the incident Frangulyan held
his leg standing a few dozen centimeters from Gevorgyan’s car and said
that his leg was aching, looking around in order to see who saw him.

Gevorgyan insists that the case has been “fabricated” and he swears
to see his innocence proven.

“I am sure that the Police have recorded video materials, and if my
car really touched that person then those videos would be broadcast
on H1 channel from morning till evening,” Gevorgyan said, referring
to the state television.

OF SOCIAL EVILS: SPECIALISTS SAY ARMENIA NEEDS STATE POLICY TO DEAL WITH DRUG ABUSE, ALCOHOLISM
By Lilit Arakelyan

ArmeniaNow
07.02.12 | 12:29

Psychologist Samvel Khudoyan says that a negative attitude towards
narcotics should be formed among children early on.

Drug addiction, alcoholism and, increasingly, gambling are said to
be growing concerns in Armenia, that health care workers say reflect
economic and social problems, and that should merit government policy
attention.

At a Monday forum, specialists in the field of prevention and treatment
said anti-drug and anti-alcoholism awareness campaigns at the state
level would prove particularly effective among children and teenagers.

Psychologist Samvel Khudoyan says that a negative attitude towards
narcotics should be formed early on, among children still going to
school, as teenagers and young people who often do not feel dangers
and want at least to try everything are the highest risk group.

Armenian Narco-Clinical Center Director Petros Semerjyan is also in
favor of a more coordinated state-level campaign. The specialist even
refused to attend Monday’s discussion on the subject, because the
host media club had a poster advertising a liquor company on its wall.

By his boycott of the discussion Semerjyan sought to deliver a message
that despite certain legal regulations, television, radio, magazines,
websites, as well as city billboards, continue to advertise alcohol,
tobacco products and casinos.

(Advertisement of strong alcoholic beverages, except brandy, is banned
on TV; commercials for lighter beverages, such as beer and wine,
are allowed, but limited to certain hours, as is advertisement of
gambling places and lotteries. But, in practice, TV companies still
find loopholes in the legislation, such as presenting advertisement
as sponsorship of certain programming, etc. Advertisement of tobacco
on TV is banned, and in print media has certain restrictions,
for example, it must not be placed on the front and back pages
of editions. Tobacco advertisement on billboards is also banned,
while billboards with alcohol and casino advertisement are allowed,
but with certain place limitations, such as away from kindergartens,
schools, medical establishments, etc).

Drug addiction is also more associated with criminal offence given
the illicit nature of acquisition of narcotics by those having an
addiction.

According to Armenian police data, more than 1,800 crimes and offences
connected with illegal drug trafficking were registered in 2011. The
rate of that kind of crime showed almost no tendency of decreasing
compared to the previous year. Marijuana, according to police reports,
remains the most common drug, of which a total of 20 kilograms were
confiscated last year.

Khudoyan advocates hypnotherapy “… as it aims to provide a positive
change in a patient’s mentality and help bring him or her back to
reality.”

The doctor says his patients with drug addiction problems are mainly
young people aged 18-25 who are forced to attend sessions by their
parents or relatives.

Comparing the extent of drug abuse in Armenia, the psychologist says
it has a lower rate than in neighboring Georgia and Azerbaijan.

“Most of the religious population in Azerbaijan are Muslims and
their religion prohibits the use of alcohol. But one in three young
people in Azerbaijan abuse drugs that are mainly brought from Iran,”
says Khudoyan. “Alcoholism among young people in Armenia decreased
as compared to what its rate was during the Soviet times, not least
due to the country’s further departing from the influence of Russia
[which is known to have a high rate of alcoholism].”

(Still, Armenia was the only former Soviet republic where there were no
so-called sobering-up stations that were commonly practiced elsewhere
in the USSR.)

According to the Armenian police, 98 percent of those prosecuted for
drug trafficking are formally unemployed.

According to the Health Ministry data, of 1,631 people tested at
specialized clinics for drug abuse in 2011, 1,130 were put on the
registry as drug users, with a majority of them using cannabis
(marijuana, hashish, etc.).

CORRUPTION RISKS IN ARMENIA’S EDUCATION SYSTEM ARE NOT REDUCING SUFFICIENTLY – MINISTER IS CONCERNED

news.am
February 06, 2012 | 13:25

YEREVAN. – The principals’ competitions were held in Armenia’s more
than 900 schools, from September 2011 until the end of December,
and as a result complaints and dissatisfactions were expressed for
nearly a mere one percent. This was noted during a session at the
Education and Science Ministry.

Minister Armen Ashotyan underscored the need for a more persistent
activity toward eliminating the relevant violations and shortcomings.

Also, the Minister considered it worrisome that, in line with
sociological surveys, the corruption risks in the country’s education
system are not reducing at a sufficient rate.

