Author: Babajanian Karo

Le Parisien, France
Mardi 26 Juin 2012

Devedjian face à une rébellion

AUTEUR: roberto cristofoli

L’histoire est-elle un éternel recommencement? Après un an de paix
armée entre opposants et partisans de Patrick Devedjian au sein de la
majorité départementale, les hostilités ont repris de plus belle
depuis dix jours. La sortie du brûlot « le Monarque, son fils, son
fief », un livre sous forme de fable dans lequel sa directrice de
cabinet, Marie-Célie Guillaume, relate les relations tendues entre
Patrick Devedjian alias « l’Arménien » et Nicolas Sarkozy, affublé du
titre de « Monarque », son fils Jean, et nombre d’élus UMP et Nouveau
Centre, a été le détonateur.

Une partie des élus de cette majorité, qui compte 29 membres, ne
digère pas l’attitude de Patrick Devedjian lors de la sortie du livre.
« Alors qu’il était au courant, il n’a pas pris la peine d’appeler
ceux qui étaient agressés, appuie Jean Sarkozy. Il ne leur a pas
exprimé son soutien, ni manifesté sa réprobation à l’égard des propos
qui étaient tenus dans l’ouvrage. » Pour Jean Sarkozy, à qui Patrick
Devedjian fait endosser la responsabilité de la fronde actuelle (lire
ci-contre) – ce qu’il réfute vigoureusement -, les choses sont
limpides. « Tant que des actes tangibles n’auront pas été posés,
alors, il y aura clairement un problème de confiance. »

Une crise de confiance
De confiance, il en a été beaucoup question hier matin, lors d’une
réunion des élus majoritaires, à laquelle le président du conseil
général a refusé de participer. « Nous avons voté démocratiquement sur
une question importante, me semble-t-il : la confiance est-elle rompue
entre la majorité et le président du conseil général? commente Eric
Berdoati, maire de Saint-Cloud et rapporteur du budget. Le résultat
est clair : 14 élus ont considéré que oui, 2 que non et 2 autres se
sont abstenus. L’objectif n’est pas de faire la peau à Patrick
Devedjian, mais de travailler. Nous dénonçons son fonctionnement
solitaire. »

Après la démission d’Isabelle Caullery de son poste de présidente du
groupe UMP-Nouveau Centre, lassée des turpitudes de la fonction, c’est
Denis Larghero (Nouveau Centre), un proche du député-maire
d’Issy-les-Moulineaux, André Santini, qui assure l’intérim. Mais le
maire de Villeneuve-la-Garenne, Alain-Bernard Boulanger, premier
vice-président, s’y collerait bien à son tour. La démarche fait déjà
réagir : « Quand on pense qu’il a été humilié dans le livre de
Marie-Célie Guillaume avec le surnom de Trépané du local, en référence
à la grave opération qu’il a subie à la boîte crnienne, et qu’il va
faire l’aumône auprès de Patrick Devedjian, c’est indigne », hurlent
certains de ses collègues.

Lieutenant Colonel tried to blow up Harsnaqar restaurant complex (photos)

tert.am
11:04 – 01.07.12

A 39-year old Lieutenant Colonel Vardan Samvelyan entered Harsnaqar
restaurant complex at approximately 2.15 am on July 1 threatening to
blow it up.

Photojournalist Gagik Shamshyan reported that Samvelyan entered the
complex in a military uniform with a bag threatening to detonate
explosives.

Director of Harsnaqar Hrachya Zohrabyan called the police to report
about the incident. The police officers dispatched to the site
negotiated with the man for about 3 hours. They managed to disarm
Samvelyan and took him to Nor Nork police department.

The police task force has found explosives in Samvelyan’s bag and
seized them. Materials are being prepared over the case.

Vardan Samvelyan’s father is police colonel Samvel Samvelyan working
in criminal department of the police, and brother Arman Samvelyan is a
police agent.

On June 30 a candle-lighting ceremony was held with participation of
few hundreds of citizens which later turned into a protest action
because of a wedding held in the restaurant complex where doctor Vahe
Avetyan, together with his friends, was severely beaten by the
restaurant’s security guards on July 17.

Major Vahe Avetyan, who was the chief of the ENT Department at
Yerevan’s Garrison Hospital, was subsequently hospitalized and
underwent three surgeries, but doctors didn’t manage to save his life.
Remaining unconscious for about a fortnight, he died on Friday
evening.

