Author: Badalian Vardan

HRANT DINK LAWYERS FILE CHARGES AGAINST 24 TURKEY PUBLIC SERVANTS

epress.am
02.16.2012

Lawyers for murdered Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink have
requested that the Istanbul Deputy Chief Prosecutor’s Office file a
criminal case against 24 public servants for their alleged role in
the 2007 killing.

“If [police informant] Erhan Tuncel was found not guilty and could
be acquitted, and if he did not take part in the crime, then there
are other guilty [parties] out there,” Cem Halavurt, one of the Dink
family’s lawyers, told the Hurriyet Daily News.

The public servants in question include Muammer Guler, former Istanbul
governor and a deputy for the ruling Justice and Development Party
(AKP), Celalettin Cerrah, who was Istanbul police chief at the time but
has since been promoted to the post of Osmaniye governor in southern
Turkey, as well as Ramazan Akyurek, who was serving as the head of
police intelligence at the time.

“The aforementioned civil servant suspects … have committed the crime
of ‘intentional murder through negligent conduct’ by not fulfilling
their obligation to prevent Hrant Dink’s assassination by the armed
organization that committed the murder, and by not taking him under
their protection,” read the Dink family’s lawyers’ petition.

Both Cerrah and Guler refused to comment to the Daily News on the
matter.

“We are aware of the presence of the managers and members of
the organization that committed the Dink murder among the Trabzon
Provincial Gendarmerie Command, the Istanbul and Trabzon Provincial
police departments [and] the Police Department Intelligence Branch
Presidency staff. We know that all these relations will come to light
if an effective investigation is conducted,” the petition said.

Authorities did not give permission for an investigation to be
launched against the public servants in question, the lawyers said in
the petition. An appeal was consequently brought before the European
Court of Human Rights following the exhaustion of domestic judicial
alternatives.

POLICE GIVE ACTIVISTS PROTESTING KIOSK CONSTRUCTION IN PARK HALF HOUR TO PACK UP

epress.am
02.16.2012

An altercation took place earlier today between police and activists
who for the sixth day have been protesting the construction of kiosks
in the park next to the maternity hospital on Mashtots Ave. in Yerevan
(between Aram and Buzand streets).

A statement issued by the civic movement “We are the owners of our
city” states that the activists today tried to attach a sheet of
plastic over the metal frames of the partially built kiosks as shelter
from the snow; however, three people approached them and told them
to remove the cover.

According to the statement, the protestors called police who told
the youth that “there are orders from above saying you’re not allowed
to tie plastic sheets there” and gave the activists half an hour to
remove the plastic cover.

Currently the youth are in the park. Epress.am will report on details
later, as more information becomes available.

I AM PURE, BUT YOU ALL ARE SATAN! – ARMENIAN POLICE CHIEF – NEWSPAPER

NEWS.AM
February 16, 2012 | 09:25

YEREVAN. – Armenia’s Police Chief Vladimir Gasparyan recently gathered
the Police Force employees and gave them new instructions to improve
the service, Chorrord Inknishkhanutyun daily writes.

“According to our sources, Gasparyan spoke very roughly with those who
were gathered. ‘I am pure, but you all are Satan!’, the Police Chief
said in anger. Incidentally, it is known that Vladimir Gasparyan is a
fanatical follower of the Armenian Apostolic Church, and in his public
statements he often makes references to God and some Biblical terms,”
Chorrord Inknishkhanutyun writes.

AUSTRALIAN MLC SAYS IT IS TIME FOR ANKARA TO RECOGNIZE THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

ARMENPRESS
FEBRUARY 15, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 15, ARMENPRESS: Member of the Legislative Council
of Australia Walt Secord condemned the Turkish government for its
continued denial of the Armenian Genocide in a powerful address on
the floor of the Legislative Council during the first sitting of the
New South Wales parliament in 2012.

In a clear and unequivocal statement on public record, Secord declared
that the Turkish government’s denial of the Armenian Genocide was
unacceptable.

“It is repugnant for Turkey to deny the deaths of the 1.5 million
Armenians,” said the co-deputy chair of the NSW Parliament’s Armenia
Australia Parliamentary Friendship Group.

“It is time for Ankara to accept the past and unequivocally recognise
the Armenian genocide.”

In his address entitled ‘Genocide Study Tour’, Secord also discussed
his recent visits to the Armenian Genocide Museum Institute in Yerevan,
the Concentration Camp in Auschwitz and Halabja in Iraq.

He spoke of the lack of a just resolution to the Armenian Genocide
as a factor that paved the way for the destruction of European Jewry
during the Holocaust.

“Sadly too few of us know of the Armenian Genocide. It was that very
denial of history that allowed communities to silently watch the
transports to and the smoke of Auschwitz,” said Secord.

The Legislative Council Member thanked the Armenian National Committee
of Australia for supporting his recent visit to Armenia and Nagorno
Karabakh and pledged to continue encouraging the advocacy efforts of
the organisation.

ANC Australia Executive Director Varant Meguerditchian immediately
contacted Secord to thank him for bringing to light the denial of
genocide and sharing his learnings from his “Genocide Study Tour”
with his parliamentary colleagues.

“Denial is considered by scholars as the final stage of one genocide
and the first stage of the next genocide,” said Meguerditchian.

“We thank Mr Secord for bringing awareness to this issue of humanity
by highlighting the relationship between the denial of the Armenian
Genocide and the persecution of Jews during the Holocaust.”

MEETING AT THE NKR NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

Wednesday, 15 February 2012 05:44

On February 13, NKR NA Chairman Ashot Ghulian received first Chairman
of the National Council of the Slovakian Republic Frantisek Miklosko
and members of his delegation, which had paid an acquainting visit to
Artsakh: Rector of the Central European University Heyde Shvartsova,
Chairman of Vahostav Company Jan Cato and head of Khemolak enterprise
Roman Shustek. The delegation was accompanied by leader of the
Slovakian Armenian community and Chairman of the Forum of Armenian
Associations of Europe Ashot Grigorian.

