Author: Babajanian Karo

NUMEROUS EVENTS ARE SCHEDULED IN FRANCE ON THE THRESHOLD OF GENOCIDE 100TH ANNIVERSARY

10:00, 30 January, 2013

YEREVAN, JANUARY 30, ARMENPRESS: Many French cities, including all
most Armenian populated cities are set to host numerous events on
the threshold of Armenian Genocide. Co-chairman of the Coordinating
Council Armenian Organizations of France (CCAF) Murad Papazian
stated in the briefing with Armenpress the geography of the cities as
well as the series of events is not clarified yet. Recently Armenian
organizations of France have convened a meeting and reportedly various
issues have been touched upon during it. In the words of co-chairman
of the Coordinating Council the issues pertain to adoption of the
bill criminalizing the denial of Armenian Genocide and Azerbaijani
disguising topped the agenda.

“The world must recognize the true face of Azerbaijan. They
are continuing their anti-Armenian propaganda, dissemination of
misinformation and lies and we are seeking to show the world the
interface of that country” Papazian noted.

In the words of the interlocutor a lecture is scheduled to be delivered
by Armenian National Committee of France in French National Assembly
on February 26. Besides ARF has initiated a protest action in front
of French Embassy in Azerbaijan pertain to Sumgait Massacre due
February 28.

UN SCIENTIFIQUE RENVOIE SA RECOMPENSE PRESIDENTIELLE
Stephane

armenews.com
mercredi 30 janvier 2013

Un chercheur armenien a renvoye un prix accorde par le President
Serge Sarkissian il y a quatre ans en signe de protestation contre
ce qu’il pretend etre une corruption generalisee dans l’enseignement
universitaire superieur et la recherche dans le pays.

Harutiun Karapetian, chercheur au Centre de recherche de chimie
organique et pharmaceutique finance par l’Etat , faisait partie
d’une equipe de trois chercheurs qui ont recu en 2008 le prix
annuel du president parraine par la Fondation Boghossian. Il a ete
verse l’equivalent de 5 000 $ en reconnaissance de leurs travaux
scientifiques.

Harutiun Karapetian a declare mercredi qu’il avait decide de renoncer
a ce prix ” comme l’expression d’une protestation contre ce qui se
passe dans notre domaine de la science “.

” Dans ce domaine comme dans tous les autres domaines de la vie,
le cynisme a atteint un point culminant et l’ensemble du système
scientifique et des normes a ete corrompu ” a-t-il declare au service
armenien de RFE / RL (Azatutyun.am).

Harutiun Karapetian a affirme que toute personne occupant un poste
gouvernemental de haut niveau ou ayant des connexions gouvernementales
solides peut desormais obtenir un diplôme de doctorat en Armenie
sans aucun apport scientifique. ” Les ministres et les gouverneurs
peuvent facilement devenir des doctorants “, a-t-il dit. ” Ils ont
vraiment pas besoin de ca, et pourtant ils corrompent la science et
sapent ainsi son prestige “.

Le scientifique a admis que sa decision a ete programmee pour coïncider
avec la campagne presidentielle en cours. ” Ce qui se passe dans le
pays ne peut manquer d’affecter la science ” a-t-il explique.

Le personnel de la presidence et le ministre armenien des Sciences
et de l’Education n’ont pas immediatement reagi a ces allegations.

mercredi 30 janvier 2013, Stephane ©armenews.com

GOVERNMENT WORTH 200 USD
Naira Hayrumyan

Comments – Tuesday, 29 January 2013, 12:57

A few years ago someone calculated that an average person will need
60,000 drams a month not to starve to death. Then it was 200 dollars.

When the rate of exchange soared, the “minimum” sum also went up to
80,000 drams. 200 dollars is a sacral number. Everything possible is
done to ensure that nobody in Armenia will get more than 200 dollars.

In addition, the new tax imposed on dentists, realtors and others is
also about 200 dollars. Five years after the presidential election
the main achievement of the government’s economic policy is to keep
up with the year 2008. Since then the income of citizens, pensions and
salaries, number of manufacturers has not grown. Inflation, emigration,
banks and monopolies grew instead. The minister of economy Tigran
Davtyan, as well as Serzh Sargsyan do not hide that the main goal
of the economic policy is to fill in the budget. The price does not
matter. It is important to pay salaries and pensions in time to prevent
social riots. Meanwhile, the budget is refilled through simple ways –
remittances, tax burden and loans. All the three hinder the development
of economy and harm the country’s economic sovereignty.

