Author: Badalian Vardan

US MAY HAVE ‘MAGNITSKY LIST’ FOR ARMENIAN OFFICIALS – EXPERT

13:41 ~U 12.05.13

Armenian News – Tert.am

The US authorities very probably have an equivalent to the Magnitsky
List or a similar draft for the Armenian officials, according to Hmayak
Hovhannisyan, the president of the Armenian Political Analysts’ Union.

Speaking to Tert.am, the president said he belives at least one person
– a former nature protection minister and a senior parliament member,
Vardan Ayvazyan – to be on such a list.

The US Southern District Court of New York had earlier ordered Ayvazyan
to pay $37.5 million in damages to Global Gold Mining. But the company
later issued a statement, dismissing the charges.

“One person is definitely included in the list. That’s Vardan Ayvazyan;
as you are aware a criminal proceeding has been launched against him
in the United States,” he said, when asked to comment on US Ambassador
John Heffern’s somewhat evasive response to the A1 Plus journalist’s
question on whether Armenian officials may be denied entry to the
United States because of the so-called Magnitsky List.

Hovhannisyan said he has no doubt that the United States had previously
elaborated such a list. “That the United States had such a draft list
is beyond any doubt. But it’s a different matter when they will get
that list under way, so to say,” he noted.

Asked whether the Russian authorities may have such a list for the
Armenians, Hovhannisyan pointed out to the criminal proceedings that
gained a wide momentum in the country after the resignation of Yuri
Luzhkov as the Moscow mayor.

Arakelutyun: Atmosphere of fear felt in electoral commissions

03:38 PM | TODAY | POLITICS

The recent municipal elections in Yerevan discredited the Institute of
Electoral Commissions, says Manuk Sukiasyan, a member of the
Arakelutyun (Mission) Party.

He felt an atmosphere of fear in electoral commissions which, he says,
hindered the commissions from carrying out their duties properly.

“In the given atmosphere of fear the chairman of the commission, who
was supposed to prevent cases of double-voting and “carousel,” failed
to perform his responsibilities and prevent invalid ballots from
appearing in the ballot box,” said Sukiasyan.

The Arakelutyun party member says the presence of international
observers and recalculations were informal as they did not reflect the
reality. Speaking about the small number of votes his party scored in
the May 5 elections, Manuk Sukiasyan said they did not expect such a
low percentage.

“Despite the election results, the process of improvement and
crystallization will continue inside the party,” he said.

Arakelutyun polled 2692 votes (0.64 %) in the May 5 City Council
elections, which was not enough to clear the 6 percent vote threshold
for gaining representation in the City Council.

Barev, Yerevan bloc demands invalidation of Yerevan municipal elections

21:19 – 10.05.13

The Barev, Yerevan (Hello, Yerevan) bloc has applied to the Central
Electoral Commission (CEC) of Armenia for invalidating the Yerevan
municipal elections.

The bloc’s application is based on Section 9 of Article 46 of the
Electoral Code of Armenia.

`On Election Day, the bloc’s representatives were present at most of
Yerevan polling stations, which enabled them to demand a recount. The
bloc had at its disposal numerous facts of election frauds. Since on
the last day of recounting the bloc had no CEC data on numerous
election frauds, we demand invalidation of the Yerevan municipal
elections. We intend to present our data, as well as media reports and
information by observation missions, at a relevant discussion,’ the
Barev, Yerevan bloc’s statement says.

Armenian News – Tert.am

Opposition must be more aggressive and steadfast – US Ambassador to Armenia

May 10, 2013 | 17:24

YEREVAN. – Opposition parties should be more aggressive and steadfast
in their activities in order to poll votes.

United States Ambassador to Armenia, John Heffern, told the
abovementioned to A1+ News Agency, responding to the question as to
how the opposition can assume power if this is impossible by way of
elections.

`By saying aggressive I do not mean that they should be bellicose and
truculent, I mean to say that they need to determine and organize the
party’s interests more actively,’ Heffern said.