Agence France Presse
June 29, 2012 Friday 3:19 PM GMT

UNESCO urgently lists Bethlehem church as world heritage

SAINT PETERSBURG, June 29 2012

The UN cultural body UNESCO overrode Israeli objections Friday to
urgently grant world heritage status to a church in the Palestinian
city of Bethlehem venerated as the birthplace of Jesus.

UNESCO’s 13-6 secret vote to add the Church of the Nativity and its
pilgrimage route to the prestigious list was received with a round of
rousing applause and a celebratory fist pump by the beaming head of
the Palestinian delegation, and deep disappointment from Israeli ally
Washington.

“These sites are threatened with total destruction through the Israeli
occupation, through the building of the separation wall, because of
all the Israeli sanctions and the measures that have been taken to
stifle the Palestinian identity,” the Palestinian delegate said after
the vote.

He called the vote a powerful sign that the international community
had rallied to the Palestinian cause and was ready to accept it as an
independent state with borders that included territories captured by
Israel in the 1967 Six Day War.

“It is testimony to the fact that the world as a whole is intent on
protecting Palestine… and making sure that the Palestinian state is
created within the 1967 border the capital of which would be east
Jerusalem.

The US delegation to UNESCO said it was “profoundly disappointed”
while stressing that “this body should not be politicised.”

The Israeli delegate for his part said the Jewish state supported
awarding world heritage status to the ancient church under a
completely different procedure that carried no implications for the
Middle East peace process.

“The decision taken now was totally political and does great damage in
our opinion to the (UN) convention and its image,” the delegate said.

The bid — the first since the Palestinians won controversial
membership of UNESCO in October 2011 — was submitted “on an emergency
basis” because the Palestinians say urgent restoration work is needed.

Their membership has cost the body tens of millions of dollars in lost
funding from the United States.

Israel said the “emergency basis” status essentially meant that the
United Nations as a world body was backing the Palestinian view that
the church was threatened by the Jewish state’s troops.

It had proposed co-sponsoring the church’s application at a future
date — an idea whose prospects seem remote amid continuing stalemate
in the gruelling Middle East peace process.

The three Churches involved — the Catholic as well as Greek Orthodox
and Armenian — for their part have only given lukewarm approval to
the idea because of the dangers the move potentially poses to their
own rights to the shrine.

“It is impossible to inherently pass the sovereignty over the church
by fiat from the Churches to a non-existent state,” the Israeli
delegate said after the vote.

“It is moreover irresponsible for the committee to cancel in a sleight
of hand the status quo that organised the management of the Church of
the Nativity for 500 years.”

The Palestinian bid had faced other hurdles that included a negative
report from the body that evaluates sites for UNESCO and reported
disagreement among Palestinian leaders themselves.

The historic vote was preceded by an extended afternoon debate and
then more than an hour of heated discussion over procedures.

The motion had required a two-thirds majority because it was
overriding a draft recommendation by UNESCO not to support the
Bethlehem candidacy because of the evaluation committee’s report.

The Palestinian delegation promised more battles at UNESCO in the years to come.

“Palestine is rich in world heritage and we are therefore going to
have other nominations,” the delegate chief said.

bur-zak/am/mb

ON THE REGIONAL POLICY OF IRAN

28.06.2012

Sevak Sarukhanyan
Deputy Director of `Noravank’ Foundation,
head of the Center for the Political Studies, Candidate of Science
(Political Studies)*

The passed parliamentary elections in Iran which fortified political
stability in the country after the 2009 elections, created fertile ground
for Tehran to stir up regional policy. This article covered such issues as
Iranian-Turkish, Iranian-Russian and Iranian-Azerbaijani relations.
Iran-Turkey: Iraqi factor

Since 2002 when pro-Islamic Justice and Development Party came to power in
Turkey the relations between Tehran and Ankara have shifted to a new
development stage. Most of the political contradictions between the states
have been smoothed over, Turkey and Iran managed to develop `Kurdish
policy’ which would take into consideration the interests of both states,
Ankara made a step in a direction of normalization of the relationship with
Syria and Iranian-Turkish economic relations recorded an unprecedented
growth. If in 2000 the general volume of goods turnover between Iran and
Turkey was $1 billion, in 2011 it reached $16 billion.

But the `Arab spring’ and Turkish policy in the Arab countries in 2011
returned the old problems to the Iranian-Turkish relations. It became
obvious that Turkey and Iran have two cardinally different ideas of the
region they both are targeted on. And this first of all regards three
states: Iraq, Syria and Lebanon.