The government claims that remittances are the salaries of citizens.

In fact, these salaries are got for the development of other
countries’ economies. Therefore, remittances are interest on
investments of Armenia in other countries’ economies in prejudice to
our economy. Loans are the best way of sending the country into an
economic bondage which leads to political dependence. Western funds
to which we owe billions may change their attitude to Armenia, and we
will lose our sovereignty, as is now happening in Greece. As to the
growing taxes, it is a major hindrance to the development of economy
and middle class. Dentists, realtors, taxis have already felt the tax
stranglehold. These are people who earn their living without depending
on banks and monopolies. Another few thousands of people will be left
jobless or a dignified earning. The budget will be full instead. Why
do the Armenians need a budget if pensions and salaries are not even
half of the consumer basket per capita? Isn’t it better to rid of
the budget and the government which hinder development? The Armenian
National Congress used to offer the government to do nothing at all
because any step it takes harms the country. Now another demand is
put forth – eliminate the government which pursues budget revenues,
not welfare of people and economic development.

ARMENIAN DIOCESE GETS INVOLVED IN GEORGIAN AMNESTY DEBATE

by Mari Nikuradze | Jan 29, 2013

TBILISI, DFWatch – The Armenian Diocese in Georgia accuses President
Mikheil Saakashvili of making provocative statements regarding an
ethnic Armenian prisoner, and calls on him to avoid such language.

In 2008, Georgian police detained Vahagn Chakhaliani, a Georgian
citizen of Armenian origin, together with his father and brother,
but both were later released. Chakhaliani was charged under two
articles of the criminal law and sentenced to ten years in jail for
organizing massive disorder, participating in an ad hoc organized
group hooliganism and keeping and purchasing ammunition and explosive
material.

Recently, the Georgian parliament adopted a law on amnesty, which
applies to more than 18 000 prisoners. Vahagn Chakhaliani too benefited
from the amnesty, and was released January 24. President Saakashvili
criticized the amnesty many times and twice blocked it from being
enforced by using his veto.

In one of his statements, the president mentioned Vahagn Chalakhiani as
an enemy of Georgia, and said he reminded him of a convicted criminal,
Vladislav Ardzimba. He criticized the new government for releasing
Chalakhiani.

Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili, who at the time was participating
in the World Economic Forum in Davos, said the Armenian Patriarch
raised the issue of releasing Vahang Chakhaliani when he visited
Armenia.

“When I was asked about it I redirected them saying that I wasn’t
competent on this issue. I do not decide these issues,” he said.

But the president said the prime minister’s statement unsatisfactory,
as the only argument was that the Armenian patriarch raised this
issue. He said Ivanishvili will not be able to run away from a decision
which he personally made.

“This is a very heavy responsibility for Georgia’s security,” the
president said.

Later, Sozar Subari, Georgia’s Prison Minister, responded by accusing
members of Saakashvili’s National Movement (UNM) party of making
incorrect statements. He explained that Chakhaliani was accused of
less serious crimes, specifically violating public order, hooliganism
and a weapon charge.

Subari said the Armenian Patriarch had not made any demands, but
only asked what was happening regarding Chakhaliani’s case and why
he wasn’t on the list of political prisoners.

The amnesty law applies to the sections of the law which he was
charged under; that’s why he was released.

January 26, the Armenian Church, the Patriarchate, issued a statement
calling on UNM party leaders and the president to avoid making
provocative statements.

“Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili and Vano Merabishvili,
Secretary General of the National Movement, claimed that Vahagn
Chakhaliani, which they turned into a political prisoner, is a
separatist, agent of a foreign special service and enemy of the
Georgian state,” the statement reads, adding that by those statements
they admitted that under the UNM government there was no justice
at all.

“If Chalakhiani really was a separatist and an agent, why wasn’t he
convicted under the appropriate sections of the criminal code?”

The statement by the Armenian Church says that there is only one
explanation: that the former government used the justice system
against its political opponents. The statement also draws attention
to another statement by President Saakashvili in which he talked
about Armen Gevorgyan, and accused him of being a spy.

“How was it possible that he only read those surnames in a list of 200
political prisoners and use it for his own goals?” the statement says,
adding that despite political inconveniences, they are sure friendly
relations will continue between the two peoples.

