Author: Badalian Vardan

Vestnik Kavkaza

Dec 18 2021

Armenian media personality, actor, and producer David (Davit) Gharibyan chatted with Powerjournalist Markos Papadatos on November 24 about his latest endeavors.

Regarding his future plans, he said, “We live in a time when the future is connected with the present in a rapidly changing exponential pattern and if everything goes according to plan, I will soon move to France to implement new fashion projects. I will continue to work in my country, combining it with French.”

“Let me inform you that the TV series ‘Ari Parenq’ is currently being broadcast in the USA and Armenia, of which I am one of the producers and there are plans to shoot ‘Ari Parenq 2’ in the future, or another TV series, already in the humorous genre, which will involve well-known TikTokers in Armenia,” he elaborated.

“I would also like to hold an award ceremony, which I will talk about in the future. I will continue my cooperation with my Bulgarian colleagues. I was very impressed by the Prince of Morocco, Mullah Ismail, with whom my telephone conversation was very encouraging and promising in terms of innovative cooperation. That’s all,” he said.

David Gharibyan and Nasko Lazarov. Photo Courtesy of hiLIFR

He opened up about some of his proudest moments of 2021. “One of the memorable days of this year is my visit to Bulgaria within the framework of ‘Mr. Bulgaria,’ where I was invited as a member of the jury. During that time, thanks to my good friend Nasko Lazarov, I met a number of new friends and colleagues, including Adrian Sina, the lead singer of Romanian Accent, the talented Romanian designer Catalin Botezatu, and the beautiful Bulgarian singer Andrea, as well as my compatriot, King of Poker Roger Hayrapetyan. I have a great desire to invite them to Armenia to get acquainted with our culture and traditions,” he said.

“I was very happy to go back to Barcelona, Spain, 10 years later, to visit my friends and to enjoy the Spanish fiestas, as well as my long trip to France, the most impressive moment of which was meeting my uncle in Paris, whom I had not seen for 30 years,” he said.

On his daily motivations, he said, “I do not want to sound arrogant, but I want to open a new creative page on the “Canvas of Unknownness” of space and time, weave my tapestry, from which warmth and light will be delivered, use my colors in the palette, leave my mark for the future.”

Photo Coutesy of hiLIFR

For his fans and supporters, Gharibyan said, “I think people in the field of art create for the sake of humanity, the well-being of people, without fans, it will be like a private house, without inhabitants, it will lose its role and significance.  Dear fans, the breath and presence of each of you leaves its contribution to my works, it is a caring food for further creation. Know the truth, I always need your support.”

“I wish all the inhabitants of the Earth peace and health. No wars and epidemics. Good luck to you,” he concluded.

For more information on actor, producer, and media personality David (Davit) Gharibyan, check out his IMDb page, and follow him on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and check out his official website.

David Gharibyan and family. Photo Courtesy of David Gharibyan

https://ravermag.com/catching-up-with-david-gharibyan-actor-producer-and-armenian-media-personality/

Dec 10 2021

Five of 10 prisoners of war formerly held by Azerbaijan have been charged with ‘violating the rules of duty’. Armenia’s Investigative Committee has submitted a motion to have them arrested. 

A court has already granted permission for the arrest of one soldier, while a motion to have another soldier arrested has been rejected.

Neither the  Investigative Committee nor the soldiers’ legal team has made public any specifics of the case. 

The former POWs were reportedly taken captive during clashes on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border on 16 November, when, according to unverified sources, around three dozen Armenian service members were taken captive. 

A day after the clashes Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan cast doubt on the circumstances around the soldiers’ capture stating that the government ‘does not understand’ how they ended up in captivity. 

‘Every person serving in the  Armed Forces has responsibilities’, Pashinyan said, ‘It must be clearly examined in all cases, what it means to be taken prisoner, and under what circumstances’.

On 7 December, a video was leaked in which Armenia’s Speaker of the Parliament Alen Simonyan denounced ‘deserters’ and that Armenian POWs ‘no longer exist’  for him. 

The video sparked outrage among the relatives of POWs and missing soldiers, who then organised a rally outside of the government building in Yerevan, demanding a meeting and explanation from Simonyan.  Simonyan met with the relatives on the evening of 8 December, details of the meeting have not been made public.

[Read more: Parents rally after Armenian parliamentary speaker says POWs ‘no longer exist’ for him]

After the video leak, Vahan Hovhanniyan, a lawyer who worked with a different group of repatriated POWs — who were captured in Nagorno-Karabakh in December 2020 — published excerpts of testimonies given by the soldiers upon their return to Armenia. 

According to the transcripts, the soldiers stated that they chose not to fight and that over 60 Armenian soldiers surrendered to under a dozen Azerbaijani soldiers.

[Read more: Over 70 Armenian soldiers missing after fresh clashes in Nagorno-Karabakh]

At least 45 Armenian POWs have been held by Azerbaijan since last year. 

According to a Human Rights Watch report published in March, Armenian POWs in Azerbaijani custody have been subject to cruel and degrading treatment and torture. According to other reports, a number of POWs appeared to have been victims of extrajudicial executions. 

https://oc-media.org/armenia-moves-to-arrest-several-ex-pows/