If support of the anti-Shiite powers in Lebanon and anti-governmental
powers in Syria by Ankara is directed to the provision of the political
changes which are advantageous to Turkey and the Iranian factor has
indirectly become a condition which counterworks Turkey, the situation in
Iraq is different. Ankara’s actions against the central authorities of Iraq
constitute a direct menace to Iran i.e. the weakening and overthrowing of
pro-Iranian government in Iraq may cause destabilization in Iran and close
geopolitical and political route to Syria and Lebanon going through Iraq.
The Iraqi factor has become one of the main reasons that set Tehran and
Ankara against each other.

The aggravation of the Iraqi-Turkish relations over the recent months has
been connected with several main domestic and external developments. In the
Syrian crisis Iraq took the side of the Syrian authorities and did its best
to deteriorate the formation of the Arab anti-Syrian front. No other
approach of the Iraqi authorities can be expected as overthrowing of the
Assad government and victory of the Islamist powers in Syria will directly
bring to the strengthening of anti-Shiite powers in the region, in the
direct proximity of Iraq and will break the balance in the country which is
based on the alliance between the Shiite and Kurdish communities. Both of
them constitute direct menace to Turkey as in case with Shiite they openly
take pro-Iranian stance in all the processes in the region and in case with
the Kurds it may cause stirring up of the Kurdish factor in Turkey and
bring to the destabilization of the situation in the east of the country.
Over the recent months Ankara’s policy in Iraq was directed to the
criticism of the central authorities of Iraq and was abundant with calls to
create a government of real solidarity which should include more
representatives of Sunnite and Turkman communities of the country.

It should be mentioned that the Turkish criticism of the Iraqi government
is supported by the president of the Kurdish autonomy Masoud Barzani who
made statement back in March that the structure of the coalition government
should be changed. Most probably, Barzani wanted to get a bigger share for
the Kurdish powers in the central authorities of Iraq and showing a united
front with Turkey was simply a means to an end. Barzani who met the
prime-minister of Turkey R.T. Erdogan even hardened the criticism of Iraqi
prime-minister Nuri al-Maliki. The Kurdish self-confidence in Iraq can be
conditioned by several factors and first among them, in our opinion, is the
developments in Syria in which local Kurds are directly involved. Barzani
acknowledges that destabilization in Syria in a result of which in the
neighborhood of Iraq Kurdish and Sunnite armed groups are formed constitute
serious menace to the Shiite community in Iraq and its representative
prime-minster al-Maliki. Barzani indirectly offers a `deal’ to Baghdad:
more places for Kurds in your government on your part and prevention of
transferring Kurdish destabilization from Syria to Iraq on our part.

Recently it has been said in Iraq that al-Maliki and Shiite powers,
supported by Iran, refused such a deal. On April 2 – on the next day after
Erdogan-Barzai meeting – the prime-minster of Iraq al-Maliki at his meeting
with the journalists, harshly criticized Barzani but in the first place he
criticized Turkey. Maliki mentioned that Ankara is an `enemy state’ which
interfered into Iraq’s domestic affairs `and if it continues the same way,
Turkey will become enemy number one for the whole region’. On the next day
after that the prime-minister of Turkey Erdogan characterized Maliki’s
statement as `dirty threat’ and on April 23 al-Maliki arrived in Tehran to
have talks with the president of Iran. However, the aforementioned
chronology is already conspicuous. Let us mention that agreements were
acquired during al-Maliki’s visit to Tehran which would drastically reduce
the dependence of the Iraqi economy on Turkey; Iran promised to increase
the investments into Iraq’s economy and boost goods turnover. Today Turkey
is Iraq’s first trade partner – $11 billion turnover annually. The turnover
between Iran and Iraq in 2010 was $8.1 and in 2011 – $9.7 billion and it is
planned to reach $12 billion this year. It is obvious for Iran the
reduction of the economic dependence of Iraq on Turkey is a necessity and
the Iranian authorities work actively in this direction.
Iran-Azerbaijan

In recent months the Iranian-Azerbaijani relationship has aggravated.
Azerbaijan bought armament from Israel at a cost of $1.6 billion which was
taken by Tehran as step directed against Iran. The Israeli-Azerbaijani
relations have always caused discontent of Iran, but today when possible
Israeli strikes at the Iranian nuclear and military objects are acquiring
real outlines Tehran started considering Baku as a real threat which can
provide its territory to Israel for carrying out military actions.