President Saakashvili’s administration on Monday responded to the
statement by expressing respect for compatriot Armenians and the
Armenian Diocese in Georgia.

The statement says the Georgian president has stated many times that
it is categorically unacceptable when political or social groups
build political perspectives based on different phobias including
‘Armenophobia’.

“On this background, the latest statement by the Armenian Diocese in
Georgia is surprising, as the Georgian President in his statement
underlined that the ethnic origins of Vahagn Chakhaliani has no
importance. It is about criminal actions by a citizen of Georgia,”
the administration writes, expressing hope that the misunderstanding
was only caused by a lack of information.

President Saakashvili Monday once again personally responded to the
release of Vahang Chakhaliani, saying that it is a problem. He said
this while meeting with refugees from the Georgian breakaway region
Abkhazia.

He once again referred to Chakhaliani as ‘an extremely dangerous
criminal’.

“They hit back: If he was such a criminal, why was he as sentenced for
being a separatist,” Saakashvili said. “Pardon me, but this parliament
granted status of political refugees to people participating in
rebellion against the state, Russian spies, and wouldn’t they put
separatists on the list of political prisoners? Of course they would,
and release them as political heroes.”

WILL ARMENIA PASS A DRAFT LAW ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE?

Posted by Nanore Barsoumian on January 29, 2013 in News

A draft law on domestic violence that was to specifically deal with
violence within the home was turned away by the Armenian government
on Jan. 21. Instead of approving the bill, the government recommended
that other existing laws be amended to include clauses that would
help the courts deal with cases of domestic violence. Whether the
government has outright rejected the bill is unclear.

Protesters against domestic violence during Mariam gevorgyan trial.

(Photo: Society Without Violence in Armenia)

According to the Women’s Resource Center, a non-profit organization
that is closely following the issue, “the government has based
its rejection of the bill on the fact that the entire Armenian
legislative framework is undergoing a number of changes. Changes
being made in the criminal and criminal procedure codes, as well
as in the code of administrative offenses, would cause a number of
problems in implementing the overruled bill. For this reason and with
the agreement of the government, there will be no separate Domestic
Violence Statute Book.”

The chairperson of the Women’s Resource Center in Yerevan (WRCA),
Lara Aharonian, told the Armenian Weekly that following internal
deliberations, the bill was rejected-though it has not been made public
yet. The decision shows that “the government is still not aware that
domestic violence is a serious issue in Armenia and that we still
don’t have a genuine political will to advance women’s rights and
develop adequate policies to ensure gender equality in the country.

This is a direct consequence of the lack of women’s political
presence and, in addition, [it shows] that women’s realities,
concerns, and needs are not taken into consideration in policies,”
she told the Weekly.

Aharonian believes that amendments to other laws will be less
effective than a separate law on domestic violence because they will,
in effect, fail to acknowledge domestic violence as “a real problem,”
and will fail to invest financial and human resources- to counter it
on a national level. “Armenia is trying to conform to international
conventions and declaring in many international reports that they
support women’s rights and gender equality, but they need to put
their money where their mouth is,” said Aharonian. “Domestic violence
legislation also includes a set of services and resources that need
to be available for survivors, and money should be allocated for that,
which is something that this government is not ready to do yet.”

For Aharonian, the bill on domestic violence is crucial as it
would recognize the existence of the problem in the country, and
criminalize it unambiguously. The law would bring with it adequate
protection mechanisms for the victims, including restraining orders;
reform of the police force and the judicial sector to effectively deal
with cases of domestic violence; and a change to the “it’s a private
issue” mentality, explained Aharonian. “What the government is now
suggesting is just a way of watering it down. It’s not as efficient
as a separate legislation.”

The Women’s Rights Center of Yerevan drafted the law and in 2009
submitted it to the Armenian Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs. In
2011, the ministry put together an inter-sectorial working group to
deal with the draft bill. The ministry publicized the bill in November
2012, and subsequently submitted it to the government for approval. In
2010, various non-governmental organizations came together to form
the Coalition to Stop Violence Against Women to raise awareness of the
issue and to pressure authorities to adopt the bill. The coalition is
comprised of the Women’s Resource Center, the Women’s Rights Center,
Society Without Violence, PINK Armenia, the Women’s Support Center,
Zangakatun, and the Sexual Assault Crisis Center. The United Nations
Population Fund (UNFPA) also supported the initiative.

