Author: Badalian Vardan

TENSIONS CONTINUING TO MOUNT BETWEEN ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN

The Examiner
Feb 5 2015

by Bon Knudsen

The situation in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan looks to
be flaring up again, amidst increasing violence and rumors of western
powers, including the United States, funding rebels in the area. The
situation looks to be on a path toward an all-out war between Armenia
and Azerbaijan over a century old land dispute.

First, a little background on the situation. The setting is the two
former Soviet countries nestled in between Turkey, Iran, Georgia and
Russia.The Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan has been disputed
by Armenia and Azerbaijan for nearly a hundred years, starting at
the creation of the Soviet Union. When both countries were made a
part of the communist empire, a deal was made with Turkey, themselves
coming into their own after centuries as the Ottoman Empire, who had
a contentious relationship with Armenia. Nagorno-Karabakh would be
made a part of Azerbaijan rather than Armenia, a decision that has
been unpopular ever since.

Under Soviet control, the region was pacified for decades, barring
the occasional small-scale skirmish. However, when the dissolution
of the Soviet Union began in the late 1980s, so did the reemergence
of violence from separatists who wanted independence. The region is
some 95 percent ethnic Armenians, and they speak the Armenian language.

They have long considered themselves to be Armenian, and many resented
what they considered an occupation of their lands. In 1991 a vote
was held that indicated a desire for independence, though Azerbaijani
citizens rejected the outcome. War broke out and lasted for about three
years, when a cease-fire was declared between Armenia, Azerbaijan,
and Nagorno-Karabakh.

Since then the situation has been tense, to say the least. Accusations
of war crimes on both sides, including ethnic cleansing, led to United
Nations condemnations and demands of troop withdrawals by Armenia.

Peace talks and negotiations have been ongoing since, mostly with
Russia acting as a third-party intermediary.

Which brings us to the present. Violence has been escalating over the
last few months, and it looks to be picking up steam. Mediators from
France, the United States, and Russia have met with both countries
and pleaded for the cessation of hostilities.

“The rise in violence that began last year must stop,” the mediators
said in a joint statement. “We called on Azerbaijan to observe its
commitments to a peaceful resolution of the conflict. We also called
on Armenia to take all measures to reduce tensions.”

Trust is something that is in short supply, however. One top
Azerbaijani official made a statement Wednesday claiming that the
United States is involving itself in the conflict by arming the
rebels. Adding Russia’s recent belligerence in nearby Ukraine and
Georgia, plus their continuing military funding of both countries,
and you have a recipe for disaster.

More violence is expected as we approach the one hundredth anniversary
of Turkey’s genocide against Armenians. It seems unlikely that anything
will be resolved anytime soon in the conflict either, which has the
potential to burst into an all-out war between the two countries and
the region, much like it did in the early 90s.

ARE ARMENIAN PEOPLE ON THE VERGE OF A POWERFUL EXPLOSION?

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Feb 5 2015

5 February 2015 – 4:28pm

The opposition plans to hold rallies in the regions of Armenia and
a powerful rally in Yerevan in the near future, Prosperous Armenia
party leader Gagik Tsarukyan said at a meeting, Armenian media report.

“Armenia needs a new government and educated people. In this regard,
I stress my willingness to support such candidates. I invite the
Armenians living in Armenia and abroad. I invite well-educated
professionals to unite to form an alternative to the current
government,” Trend cited Tsarukyan as saying.

Tsarukyan noted that in the current situation, all political forces in
Armenia, except for the ruling party, feel themselves out of play. The
authorities must change the approach, by providing an opportunity
for other political forces to also be in power.

“One careless action, one word can bring hundreds of thousands of
people onto the streets … It will be an uncontrollable wave. In
this situation, our position is clear – the demand of the people
should be the determining one,” ‘Novosti Armenia’ cited Tsarukyan.

Experts Alexander Makarov and Alexander Iskandaryan in an inteview
with ‘Vestnik Kavkaza’ agreed that the dissatisfaction of Armenia’s
population is gradually maturing with the current state of affairs
in the country, but expressed confidence that a social explosion does
not threatened to the country.