And the study of the calls made to the Ministry’s hotline number show
that the societal discontent is primarily conditioned on unlawful
fundraising at schools. “We must do everything so that the parents’
assistance [to the schools] should be on voluntary basis alone,”
Ashotyan maintained.

The session’s participants also discussed the education system
priorities of the Armenian government’s Anti-Corruption Strategy
Program.

KOCHARYAN HAS TO RETURN – PUNDIT

Tert.am
06.02.12

Second President Robert Kocharyan is obliged to return to big politics,
an Armenian political analyst has said.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Levon Shirinyan said the
ex-president’s return could ensure a diversity of poles on Armenia’s
political arena.

“If three [political] forces – equal economically and politically –
develop, that would make the struggle more equal. The existence of
three forces would prevent the country from splitting apart,” he said,
adding that such format could pave the way to parliamentarism.

Shirinyan expressed hope that President Serzh Sargsyan will not follow
Russia’s example, by becoming a top candidate in the ruling political
party’s [i.e. the Republican’s] list.

He further stressed the importance of building a rule of law country.

“All the political forces, unions and NGOs have to be unanimous on this
issue. We are still complaining about the lack of laws. After creating
a rule of law state, Armenia will follow the path of development,”
he added.

ERDOGAN – REPRESAILLES A LA LOI DE PENALISATION – MECANISME –
Jean Eckian

armenews.com
lundi 6 fevrier 2012

” Depuis quand un Holocauste n’est pas considere comme un Holocauste
? ” –

L’analyse d’un journaliste turc sur les effets des postures
outrancières du Premier Ministre turc sur toutes les structures
de l’etat : Direction des Affaires Religieuses et assassinats de
missionnaires, Municipalite de Malatya et destruction recente de
monuments funeraires armeniens. ‘Certains journalistes’, dans The
Guardian, n’hesitent pas a y voir un lien direct avec l’assassinat de
Hrant Dink. Mais que Cengiz se rassure, la presse occidentale, dans sa
large majorite, a decide une fois pour toutes, que la Turquie est une
democratie et d’ignorer toute manifestation demontrant le contraire.

Il n’y a qu’a voir, depuis des semaines, l’hysterie editoriale a peu
près unanime dressee contre la loi Boyer.

Gilbert Beguian

Turquie – Les Actes d’Intolerance de la Semaine

Orhan Kemal Cengiz

SunDay’s Zaman, 5 fevrier 2012

La semaine passee a ete epouvantable en termes d’attitude du
gouvernement et du Premier Ministre Erdogan. Trop de developpements
inquietants et alarmants se succèdent.

Erdogan a repris une fois encore sa vieille habitude de poursuivre les
journalistes pour leurs declarations pretendument diffamatoires. Nous
avons appris qu’Erdogan avait engage deux procedures contre deux
auteurs du quotidien Taraf. L’un etait Ahmet Altan, redacteur en chef
de Taraf, pour un article sur le massacre d’Uludere dans lequel il
critique très durement Erdogan. Erdogan a engage en outre une action
civile et une action penale contre l’ecrivaine Perihan Magden.

Paradoxalement, les procès intentes visent Perihan Magden pour ses
critiques du comportement intolerant et pour l’action en dommages et
interets qu’il a precedemment engagee contre elle. Ces developpements
sont alarmants si l’on considère qu’Erdogan a laisse derrière lui,
après les elections, sont habitude de poursuivre les journalistes. Il
avait abandonne toutes les affaires engagees contre les journalistes
comme dans un geste de bonne volonte, mais une nouvelle fois, nous
nous retrouvons dans la meme situation.

Non seulement il poursuit des journalistes, mais il a engage une
discussion insensee et caricaturale avec le romancier Paul Auster, qui
avait declare ne pas vouloir venir en Turquie a cause des journalistes
qui y sont emprisonnes. A mon avis, Auster etait mal informe sur la
situation en Turquie, cependant, les declarations d’Erdogan n’ont fait
que confirmer les suppositions erronees d’Auster sur la democratie
turque. Erdogan a qualifie Auster d’~Rignorant’ pour avoir choisi de
visiter Israël tout en critiquant les atteintes a la presse libre de
Turquie. Ce debat insense entre Erdogan et Auster se poursuivait tandis
que j’ecrivais cet article. Les dernières declarations d’Auster sont
les suivantes : ‘ Tous les pays se debattent en proie a beaucoup
de problèmes, M. le Premier Ministre, meme mes Etats-Unis, meme
votre Turquie’. Nous sommes curieux a present de voir si Erdogan
va poursuivre sa querelle avec Auster, qui, je le dis en passant,
est mon romancier prefere.

La municipalite de Malatya vient juste de demolir des structures
construites dans le cimetière armenien avec des fonds collectes par
la communaute armenienne. Les Armeniens locaux ont declare avoir
entrepris de bâtir ces structures après avoir obtenu prealablement
des autorites le permis de construire, et qu’ils ne comprenaient pas
pourquoi la municipalite les a detruites. La municipalite n’a meme
pas donne des explications ou prevenu les Armeniens de leur intention
de demolir ces structures.