Baku also is discontented with Iran, taking into consideration the
circumstance that Tehran is eagerly furthering Islamization of Azerbaijan
which indirectly threatens the ruling secular Aliyev family regime. This
causes discontent of the religious segment of the society not only due to
its secular character but also due to its autocratic mechanisms which
contradict to Islamic ethics and religious and political culture. Over the
recent decade the destruction of the secular opposition by the authorities
caused a situation when the only opposition left in the country is the
Islamic one which is rather difficult to control: the religious life and
activity are proceeding underground apart from the political institutions.
The network character of the Islamization of Azerbaijan in fact partially
takes it out of the state control. In this case Iran’s support of the
Islamic renaissance in Azerbaijan constitutes direct menace to Baku.

This month the Iranian-Azerbaijani relations have even aggravated. Taking
advantage of `Eurovision’ song contest held in Baku, different Iranian
media issued material devoted to the pro-Western orientation of Baku,
presenting this song contest as anti-Islamic and anti-traditional event. A
number of media characterized the contest as a sexual minorities’ parade.
And in May pro-Islamic and pro-Iranian powers in Azerbaijan joined
anti-governmental rallies and in consequence some activists were arrested.
As a result, Baku connected the aggravation of the political situation in
the country with Tehran and after that anti-Iranian protest action under
the slogan `Against the anti-Azerbaijani policy of Iran’ took place in
front of the Iranian embassy in Baku on May 11. The protest action was the
most anti-Iranian one in the history of Azerbaijan, as not only classical
appeals, such as a call to stop cooperation with Armenia, but also the
insults to the Iranian state (Iranian flag was burnt) and its leader Ali
Khamenei were voiced. In consequence, on May 20 Tehran ambassador to Baku
was withdrawn back to Tehran. According to press-release spread by the
Iranian embassy in Baku, the ambassador Mohamed Bahrami was recalled to
Tehran to conduct a consultation connected with insulting the Muslim
saints.

Though this is rather serious aggravation of relations, Baku, nevertheless,
does not stop disseminating anti-Iranian statements, so that it seems that
Baku does not want to mend the differences. Thus on May 22 the
press-secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan stated
that: `Iran cannot normally take appearing of thousands of tourists in our
country, including Iranian tourists who see the success of Azerbaijan. Our
independent policy bothers some people, but we are going to continue it’.
And the member of Azerbaijani Majlis G. Hasanguliyev took it a further step
and stated that: `homosexuality is an integral part of Iran’s culture’.
Judging by the recent impressions, Baku does nothing to smooth over
differences with Tehran and even more it tries to escalate the situation.
This is, maybe, an expression of the geopolitical choice of Azerbaijan, by
which Baku hints to Tehran that in case of possible Iranian-Israeli
(American) collision no friendly attitude can be expected on behalf of
Baku.
Iran-Russia

Iranian media reacted to the election of Vladimir Putin as a president of
the Russian Federation rather heartily. During the presidency of Dmitri
Medvedev the Russian-Iranian relations were in crisis which was connected
with Medvedev’s policy directed to the development and deepening of the
relations with the US.

The perception of Vladimir Putin in Iran and Iranian press differs from the
one of Medvedev. If the latter was referred either neutrally or with mild
criticism, Putin mainly deserves positive evaluations.

Today Iran and Russia face a necessity of setting their relations and in
this direction definite steps will be taken in the months to come. And the
fact that the relations will be set is obvious, taking into consideration
that Tehran and Moscow face the same challenges in the region. The most
important among them is the provision of the stability in Syria and
exclusion of the western military interference. Form this point of view
Russia and Iran are all in the same boat while West, Arab world and Turkey
are in the other. Today the normalization of the Iranian-Russian relations
is accompanied by another process – both Tehran and Moscow actively
reconsider their `Turkish policies’. In May Russian Ministry of Foreign
Affairs made two harsh statements concerning Turkish policy. The first
regarded the decision of Turkey to initiate gas drilling in Cyprus water
area which should be accompanied by maneuvers in the same district. The
second one regarded International Conference on Caucasus Studies held in
Istanbul, at which the declaration calling to `continue sacred war against
Russia’ for the liberation of Caucasus was accepted in the presence of the
representatives of the Turkish government.

In a consequence, the Iranian-Russian relations will be reconsidered in
order to deepen them even more. On March 2 V. Putin stated that he would do
everything to `Prevent military actions directed against Iran’. On March 4
the president of Iran M. Akhmadinejad called to V. Putin and congratulated
him with this victory at the elections. According to official
press-releases of two states the parties also discussed regional issues,
mentioning inadmissibility of military interference of the third states
into the domestic affairs of the Arab states.