“As for the discontent, it is clear that in the post-Soviet republic,
a state that is under siege for more than 20 years, with a fairly
complex migration and regional situation, there is a certain stratum
of the population that lives below the poverty line. This layer and
some other people have some resentment about the policy of the Armenian
authorities. However, it seems to me unreasonable to say that Armenia
is on the verge of a social explosion,” the director of the Armenian
branch of the Institute of CIS countries, Alexander Markarov, said.

Director of Caucasus Institute Alexander Iskandaryan, in his turn,
reminded that the poor social status of the present day has its origins
in 2008. “Since then, the country has witnessed economic stagnation:
the growth is a very small, or it doesn’t exist aat all.

Social discontent is quite broad, and the popularity of the authorities
i not very wide. However, all these phenoms are not new, and some
drastic changes that have come in recent months and made social
discontent a very serious, I personally do not see,” he said.

ARMENIA: DOMESTIC ABUSE BILL BACK ON THE TABLE

Institute for War and Peace Reporting, UK
IWPR CRS #766
Feb 5 2015

After past failures, campaigners are optimistic that parliament will
pass the new legislation this time round.

By Ani Hovhannisyan Pro-government and opposition politicians in
Armenia are about to begin work on a long-awaited domestic violence
law that will define offences and set out procedures to support
victims and prosecute perpetrators.

A local non-government organisation, the Coalition to Stop Violence
Against Women, has been working on the bill for more than a year,
and a working group made up of lawmakers and NGO representatives will
revise the document next month before submitting it to parliament.

The new bill comes after parliament rejected similar legislation
two years ago on the grounds that it was incompatible with Armenia’s
justice system. The decision caused outrage among activists who had
spent six years preparing the draft law. (See Domestic Abuse Law
Dumped in Armenia.)

Anna Nikoghosyan, executive director of the NGO Society Without
Violence, told IWPR that in 2013, the authorities lacked the political
will to pass the legislation. But unlike last time, activists are
now expecting a fruitful debate in parliament because politicians
themselves have expressed a willingness to discuss the law.

“The lack of legislation is the first hurdle in the fight against
domestic violence, as legal and judicial institutions currently tend
to punish perpetrators if the woman dies,” Nikoghosyan said. “But
when the woman survives and is repeatedly subjected to violence, the
perpetrator is acquitted or given an insufficient length of sentence.”

Nikoghosyan said this was because the law enforcement agencies were
ignorant of the issues.

The authorities do not keep statistics on domestic violence, as
separate from generic crimes like assault.

In a 2007 nationwide survey on domestic violence against women,
35 per cent of respondents said they had suffered domestic violence,
and 40 per cent of this group said their children had witnessed it. Of
those who experienced violence, half felt they themselves were partly
to blame.

One case that has been reported extensively in the media is that of
Sargis Hakobyan, who repeatedly assaulted and humiliated his wife,
Hasmik Khachatryan, over a period of nine years.

The case is a clear example of the trend Nikoghosyan describes.

Following a year-long trial, a judge in the eastern Gegharkunik region
sentenced Hakobyan to one-and-a-half years in jail. But instead of
sending him to serve his sentence, the judge immediately granted him
clemency and released him.

During the trial, there was both live testimony and a substantial
forensic evidence to show that Hakobyan abused Khachatryan, gave her
cigarette burns, repeatedly hit her with various objects, and punched
and kicked her in the head.

The last time Khachatryan was beaten by Hakobyan, she fled from the
house and she spent the rest of the night hiding outside. The next
morning she got in touch with her parents to ask if she could go and
stay with them.

“I thought it was better for me to die than to lead such a life,”
Khachatryan said. “When he beat me the last time, I thought I wouldn’t
live to see the morning.”

In court Hakobyan denied the charges against him and argued that as
a husband he was entitled to hit his wife.

Hakobyan was charged with intentional grievous bodily harm with
aggravating circumstances, which carries a punishment of up to three
years’ imprisonment. However, in his ruling the judge dropped the
aggravating circumstances, which made it possible to offer clemency.