No rejection yet, says ombudsman’s office

The Armenian Weekly reached out to the office of Armenia’s Ombudsman
Karen Andreasyan, for clarification on the status of the bill. “The
draft law on domestic violence has not been rejected. It is still
being analyzed by the Ministry of Justice, [which] is part of the
routine,” Naira Karmirshalyan, head of public relations department of
the ombudsman’s office, told the Armenian Weekly. “It is difficult
to give a persuasive answer [as to] why it is taking this long for
the draft law to pass.”

In November 2012, Andreasyan submitted a list of recommendations
on the draft law to the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs. The
proposed amendments dealt with clauses on the interrogation of
juveniles, requiring them to be questioned in the presence of a legal
representative and a police officer specializing in juvenile affairs
or a psychologist. Andreasyan also recommended that victim help
hotlines operate around-the-clock; and for officials to investigate
cases immediately following victim complaints.

According to Karmirshalyan, the recommendations made were all
“important and necessary,” and they would bring the bill closer to
reflecting “the best international practice.”

Karmirshalyan expressed her reservations about the slow-moving
process. “It is disturbing that immediate steps are not being taken
by the government, because prime facie the draft law seems complete,”
she told the Weekly, but reiterated that “the final decision on its
acceptance or rejection has not been made.”

“Unfortunately domestic violence is a phenomenon that occurs all
over the world, in every country and in every society. It is our
position that the draft law on domestic violence is a necessity
for our society, the absence of which created a legal gap. In such
cases, the gap becomes an obstacle for preventing these disturbing
actions,” she said. “The law would also create the needed mechanism
that would make an attempt in eliminating the latent nature of this
phenomenon in Armenian society. It is of paramount importance, [as]
the law would also give the necessary guarantees-most importantly,
protection and social safeguards to the victims of domestic violence.”

By working towards a domestic violence law in 2012, the government-and
specifically the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs-has illustrated
that it is listening and responding to the calls by international
organizations that have raised the issue of the lack of a domestic
violence bill in their reports, urging the Armenian government to
take immediate steps, said Karmirshalyan.

“However, the timing of actions being taken is becoming an issue,”
she added, referring to the slow process. If the ombudsman’s office
judges that the delays in passing a bill are unjustified, then
they are prepared to nudge the appropriate bodies. “We would send
a letter to the government in order to learn the reasoning and/or
justifications behind [the delay]… If necessary, we would recommend
that the government accelerate the process of analyzing and reaching
a decision regarding the draft law.”

Aharonian, too, will be watching closely. “In the following weeks we
will have meetings with the Coalition Against Violence and the gender
theme group that includes different non-governmental organizations,
ministries, and international organizations to discuss the next steps,”
she told the Weekly.

If approved by the government, the draft law would have been submitted
to the National Assembly to be reviewed and voted on. “It did not pass
the first step. Now we need to review and strategize what to do next.

Do we accept what the government is proposing, or do we lobby-all of
us together-for a separate law?” added Aharonian.

Currently, the courts deal with domestic violence the same way
they deal with violence in general, which, according to Aharonian,
“makes the court cases even more challenging, especially for women and
children.” Recently, attorney Nona Galstyan, representing domestic
violence victim Mariam Gevorgyan, expressed similar concerns over
the lack of a domestic violence law. “The absence of a law means that
female victims of domestic violence are often left defenseless. The
police will not launch a criminal case unless serious injury or death
has taken place,” she was quoted by the Institute for War and Peace
Reporting (IWPR) as saying.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that it is not uncommon for authorities
to either dismiss cases of domestic violence, considering them private
matters, or to avoid dealing with them with the required urgency. That
was the case with 20-year-old Zaruhi Petrosyan, who died after severe
beatings by her husband and, allegedly, her mother-in-law. According
to statements made by the victim’s sister, Zaruhi had gone to the
police twice before, which resulted in a warning for the husband,
Yanis Sarkisov. The proposed domestic violence bill would provide
victims like Zaruhi with vital resources. For instance, the law would
require that the abuser be removed from the home; and if the victim
did not feel safe at home, she would have the option of going to
a government-funded women’s shelter. Currently, there are only two
shelters operating in Armenia, and they are at times forced to turn
victims away, for lack of space and resources.