However, it will be clear in the months to come in what direction the
Russian-Iranian relationship will deepen, but setting of those relations
does not generate any doubts.
*`Globus’ analytical journal, # 6, 2012*

Return
——————————
*Another materials of author*

– TURKISH FACTOR IN `LEVIATHAN’ AND `APHRODITE’ ENERGY
`WARS’
[03.05.2012]
– POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS IN IRAN AND POSSIBLE IRAN-US
COLLISION
[22.03.2012]
– IRAN AND DEVELOPMENTS IN
SYRIA
[26.01.2012]
– ON REGIONAL ENERGY
DEVELOPMENTS
[05.12.2011]

Man kills sister in Armenian village

news.am
June 29, 2012 | 19:20

Another tragedy happened a few minutes ago in Armenia

As reliable sources inform Armenian News-NEWS.am, a man murdered his
sister in Armenian Kharberd village. According rumors circulating in
the village, the brother stabbed his sister.

Her name is Margarita, she is a middle age woman. Her brother is a little older.

Many police officers are at the scene currently. Details on the
incident will be reported later.

ARCHEOLOGIE
Les habitants d’Erébouni aimaient le luxe, le vin et la bière

Une équipe d’archéologues franco-arméniens continue ses travaux sur le
fort d’Erébouni (Erévan). Le 28 juin l’équipe fit le point sur les
fouilles en dégageant quelques caractéristiques et habitudes des
Ourartéens, les ancêtres des Arméniens. Gaguik Kyourdjian le directeur
du musée et site d’Erébouni a souligné l’importance des découvertes
archéologiques dans les années 1950 et 1960 en particulier celles
menées par l’archéologue Constantin Hovhannissian. Il fut ainsi établi
qu’Erébouni (nom ancien d’Erévan) était parmi les plus anciennes
capitales du monde. L’équipe d’archéologues Français et Arméniens a
redémarré les fouilles le 5 juin. Le responsable de la mission,
Stéphane Deschamps et l’archéologue François Fichet de Clairefontaine
ont détaillé leurs recherches. Selon ces spécialistes, les recherches
de cette année permettront à comprendre davantage la période qui a
suivi la chute de l’Ourartou jusqu’à la naissance de l’Arménie.
L’archéologue Araxi Michinian responsable de l’équipe arménienne a
noté l’importance des nouvelles découvertes d’Erébouni qui
complèteront les anciennes, issues essentiellement des fouilles
arméno-américaines. A la question des journalistes, de savoir quelle
vie menaient les habitants d’Erébouni, le professeur Stéphane
Deschamps a dit « de l’apparence et de la qualité des pièces en
argile, nous pouvons affirmer que les Ourartéens connaissaient la vie
luxueuse, ils avaient du goût et ils aimaient le vin et la bière ».

Krikor Amirzayan

dimanche 1er juillet 2012,
Krikor Amirzayan ©armenews.com

Court of Cassation Throws Out Petition of Attorney Grigoryan
Tatevik Shaljyan

hetq
12:52, June 27, 2012

This month, the RA Court of Cassation refused to accept attorney Artur
Grigoryan suit regarding the April 16, 2012 decision of a lower court
to find in the favor of the newspaper Hraparak.

Later that month, The RA Court of Appeals also rejected Grigoryan’s suit.

Grigoryan had sued the newspaper’s website for 18 million AMD due to a
number of comments left by readers under an article pertaining to him.
The lower court found that there was no premeditation on the part of
Hraparak to defame or insult the plaintiff and that the article in
question raised important issues of public interest.

The court also ordered that Artur Grigoryan pay 360,000 AMD in unpaid
court fees (2% of the 18 million).

Grigoryan says he will take the case to the RA Court of Cassation and
to the UN Human Rights Commission if need be.

ARMENIA’S PRESIDENTIAL CHIEF OF STAFF RESPONDS TO FORMER FM’S REMARKS ON KARABAKH ISSUE

news.am
June 30, 2012 | 11:07

YEREVAN. – Armenian Presidential Chief of Staff, Master of
International Law and Diplomacy Vigen Sargsyan specifically wrote
the following in his Facebook account:

“I read with surprise Armenia’s former FM Vartan Oskanian’s evaluations
on the situation created around the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh
problem.

The author builds the entire text on assumptions, and then he offers
the reader to accept as fact his conclusion that ‘the Karabakh peace
process is at an impasse.’