Khachatryan’s lawyer, Nona Galstyan, said the judge also cited a
technicality – although the couple went through a church wedding,
they did not register the marriage with the civil authorities, so
the victim was not a dependent of her husband.

Galstyan argues that this was a misreading of the law, which states
that a person can be dependent on someone else in various ways –
financially, physically and psychologically.

Khachatryan has appealed against the verdict, and says she is prepared
to fight as long as it takes to get redress for the abuse she suffered.

According to Galstyan, who was involved in drafting the new domestic
violence bill, it will prevent judges from acquitting or releasing
perpetrators as happened in this case. The law also required the
state to support victims, who currently have few places to turn to
and are often forced to carry on living with the perpetrator.

Arpine Hovhannisyan, a Republican Party member of parliament MP of the
Republican Faction at the National Assembly, told IWPR how important
it was to get the law’s wording right so that it would be enforceable.

“One should first note that the bill has still to undergo lengthy
discussions both inside the National Assembly’s chamber and
outside it,” she said. “It’s beyond dispute that the law has to
include provisions that can actually be enacted. In other words,
we cannot succeed unless a law is passed – and not one that is just
a declaration – that specifies a comprehensive set of procedures,
and become a basis for preventing and eliminating violence.

At the moment, it is NGOs that provide all the legal and psychological
support available to victims.

Armenia’s capital Yerevan only has one shelter that accepts women
affected by abuse, including those who would be at risk if they
returned to the family home.

The refuge is run by the Centre for the Assistance of Women, and
provides shelter to 35 women a year, although there are several times
more applicants than it can accommodate.

One of the centre’s caseworkers, Alvard Karapetyan, said that in the
first half of 2013, 40 people called the organisation’s hotline, but
in the same period last year, that number increased to more than 300.

Galstyan hopes the new law will provide more support to victims and
lead to more convictions.

“Once the law is passed, the specific nature of domestic violence
will be taken into account in the course of an investigation,”
Galstyan said. “The main purpose of the law is to prevent violence
and to provide protection to victims.”

Ani Hovhannisyan is a journalist at Hetq Online.

ARTIST SELECTED FINALIST IN PARAMOR PRIZE

South West Advertiser
February 4, 2015 Wednesday

by Kirstie Chlopicki

A circuit board taken from a disassembled computer served as the
foundation for an art work submitted by Gary Deirmendjian for this
year’s Paramor Prize.

The Armenian artist, who is visiting his family home in Bonnyrigg,
has been chosen as one of 40 finalists whose work is displayed at
the Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre for the inaugural exhibition.

Mr Deirmendjian said that he was working at a merchant bank when he
was inspired by the circuit board that would become his futuristic
artwork METROPOLIS NEW – The savage loses heart.

“These circuit boards as I was pulling them out just sort of connected
with me; they looked like a town plan, they hinted at regularity and
containment,” he said.

“It’s like a model of a future city.

“There’s this notion of futurism and what the future may hold.”

Mr Deirmendjian teaches at the National Arts School, Darlinghurst,
and said he aimed for his work to be socially critical and question
where we were as a society, where we are going and what we are
leaving behind.

“You communicate through your work,” he said.

“I’m a maker, so I make what I feel.

“I’m very dubious about this notion of progress.”

Although he feels strongly about the message of work, Mr Deirmendjian
hopes viewers will take away their own meaning.

“You’re planting seeds.

“The aim of many works is to help the viewer see themselves, to go
away with a part of yourself.

“All I can do is put what I understand in front of them.”

Powerhouse curator Adam Porter said the artists were selected from
a shortlist and they each showed excellence in art.

The theme of the exhibition is innovation and the prize was named
after local artist Wendy Paramor, in memory of the 40th anniversary
of her death.

Artist Erica Seccombe received the $20,000 top prize for her work
Virtual Life at the exhibition opening on the weekend, while Susanna
Strati received the $5000 mayoral award for her work Wreath #2.

Visitors to the exhibition can vote for their favourite art work to
determine the winner of the $1000 People’s Choice Award, which will
be announced on March 15.