The American diplomat noted that to achieve success the opposition
should take steps; at least it should be aware of the violations
committed in elections.

`The opposition should be able to specify violations and find ways to
address them,’ he noted.

In John Heffern’s view, the opposition should be given equal footing,
for example, it must have the opportunity to work with the media.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

Assassination plot against Patriarch Bartholomew uncovered

15:16 – 10.05.13

An alleged plot against Fener Greek Orthodox Patriarchate Bartholomew
is being investigated by an Ankara public prosecutor, private
broadcaster NTV reported today.

The investigation was launched after a letter was sent from the
Central Anatolia province of Kayseri, claiming that the Istanbul-based
patriarch would be the target of an assassination attempt on May 29,
the 560th anniversary of Istanbul’s conquest by Mehmed the Conqueror.

A man was detained and police forces are searching for two others. The
suspects recently arrived in Istanbul from Kayseri, police sources
said.

S.A., the detained suspect, refuted the claims and said he was in
Istanbul to visit his relatives and he had no intention or plan of
murdering Bartholomew.

A file opened by a Kayseri prosecutor has been handed over to the
Ankara public prosecutor.

The investigation revealed that another letter was sent to prosecutors
in 2008 claiming that S.A. was planning to murder Bartholemew.

Armenian News – Tert.am

Samvel Alexanyan’s Sugar Is Humid and 40%

After the mayoral election no essential inflation has been reported
but the experience of previous elections shows that elections will be
followed by inflation, said Armen Poghosyan, head of the Consumer
Association. He notes that soon the gas price will go up while the
authorities avoid talking about this topic.

Armen Poghosyan notes that the gas price was held down due to the
elections. `Every year the price of gas is confirmed in April. This
year the process was frozen due to the elections. Now we are in this
interim period but soon they will give us a surprise. The growing
price of gas will hit everyone. We cannot produce cheap bread and
yoghurt when the gas price goes up,’ Armen Poghosyan said.

He says the mistakes come from the big role of the oligarchs in the
electoral processes. After elections they try to return their money.

Besides ordinary inflation which can somehow be curbed, there is also
criminal inflation, as Armen Poghosyan puts it, which is hard to
handle. `It’s hard to fight the criminal when sugar is humid or bread
is underweight,’ he said.

The Consumer Association has sent two letters to the president
administration, one to the President’s Control Service, the other to
Serzh Sargsyan. There is no response, the letters have been forwarded
to the State Food Service. `We demand a check of the quality of bread
and sugar to measure fraud,’ Armen Poghosyan also notes that they have
found out that sugar is 40%, not 91% as it should be.

16:25 10/05/2013
Story from Lragir.am News:

Pre-parliament conducts march, informs about its upcoming rally (photos, video)

20:42 – 11.05.13

Members of Pre-parliament conducted today a march to inform the people
about the rally they are going to have on May 17 in the Yerevan
Liberty Square.

`We continue the fight, we present a plan of actions’ – leaflets which
such titles were being distributed.

Zhirayr Sefilyan, Alek Yenigomshyan, Garegin Chookaszian participated
in the march.

The members of the organization visited the Liberty Square where they
met freedom fighter Volodya Avetisyan striking there demanding review
of pensions and social guarantees of freedom fighters.

Pre-parliament members welcomed Asatryan and the freedom fighters
gathered around him, stressing the necessity of making decisive steps
and invited to attend their rally.

Glendale Library, Alex Theatre Renovations Proceed

Friday, May 10th, 2013

BY ELISE KALFAYAN

>From Opera Talks on Rossini to Mark Geragos on the Criminal Law System

The Library Arts and Culture Department, the Friends of the Glendale
Public Library and the Associates of Brand Library continue to offer
excellent free programs for the community, even as the Central Library
facility awaits an $8 million renovation go-ahead and Brand Library
and Art Center remains closed while extensive renovations are
underway. Meanwhile, the Alex Theatre is preparing for a temporary
closure and adjusting its programming schedule. Despite all this, the
incredible range of enriching events offered for the community’s
benefit continues, and is a point of real civic pride.