I am also surprised why the author thinks no one understands whom the
‘language’ of the Los Cabos statement is addressed to, when he himself
writes ‘it is clearly Azerbaijan which jeopardizes the delicate peace.’

It is also bizarre that Mr. Oskanian does not ‘recall a time when the
impasse was this much profound.’ History has shown that, sometimes,
seemingly unsolvable problems were solved much easier and faster than
some conflicts.

Armenia, as a conscientious negotiator, is doing everything to reach
a mutual concession. The state’s leader has clearly noted the axis
around which an acceptable solution for Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh
can be built. That is to say, Armenia wishes to do everything so that
the process does not meet an impasse.

The author writes it is apparent that there is no document which forms
a basis for negotiations among all sides. But is it not true that the
[OSCE Minsk Group] Co-Chairing countries stated for the first time
that the Nagorno-Karabakh’s final status must be decided through
legally binding free expression?

He himself notes that the documents proposed by the mediators were
twice unacceptable for the Azerbaijani side.

Speaking about the impasse, Mr. Oskanian notes that the reason
for this is ‘the increase of unsettled problems.’ But Los Cabos’
‘harsh’ statement clearly says: ‘The achieved progress must become
an opportunity for ending the activities toward the formation of a
comprehensive framework for peace.”

Mr. Oskanian believes [US Secretary of State] Madam [Hilary] Clinton
left Armenia empty-handed, because ‘Armenia could not have added
anything new to what was already accepted in Kazan [, Russia].’ [But]
Armenia accepted nothing in Kazan.

The primary tone of Mr. Oskanian’s view is political, not
politological. [And] The objective is but one: to give a signal to
[First President and opposition Armenian National Congress leader]
Levon Ter-Petrosyan, toward a readiness to cooperate with him.”

VAHE AVETYAN’S MEMORY WILL BE COMMEMORATED BY CANDLE LIGHTING

30.06.12, 10:54

As press service of Armenian Ministry of Defense informed yesterday
Vahe Avetyan, officer of Armenian Ministry of Defense, who was beaten
brutally in “Harsanqar” restaurant, died in the hospital.

This tragic news caused great protest in Facebook social network.

Users claim the strictest punishment for all those who are guilty in
this crime and express readiness to support Vahe’s family.

The theme is the most discussed in Facebook social network since
yesterday.

Remind that the tragic case took place in “Harsnaqar” restaurant which
belongs to the deputy of Armenian Parliament Ruben Hayrapetyan. The
body guards of the restaurant beat the officer of Armenian Army
terribly and he appeared in the hospital. The doctors did not manage
to save his life.

Facebook users claim to close “Harsnaqar” restaurant and take back
the deputy mandate from R. Hayrapetyan.

Besides it, candle lighting is organized today, on June 30, at 21:00,
near “Harsnaqar” restaurant and also at the Mashtots Park at the
same time.

TURKEY’S NON-MUSLIMS CONCERNED OVER COURT SYSTEM CHANGES

PanARMENIAN.Net
June 30, 2012 – 11:42 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – As there is a government plan to pass a law that
would abolish or significantly curtail the powers of Turkey’s specially
authorized courts, Turkey’s non-Muslims have voiced their concerns
over this and indicated that progress in important cases must not be
affected by the changes, according to Today’s Zaman.

“Our concern is in regards to the fate of current cases such as
Ergenekon, Zirve and Hrant Dink. Changes to the law must not affect
the progress of these key cases which are not only important for the
non-Muslim community but also for entire Turkey,” said Tatyos Bebek,
a civil society activist from the Armenian community.

Bebek was referring to the Ergenekon case – a clandestine organization
nested within the state that was trying to manipulate and overthrow
the democratically elected government; the Cage (Kafes) case – a plan
that targeted Turkey’s non-Muslims to create chaos and grounds for
military interference; the Zirve case, which involved the killing
of Christian missionaries in Malatya; and the murder of Hrant Dink,
editor-in-chief of Agos Armenian-Turkish weekly.

“Government officials say that ongoing cases will not be affected
by the changes. That’s what we expect. If the changes are going to
eliminate the allegations that there are unfair practices conducted by
these special courts, then the new law will bring positive changes,”
said Ä°vo Vedat Molinas, the editor-in-chief of Shalom, a Jewish
community newspaper in Turkey.

According to the government’s plans, the new bill will be passed before
Parliament adjourns for summer recess on July 1. There are predictions
that the new law might lead to the release of hundreds of gang members,
drug traffickers, terrorists and terror suspects, Today’s Zaman says.