“TODAY THERE ARE NO AUTHORITIES”: VARDAN OSKANYAN

16:29 | February 5,2015 | Politics

“The process of Karabakh issue resolution has never been in such a deep
deadlock,”- announced BHK deputy Vardan Oskanyan during BHK conference
today. He thinks that even during the years of war there wasn’t so
much distrust between the sides. Oskanyan assessed negatively also
Armenian-Turkish relations. He considered the relations with Georgia
and Iran deteriorative, “We have lost the respect of Russia and the
confidence of the West. The only solution is regime change.”

Mr. Oskanyan says that today there are no authorities, there are
only individuals, “There are no results, instead there is a group,
which has turned the state into a private business. When looking at
the attitude of these authorities we come to a conclusion that they
don’t want to change anything.”

“ARMENIA SHOULD RECOGNIZE THE INDEPENDENCE OF PALESTINE”

February 5 2015

“Armenia must demonstrate a clear stance on the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict. I think that the first step should be the recognition of
Palestine by the Parliament of Armenia”, such a statement was made
by the Head of “Globalization and Regional Cooperation” NGO, also
political scientist Stepan Grigoryan in the interview with “Aravot”.

He does not consider this move beyond the context of Armenian matters
or outdated.

Moreover, he thinks that it should be prior to marking the centennial
of the Armenian Genocide. “Israel has a rather one-sided approach on
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Israel is also selling advanced offensive
weapons to Azerbaijan, and it built several military factories in
this country and so on. In other words, Israel is obviously running
an anti-Armenian policy in the region,” he said, adding that Israel
is also obviously running a subjective, even hostile policy on other
issues. “For example, on January 28, the Holocaust Remembrance Day,
the Israeli leader said in his speech from the UN podium that the
other genocides should be condemned, including the “Khojaly massacre”.

Such a statement ahead of the Genocide Centennial is obviously a
hostile attitude,” opines the political analyst and believes that the
Armenian side should not leave this statement unanswered. The move of
recognizing the independence of Palestine by Armenia, according to him,
will be viewed quite well by Europe and Russia, which also supports
the interests of the Palestine on this issue. “Several European
countries’ parliaments, and Sweden even at the government level,
recognized the independence of Palestine. But most importantly, the
Arab world will respond to Armenia’s move positive, which will boost
the future Genocide recognition process.”

Nelly GRIGORYAN

Read more at:

KOCHARYAN METHODS ARE COMING BACK

[ Part 2.2: “Attached Text” ]

February 5 2015

SDHP Chairman Narek Galstyan about the tradition of “beating
a person in mask” and “declaring one or two needles or
toothbrushes more”

– On Saturday, the incident happened in Berdzor between the Founding
Parliament of Artsakh and the NKR police during the automobile march
was differently interpreted. In your estimation, what happened and why?

– Frankly speaking, the question here should be divided into two
parts. What happened in Berdzor is definitely condemnable. I have seen
the footage posted on the internet. They were beating with special
severity, broking the car windows. As I understood, there were also
cameramen from Artsakh, let them present their understanding of the
events. But, anyway, likewise treating unarmed and peaceful people
does not fit in the conscience, the law, nor in our understanding of
political logic.

Here, however, there is a second important factor. For us, the style
of the Founder Parliament’s actions, the logic of moves have
never been acceptable. Now, they are talking about the “regime
change” on April 24. On the day of the Centennial of the
Genocide, if a single Armenia’s nose bleeds in the city center,
we will decry our Cause in front of the whole world. It is clear that
in these days, the whole world’s attention will be concentrated
on Yerevan. Moreover, the logic of going out of Yerevan and holding
a demonstration in Artsakh is not acceptable. Artsakh has a plenty of
problems apart from going out of Yerevan and holding a demonstration
there. The border is a few kilometers away, every day subversive
acts are taking place, so why it is necessary to involve Artsakh in
domestic political matters. Absolutely, not.

– Recently, the beating of civil activists and politicians often
manifests as an attitude. Isn’t the time actually a passed
phase for us?