Je suis serieusement inquiet de l’attitude de la municipalite de
Malatya. Il est plus que probable qu’il ne s’agisse que de represailles
contre la loi francaise. L’intolerance se comporte toujours de cette
facon. Lorsque votre premier ministre reagit brutalement a quelque
chose, les autorites locales prennent cela pour un signal et agissent
en consequence. Et lorsque les autorites locales font quelque chose,
les citoyens locaux le prennent aussi comme un signale pour agir
et se comportent en consequence. C’est un reel danger. J’appelle le
gouvernement a enqueter sur la demolition des structures du cimetière
armenien de Malatya, qui me paraissent tout a fait arbitraires et
illegales.

Ma dernière mauvaise nouvelle concerne la paranoïa envers les
missionnaires, qui encore une fois ressurgit. J’ai entendu que la
Direction des Affaires Religieuses (Diyanet) a decide de combattre les
activites des missionnaires ‘en Turquie et a l’etranger’. Pour etre
honnete, je ne comprends absolument pas la partie ‘a l’etranger’. Que
prevoient-ils de faire ? La dernière fois que la paranoïa contre les
missionnaires s’est manifestee, elle a eu des consequences terribles,
debouchant sur le massacre de Malatya où trois missionnaires ont ete
tues. Je veux egalement demander au gouvernement d’enqueter sur la
politique du Diyanet envers les missionnaires et membres d’autres
religions. Ils n’ont aucun droit de propager l’intolerance contre
les membres d’autres religions tandis qu’ils touchent leur salaires
avec l’argent provenant des taxes payees par les citoyens de ce pays,
qui sont musulmans, chretiens juifs ou autres.

Bien, come je le disais, la semaine passee a ete particulièrement
mauvaise quant aux diverses manifestations de l’intolerance. J’espère
que cela n’est pas une indication de tendance mais uniquement
de quelques evenements sans rapport entre eux qui se produisent
simultanement.

Et pour finir, une manipulation, un epouvantable article etait publie
dans le quotidien du Royaume-Uni The Guardian. Ecrit par un journaliste
turc et sous le titre ‘Les journalistes turcs sont très effrayes- mais
nous devons lutter contre cette intimidation’, l’article presentait
la dernière photo de Hrant Dink, etendu sur le sol. L’article etait
si terrible, depeignant la Turquie comme une dictature de premier
ordre dans laquelle les journalistes sont emprisonnes pour ce qu’ils
ecrivent, tous les jours. Et malheureusement, la personne de Hrant
Dink etait exploitee pour les besoins de cette analyse incroyablement
rudimentaire de la Turquie, donnant meme l’impression qu’il a ete
tue par ce gouvernement.

Je recommande a Erdogan la lecture de cet article ‘analytique’ du
Guardian pour constater comment certains defauts de la democratie
turque sont presentes dans la presse occidentale, et pour qu’il se
rende compte de la facon dont il a contribue a ce tableau surrealiste
de la Turquie en poursuivant les journalistes en diffamation.

BAGIS: DES EXCUSES SI IL Y A EU UN GéNOCIDE…
Jean Eckian

armenews.com
lundi 6 fevrier 2012

Le Ministre turc des Affaires européennes et négociateur en chef
de l’UE, Egemen BagıÅ~_, a déclaré samedi sur la chaîne de
télévision Al Jazeera, que la Turquie présenterait ses excuses
si le génocide arménien était prouvé a la fois historiquement
et scientifiquement.

Dans la rhétorique habituelle des responsables turcs, Egemen BagıÅ~_
confirme la position d’Ankara visant a endormir la communauté
internationale sur une soit-disant “bonne volonté” qui consisterait
a examiner scientifiquement les événements de 1915 et en tirer les
conclusions qui s’imposent.

Chacun sait que le subterfuge vise essentiellement a retarder au
maximum l’inéluctable. Mais la Turquie persiste et signe : ” Si c’est
reconnu comme une réalité, approuvée a la fois historiquement et
scientifiquement, en outre, a l’unanimité, alors pourquoi pas ?”,
dit-il. Ajoutant, ” Ã~Jtes-vous en mesure de nommer une nation qui
n’ait pas de douleurs ou un passé sombre dans son histoire ?” Pour
prouver que l’incident équivaut a un génocide ou non, la question
litigieuse doit d’abord être examinée objectivement”, a déclaré
le ministre a Today’s Zaman : “le gouvernement arménien n’est pas
assez courageux pour affronter sa propre histoire en refusant de
divulguer ses archives historiques.”

Egemen BagıÅ~_ a par ailleurs confirmé que le projet de loi
récemment adopté par le Sénat francais criminalisant la négation
du génocide arménien, était ” nul et non avenu” pour la Turquie.