Zaruhi’s death in 2010 led to widespread public outrage, pushing
that most taboo issue out into the national arena. It left no
room for denial that domestic violence exists in Armenia, and that
occasionally it claims lives. Zaruhi’s story reverberated throughout
various Armenian communities worldwide. Activists worked hard to raise
awareness of the issue and pressed the government for a national law
against domestic violence; the diaspora echoed those calls, with
petitions circulating in support of such a law. In the meantime,
while policy-makers deliberate on whether to pass the draft law,
other brutal cases of domestic violence continue to take place.

Unfortunately, Zaruhi was not the last victim whose life was cut
short due to domestic violence. In July 2012, Anahit Babayan was
beaten to death with a concrete slab and a wooden bar by her husband
of 30 years. For activists like Aharonian, the time for real action
is long overdue.

Davit Harutyunyan: “Assembly is becoming more and more forgiving
towards Azerbaijan”

Tue, 01/29/2013 – 18:45

“Unfortunately, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
is becoming more and more strange organization” during the press
conference on January 29 said the Head of the Armenian delegation in
PACE, the head of the permanent committee on State and Legal Affairs
of the National Assembly Davit Harutyunyan, summarizing the results
of January 21-25 winter session in Strasbourg.

According to the speaker, the Assembly is “becoming more forgiving
towards Azerbaijan”. “Some insisting actions started to be forgiven
to Azerbaijan” said D. Harutyunyan, noting the fact that the PACE
reporter of the issue on the political prisoners in Azerbaijan was
long time prohibited to enter the country.

The next example was the rather strange report on the implementation
of commitments by Azerbaijan in which only one sentence was said about
the Ramil Safarov which was a topic of heat discussion several months
ago in PACE.

D. Harutyunayn believes that the non-responsiveness of those actions
by the PACE will have its impact on the reputation of the organization.

According to the head of the Armenian delegation the rejection of
the report on the political prisoners in Azerbaijan made it clear
that not everything is clear with PACE. According to him, a “very
serious, reasoned and solid” report was prepared but they managed
to defeat it by bringing the members that voted against it. “Many
members took an active participation in the Assembly, who being
members never participated in the hearings before” he said, adding
that those members not only participated but also tried to tie the
issue with the Nagorno-Karabakh.

“It is not strange that the work of a paid lobbyist blossomed in
PACE recent years and the Assembly had to take serious steps in
that direction. In particular, in the last meeting of the Bureau
we established several rules for the members of the Assembly. For
example, if they receive a present exceeding the certain amount of
money they have to declare that” D. Harutyunyan noted. According to
him, the control mechanisms are very weak, but “we started to import
such rules, it is talking about the fact that we all see that such
problems exist, and they are becoming more and more.”

Author: Factinfo

19% OF ARMENIA’S POPULATION “POOR” AGAINST UN-CITED 45%

TERT.AM
16:08 ~U 29.01.13

On January 18-19, 2013, a poll conducted by sociologist Aharon
Adibekyan, which involved 1,650 Armenian citizens of full age.

According to the poll results, 19.2% of the respondents believe their
families live in poverty, their incomes are hardly enough for food.

On the other hand, according to the UN standards, 45% of Armenia’s
population lives below the poverty line.

79.6% of the respondents said their families have “modest earnings
and some savings,” and only 1.2% do not deny themselves anything.

With respect to the difference between the UN data on poverty in
Armenia (45%) and the poll results (19%), Mr Adibekyan said: “This
fact is relieving social tension, reducing discontent of some sections
of the population. However, their problem remains unsolved.”

“By and large, families are optimistic, but every sixth family is
disappointed. We asked the respondents what they would do if they
were elected Armenia’s president. Forty-five per cent of them would
create jobs and struggle against unemployment, 25% promised higher
salaries, pensions and allowances, 18% promised improvement of the
social situation, and 8% prevention of emigration and so on,” Mr
Adibekyan said.

THE WOMAN WAS REGULARLY SUBJECTED TO VIOLENCE IN FRONT OF HER CHILDREN

Tue, 01/29/2013 – 15:30

A few days ago, a woman who has regularly been subjected to
psychological and physical abuse by her husband and father-in-law in
front of her 3 minor children turned to the Ombudsman.

As the website of Ombudsman informs, the husband and the father-in-law
of Gayane Muradyan forced her to leave the house with one of the
children and did not allow her to meet the other two. Gayane avoided
to apply to the Police and turned to the Office of the Ombudsman to
support her on her problem.