She worked on the city’s excellent Armenian Genocide Commemoration
program, which completely filled the Alex Theatre April 24, and
Library Armenian Outreach Coordinator Elizabeth Grigorian also helped
organize Glendale’s Man’s Inhumanity to Man April 26 program at the
Central Library. The series, which Glendale sponsors during the month
of April, acknowledges tragedies experienced not only by Armenians,
but by other persecuted cultures around the world. The Friday library
event was a public forum discussing the injustices committed against
Korean Comfort Women during WWII, and was a follow-up to a Summer 2012
exhibit on this topic.

In addition, just since the start of 2013, Grigorian has produced
eight Armenian cultural events at the Central Library, and is now
promoting the next one: Filmmaker Robert Davidian’s screening of his
documentary film Armenian Activists Now – Birth of a Movement
(Thursday, May 23, 7pm, in the Central Library Auditorium, 222 E.
Harvard St., Glendale).

The Friends of the Glendale Public Library continue to support the
Children’s Summer Reading program, the literacy program, and the
Author & Artist programs of the library system. Community Events VP
Leon Mayer persuaded Mark Geragos, JD, and Pat Harris, JD, to discuss
their newly published book, Mistrial: How the Criminal Justice System
Works…and Sometimes Doesn’t, at the Central Library on Wednesday, May
15, 7pm, just following the Friends annual meeting. Geragos is one of
the most recognized criminal defense attorneys in the U.S., and he
appears regularly as a legal analyst on CNN, Fox, and ABC shows.

Glendale Central Library Korean Comfort Women Forum April 26. From
left to right: Andrew Kim, Scott Ochoa (City Manager), Elizabeth
Grigorian (Armenian Outreach Coordinator), Phyllis Kim (Presenter),
Jungran Shin, Joachim Suk-Won Youn (KAFC Spokesperson), Keun Hwang,
Dan Bell (City of Glendale Community Relation Coordinator)

Arrive early (6:30pm) on May 15 to sit in on the Friends of the
Glendale Public Library’s annual membership meeting, held just before
the presentation of Mistrial, in the Central Library Auditorium. The
meeting will review Friends’ activities, sponsored programs and new
initiatives. It will also briefly cover the anticipated renovation of
the Central Library facility, which the Friends have been following
for some time, as it impacts the location of their book sale
operations.

The Associates of Brand Library and Art Center, which supports
Glendale’s art and music library branch and offers free music and
dance performances, art shows, lectures such as opera talks and more,
has temporarily relocated its programs to the Central Library. (Most
of the branch’s art and architecture books and music resources are
temporarily housed there as well, so they are still available to the
public.) The Associates helped sponsor last year’s Library screening
of Grandma’s Tattoos, and just produced the Armen Anassian music
series.

Associates Board member Caroline Tufenkian, who has curated exhibits
at Brand Library and many other galleries, has taken on the job of
fundraising chair for the group. She has also organized Associates’
arts tours to the Fine Arts Building in downtown LA and other
significant locations. The Associates of Brand Library will hold its
annual meeting this Saturday, May 11, 2pm, in the Shoseian Tea House
and Garden and the west end of Brand Park.

As it adjusts planning to become self-sustaining after its city
management agreement ends in 2015, Glendale Arts has renewed its
annual iHeart fundraising drive to raise the profile of the Alex
Theatre, the `Jewel of the Jewel City.’ The theatre will close from
July through November as upgrades to the back stage and other
technical improvements are needed to make the Alex a competitive venue
in the Southern California entertainment market. It regularly hosts
excellent civic events (among them the city’s Armenian Genocide
Commemoration). It also is a great venue for charitable fundraising:
Glendale Adventist Medical Center’s Dr. Norick Bogossian Cancer Care
Guild sold out the entire theatre May 5 for a night of comedy
featuring Maz Jobrani and Vahik Pirhamzei.