Noting that it was his regular visit, the former Speaker of the
Slovakian Parliament emphasized the considerable positive changes
that had taken place in Nagorno Karabakh since his previous visit
a year and a half ago. “I admire all this, especially the view of
Stepanakert, which has become a western-type capital”, he noted.

The Slovakian guests were especially interested in the current
situation of the Karabakh settlement process and further possible
developments, related to which the NA Chairman gave corresponding
explanations and answered the guests’ questions.

The meeting participants discussed corresponding programs on
establishing different-type contacts between Slovakia and Artsakh,
outlining the ways and means of their realization.

NKR NA Chief of Staff Garry Jamharian attended the meeting.

41 FEUDAL LORDS

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 13:00:37 – 15/02/2012

During the parliamentary hearing of the draft law on proportional
representation, MP Armen Martirosyan, Heritage, noted that no one
wants to discuss which is better majority system or proportional
representation.

Armen Martirosyan recalled the statements by Prime Minister Tigran
Sargsyan in the National Assembly on the exclusion of businessmen
from the Republican party list but they cannot ban people run from
single-member districts. Armen Martirosyan says here the necessity
arises to adopt pure proportional representation for businessmen not
to come to the parliament and violate the Constitution of Armenia.

In regard to remarks that it is technically impossible to have pure
proportional representation, he said as soon as the draft law is
adopted, it will take a minute to enforce it since it does not have
related technical issues, and nothing additional is required.

AZERBAIJAN PLAYS THE FOX OFFERING ARMENIA A HAND IN RESTORING YEREVAN’S HISTORICAL CENTER

arminfo
Wednesday, February 15, 12:53

Azerbaijan is ready to provide the Armenian authorities with the
maps of the ancient Yerevan so they can restore the historical look
of their capital, Azeri presidential representative Fuad Akhundov
told Interfax-Azerbaijan.

“If they really want to restore the historical look of Yerevan, we
are ready to kindly provide them with the old city’s maps. There are
also a number of Russian and European paintings picturing the Erivan
Fortress (XVI) the way it was in the 19th century,” Akhundov said.

He believes that the Armenian authorities are trying to mislead the
world community and to give Yerevan a look it never actually had in
the past.

He said that the Erivan Sardar Palace, one of the gems of the Caucasus,
was destroyed in 1964 instead of being turned into a museum.

“Yerevan claims that it is an ancient city but it has no historical
center. And to blame for this are those vandals who destroyed the
Erivan Fortress just because it was a masterpiece of Azeri art,”
Akhundov said.

But Mr. Akhundov forgot to say that the Azeris could not have art at
that time just because they were not a nation yet.

Akhundov’s interview is just one more attempt to fake history and it
is aimed against not only the Armenian cultural-historical heritage
but also the legacy of the Muslim Persia-Iran. So, once again they
are playing the fox.

ARFD MEMBER: REPRODUCTION OF AUTHORITIES LEADS TO USURPATION

PanARMENIAN.Net
February 15, 2012 – 12:53 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – At a parliamentary hearing on full shift to
proportional electoral system set forth by the opposition, ARF
Dashnaktsutyun MP Armen Rustamyan noted that majority of political
forces back the proposal.

“Majority system in Armenia has become a tool for election violations.

Reproduction and not reelection of authorities leads to usurpation,”
he stated.

In his speech Mr. Rustamyan, one of the initiators of the proposal,
cited figures of previous elections, noting that opposition gains
much fewer seats in the parliament due to the majority system, the
latter facilitating authority candidates’ victory.

ARMENIA 41ST IN FIFA RANKING

armradio.am
15.02.2012 13:06

The Armenian national team has improved four places in new FIFA World
Ranking to reach a record high 41st position.

Armenia~Rs rivals at FIFA 2014 World Cup qualifiers are placed as
follows: Italy is 8th with 1115 points, Denmark – 10th with 1090
points, Czech Republic is 29th with 775 points, Bulgaria is 88th with
408 points, Malta ranks 159th with 133 points.

Spain is at the top of the table followed by Germany and the
Netherlands.

LA CHAINE KURDE ROJ TV PERD SON PROCES EN REFERE CONTRE EUTELSAT
Stephane

armenews.com
mercredi 15 fevrier 2012

Le juge des referes du tribunal de Paris a deboute vendredi la chaîne
kurde de television Roj TV, qui reclamait 60.000 euros a l’operateur
satellitaire europeen Eutelsat Communications pour avoir suspendu
sa diffusion.

Le 10 janvier, le Danemark avait condamne Roj TV pour “soutien a
une organisation terroriste”, au vu des liens qu’elle entretenait
avec le Parti des travailleurs du Kurdistan (PKK). La chaîne kurde
a fait appel.

Eutelsat avait alors publie un communique annoncant sa decision “de
suspendre la presence de Roj TV sur ses satellites pour ne pas etre
en situation de se rendre complice dune activite terroriste”.

Eutelsat avait egalement demande “aux distributeurs qui diffusent Roj
TV a travers des capacites louees sur ses satellites de suspendre la
diffusion de cette chaîne”.

A la suite de cette decision, Roj TV a assigne Eutelsat, basee a Paris,
devant le juge des referes. Elle denoncait une censure et une atteinte
a sa liberte d’expression.

Dans son ordonnance, le juge remarque que le trouble allegue, a savoir
l’impossibilite de diffuser, “a cesse” puisque la diffusion de la
chaîne Roj TV a “repris par l’intermediaire d’un autre operateur de
satellites, Intelsat”.