Women’s Affairs Advisor to the Ombudsman Anna Safaryan after providing
psychological support to the woman introduced the opportunities of
the protections of her rights and then accompanied the woman to the
police station to report the crime.

The next day Gayane thanked Anna Safaryan for her support. Gayane also
said that after the police officers reported the crime and received the
explanations they accompanied her home where they informed the family
members about the consequences of the further violence against Gayane.

Before that Gayane had a fear that after she returned home she would
again be committed to violence and would not be allowed to see her
children, but as she informs now the situation has changed and the
family members have changed their attitude towards her.

The application that she presented to the police is under the control
of the Office of Ombudsman.

The name and surname of the woman are changed.

Author: Factinfo

Armenia must withdraw from Nagorno-Karabakh peace talks – Paruyr Hayrikyan

NEWS.AM
January 29, 2013 | 13:42

YEREVAN. – Armenia should withdraw from the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
settlement negotiation process in order to leave the talks for the
Nagorno-KarabakhRepublic representatives. Armenia’s presidential
candidate, opposition National Self-Determination Union Chairman
Paruyr Hayrikyan stated this during a press conference on Tuesday.

But, as per Hayrikyan, Armenia’s withdrawal from the peace talks will
not mean the country will adopt a passive stance. On the contrary,
Armenia will continue to be the guarantor of NKR’s security.

“Allegiance to the European system of values is the key direction of
Armenia’s foreign relations. We have but one advantage: the interaction
with respect to the system of values, which [that is, the interaction]
need to be developed,” Hayrikyan stressed.

Also, he noted that normal relations should be maintained with Russia
and Iran but, at the same time, insulting demeanor toward Armenia
and the Armenian nation should not be tolerated.

FETHIYE CETIN: “THESE ATTACKS HAVE CREATED FEAR AND ANXIETY FOR ARMENIANS AND CHRISTIANS LIVING IN TURKEY” HRANT GADARIGIAN

00:31, January 29, 2013

To get a better insight into the recent attacks against elderly
Armenian women in Istanbul, Hetq contacted Fethiye Cetin, a prominent
lawyer and human rights advocate working in Turkey.

Cetin has served as an attorney for the family of Hrant Dink and
is the author of My Grandmother, a book describing how and when she
found out about her Armenian roots.

Recently, former Agos editor Aris Nalcı told Today’s Zaman that he
believed these attacks were organized and called on Turkish officials
to launch a comprehensive investigation. Would you agree with his
assessment?

I would also agree that these actions are organized and planned. At
first, the police promoted the line that they were violent robberies,
however no such evidence was to be found in the homes of the victims.

In addition, witnesses claim that the attackers always had an
accomplice or two nearby. We have been focusing our attention on
Samatya of late, but it must be said that attacks directed against
Christians have been occurring all over the country as well. The
latest was the exposure of an organized gang that attempted to murder
a Christian priest in Kocaeli. All this attests to the fact that the
events are systematic in nature and not random.

Being close to certain segments of the Istanbul Armenian community,
how would you describe the emotional state within the community in
light of these incidents?

These attacks have created fear and anxiety for Armenians and
Christians living in Turkey. An Armenian woman living in the Samatya
neighbourhood responded to a Milliyet reporter by stating, “Let us
die in our beds”. These few words clearly describe the emotional
state of Armenians.

If the attacks are indeed premeditated and organized – by whom and
for what aim?

To date, not one of the criminals has been discovered. I believe that
these incidents must be connected to the words uttered by the Minister
of Internal Affairs at last year’s Khojaly Meeting. For this reason,
I fear that similar incidents will only increase and worsen in the
lead up to 2015.

All the victims have been elderly Armenian women who live alone. Does
this factor have any particular significance?

I think they have chosen elderly women who live alone because they
don’t want any eyewitnesses. Also, they want to create an even larger
climate of fear in the Armenian community.

What must Turkish authorities do, which they aren’t now, to prevent
the reoccurrence of such attacks in the future and to prove that they
are truly concerned with the safety of Armenian citizens of Turkey?

It is vital to expose the culprits as soon as possible and the
forces pulling the strings. The authorities must publicly address the
community and state that those responsible will be severely punished.

The authorities must keep this issue on their agenda. Through various
events and pronouncements, the public at large must be made aware
that mentality causing these attacks is bankrupt.