Glendale Arts brings first-rate programs like the LA Chamber
Orchestra, musicals, ballets and comedies to downtown Glendale, where
parking is inexpensive and restaurants abound. The newest addition to
its programming is Live Talks Los Angeles, which will be holding three
live author events in the theatre, starting with multiple Oscar and
Emmy award winner/songwriter Burt Bacharach on May 14. The innovative
Glendale Pops, whose shows are produced by Glendale Arts under the
artistic direction of multi-talented entertainment veteran Matt
Catingub, scheduled its last season two concert in a unique venue –
prop house History for Hire (a Glendale Arts business supporter) –
while the Alex construction start date was uncertain. The Glendale
Pops third season will open at the Alex at the end of the year with
HolidayPop!, which this past year featured local vocalist Danielle
Sadd as well as a Glendale Youth Chorus.

The Friends of the Glendale Public Library, the Associates of Brand
Library and Art Center, Glendale Arts, and the city’s Arts and Culture
Commission are all communicating with each other to raise the profile
of arts and cultural programming within the city.

The city of Glendale officially approved an Arts & Cultural five-year
strategic plan in February 2013. The Arts and Culture Commission is
now under the purview of the Library Arts and Culture Department, and
the strategic planning initiative that begin last fall was coordinated
within the city by library staff member and marketing professional
Annette Vartanian.

Vartanian says, `The City has made arts and culture one of its
priority goals and is making strategic decisions for investing in the
arts for the benefit of the entire community. The Plan helps identify
Glendale’s identity as innovative and creative. This is something
important to every citizen in Glendale because it really shows that
the City is committed to expanding the arts and cultural investments
and opportunities in the community. The importance to the Armenian
community is that we will be exploring new arts and cultural programs
and projects that will speak to the Armenian community, as well as
providing opportunities for artists in the community that can include
artists of Armenian descent.’

More information about library, arts and cultural programming within
the city of Glendale can be found on these webpages:
,
.associatesofbrand.org/events.php, and

Elise Kalfayan is a Glendale resident, a native Southern Californian,
and a combined first/second generation Armenian-American. She has
produced or edited print and online pieces on topics ranging from
urban development to Armenian Church history. She is the publisher of
a Glendale community news blog , and works as a
contract writer, editor, and publishing consultant for clients
including businesses, entrepreneurs, nonprofits, and memoirists. She
is also President, Friends of the Glendale Public Library, and a big
fan of the Glendale Pops!

From May 16 Armenia will chair in the Committee of Ministers of the
Council of Europe

05/11/2013 – 17:42

From May 16 to November 13 Armenia will chair the Committee of the
Ministers of the Council of Europe.

According to the official website of the Council of Europe, on May 16
the 123rd session of Ministers’ Committee will be held, during which
the currently presiding Andorra will pass the presidency to Armenia.

On the same day the joint press conference of the leaving Minister of
Foreign Affairs of Andorra and the Secretary General of the Council of
Europe Thorbjørn Jagland will be held in the Palace of Europe.

According to the same source, on May 15, Council of Europe Secretary
General will meet with Armenia’s Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandyan.

Author:
Factinfo

An attempt to be prepared on the well-known businessman in Armenia

2013-05-11 22:13:14

Employees subjected to criminal investigation brought to police a
group of people who more than a year were wanted and planned, prepared
to kill the well-known businessman in Armenia R.M., shamshyan.com
reported.

A group of criminals prepared to commit murder by a sniper.

The prepared materials submitted to the department for particularly
important cases in the main Investigation Department of the Police of
Armenia, where the criminal case on the grounds of Article 35 of the
RA Criminal Code (preparation of a crime or attachment means or
instruments, as well as the deliberate creation of conditions for the
commission of other crimes direct intention, if the crime was not
brought to an end through no fault of those concerned) and paragraph 7
of Article 107 (murder by a group of persons or organized group).

For full disclosure of crimes an investigation team has been marked
up, led by the head of department for particularly important cases of
the Main Investigation Department of the Police of Armenia Vahagn
Harutyunyan.