– You are right, lately, regular physical settlement of accounts are
taking place. After Robert Kocharyan’s tenure, such phenomena
were not find in our political and social life, which, indeed, was
welcomed. In recent months, the occurrences are beyond the logic in
general. There is no other disgracing and more villainous phenomenon
than beating a person in a mask. In 2007, I was attacked in the same
sneaky style, but perhaps a few times cruel. You know, somehow I will
understand that if someone curses him on the Internet, you shall go
and openly settle account with him.

In many cases, they go beyond the red line, involve families, which
is no way perceivable. But in contrast to it, the attacks in masks do
not also particularly shine by their honesty. At the same time, taken
objectively, there are thousands of problems in our country. What
does it mean, should there be no oligarchy in Armenia after making
the civil activists silent? Should the monopolies be eliminated?

Should the corruption in the public-sector stop ruling as a
cornerstone of building public relations? Of course, not. These are
our country’s real problems, these are the challenges before
the authorities and the whole public, rather than the Facebook users.

– You have repeatedly announced that SDHP party will act from the
interests of small and medium-sized businesses. It has been several
months since the RA Law on “Turnover tax” has made hundreds
of people to come out to the street, the talks with the government are
underway, but there is no final solution. Whom does the SDHP support?

– One gets the impression that a class struggle has begun in Armenia
against all small and medium-sized businesses. It seems we are back
to the 20’s of the 20th century, when the USSR as viewed
as a “hostile” class to all people who had more than
two chicken. Under this difficult social situation, the SDHP party
believes that it would be much righteous for the government to be
focused on bringing the oligarchy to the taxation field. After that,
everything will be regulated. Or else, by declaring one or two needles
or toothbrushes more, you would only make the social severity further
deep. SDHP Party shares the concerns of SME representatives, support
their claims, but our representatives do not participate in their
rallies only for one reason – no need to politicize people’s
legitimate social requirements.

Interviewed by Nelly GRIGORYAN

Read more at:

TRAILER OF MOVIE ABOUT AURORA MARDIGANIAN UNVEILED

February 5, 2015 15:12

Aurora Mardiganian

Photo: hammer.ucla.edu

Yerevan/Mediamax/. The Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute has unveiled
the first official trailer of the documentary recounting the story
of Aurora Mardiganian and the first Armenian Genocide movie shot in
Hollywood in 1918 based on her memoirs.

“Aurora” movie is about Arshaluys Mardikyan (later Aurora Mardiganian),
an Armenian girl who survived the Armenian Genocide. She was 14 when
in summer of 1915 the wave of massacres and deportation also reached
the province of Kharberd where her birthplace – Chmshkatsag village
– was located. Surviving the massacres and going through all the
horrors of the Armenian Genocide Arshaluys moved to Tiflis, then to
Petrograd. She then moved to Norway and following it, to New York, U.S.

It’s where she started to put down the story of her life which drew the
public attention in the U.S. Later “Ravished Armenia” book presenting
the memoirs of Aurora Mardiganian was published. The book prompted a
huge response among Americans and an idea to shoot a Hollywood movie
recounting this story occurred.

Aurora Mardiganian herself played the main role in “Ravished Armenia”
movie (also known as “Auction of Souls”).

DORTMUND HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH MKHITARYAN, WATZKE SAYS

16:39, 05 Feb 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

The struggling Bundesliga giants downplay suggestions that the Armenia
international is unhappy at Signal Iduna Park amid rumours linking
him with Serie A side Juventus, Goal.com reports.

Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke insists that the club do
not have any problems with Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

The 26-year-old’s agent Mino Raiola declared recently that Mkhitaryan
has set his sights on a summer exit, with Juventus keeping a close
eye on his situation.

“Perhaps there is a problem between Raiola and Borussia Dortmund,”
Watzke told Kicker, “but there is definitely no problem between
Mkhitaryan and the club.”

WHAT WILL HINDER THE BROTHER OF SERZH SARGSYAN?: LEVON ZURABYAN’S QUESTION (VIDEO)

14:55 | February 5,2015
Levon Zurabyan

HAK deputy Levon Zurabyan thinks that the law on “Income tax”
is anti-market.

What will hinder the brother of Serzh Sargsyan to monopolize this
sector?, asks Levon Zurabyan- based on the thesis of the law.