Author: Badalian Vardan

Trend, Azerbaijan
July 4 2012

European Council president: Settlement of Karabakh conflict remains
priority issue for EU

The settlement of the Karabakh conflict remains a priority issue for
the EU, European Council president Herman Van Rompuy said at a joint
press conference with Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan on July 4,
News.am reported.

He stressed that mutual trust of the parties is necessary for a
solution, noting the inadmissibility of the incidents at the contact
line and expressing condolences to the families of those who died.

“The conflict must be resolved only through peaceful negotiations.
This will allow it to change the status quo and only that way can
peace and stability prevail in the region. The EU for its part
reaffirms the statement of the co-chair state heads of the OSCE Minsk
Group made recently in Los Cabos,” Van Rompuy said.

He said the parties to the conflict must respect an agreement on
compliance with the cease-fire and to refrain from militaristic
rhetoric. “The EU for its part is ready to assist with this action,”
Van Rompuy said.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France and the U.S. – are
currently holding peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s four
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the
surrounding regions.

Al-Ba’th (Syrian Ba’th party-owned newspaper) , Syria
June 27 2012

In Front of the Turkish Brothers

by Dr Abd-al-Latif Imran
[Translated from Arabic]

Yesterday, you heard, and we, too, heard a host of fallacies that are
no secret to both of us, which Mr Erdogan spoke about while he was
suffering from stress and loss at the Turkish parliament.

We used to love that man, just like you did. He did not leave even a
narrow space for truth, honesty, loyalty and hope. Yesterday, the
decision of NATO in Brussels let him down. He, and his foreign
minister who went too far in embroiling him and embroiling Turkey in
wrangling and policies that are useless, should have known that NATO
leaders have stressed time and again the difficulty and danger of
military intervention in Syria. He should also have realized the
previous disappointment by the West when he exerted great efforts for
his country to join the European Union. His efforts were not only met
with rejection, but also with something more difficult.

The sultan was very tense, and this is a normal result. He insulted
Turkish journalists and analysts and researchers and told them that
their pens were sold and that they were devils who remained silent
about the truth. He quoted a political statement by Imam Ali, who gave
those who opposed his opinion more cruel and ugly descriptions, which
you know about.

Mr Erdogan: You cried for help from NATO when you lost a plane and you
almost lost another as a result of a mistake that you committed, but
you did not cry for help from it when Israel attacked the free men of
Turkey in the Freedom Flotilla on 31 May 2010 and killed them unjustly
and treacherously because the West realized that you performed in a
comedy with Peres at the Davos conference in 2009.

This is why large segments of the Turkish people yesterday said that
what you are doing is “a dirty game supported by Israel and the West
and Qatar, and this is not your first provocative step. There are
previous steps, such as housing gunmen from various nationalities at
training camps and supporting them with money and weapons against the
friendly and brotherly Syrian people. The policy of your party has led
Turkey to the point of a military clash. This is a natural outcome of
an impaired foreign policy. There is no need for this mobilization in
the line of hostility towards Syria as a risk equals suicide, and you
are creating fake enemies and friends in a state of confusion and
loss.”

Brother Turks: Yesterday, Erdogan said that Damascus for him is like
Istanbul, and the same goes for the other Turkish and Arab cities. You
know, and we know, this messenger trend that the roaming sultan took
to the Arab League on 13 September 2011, in which he delivered a
sultan-inspired, [Muslim] Brotherhood speech that provoked Islam and
the Arabs and the West. It becomes more painful when we all know for
sure that the man is implementing a reactionary Western policy in the
region that hurts the national and Islamic resistance because this
emanates from a functional position that ultimately serves Israel. He
got lost while escalating against it and thus fell into the trap of
arbitrary investment of overlapping cards by which he hurt the Turks,
Arabs, Kurds, Armenians, and Persians. Who is going to benefit from
this?

How can someone who makes the Syrian people bleed and spoils their
coexistence be concerned about them? How can that person be an honest
adviser when he is destroying the Adana agreement of 1998, which was
developed and documented between 2009 and 2010? He has also destroyed
what was accomplished of the announcement to set up a high-level
strategic cooperation council on 16 September 2009 and the signing of
51 agreements for great cooperation between the two countries in 2010.
All of a sudden, he woke up weeks later to realize that the Syrian
Government does not enjoy sufficient popular confidence. Then, he
started shouting in an improper way against the established and
accomplished relations of brotherhood and cooperation between the two
peoples.

Let us together examine the fallacies that Erdogan is seeking to
establish after we learn that the volume of trade exchange in 2010
between Syria and Turkey was many times more the volume of exchange
with Iran, and the figures tilt in favour of Turkey by a large
percentage.

You do not forget, and we do not either, the days of clear air when
the Syrian political leadership realized the dangers of international
alliances and polarization against our common issues. So it put the
heaviest regional and international cards in the Turkish bag after
succeeding in transferring them from the international community,
especially the track of peace in the region. It thus gave precedence
to Turkish sponsorship and made Turkey an important strategic weight
in regional integration and stability. It gave Turkey a free penalty
kick, but Erdogan missed it and Davutoglu spoiled it. Both men created
an internal Turkish rift and a regional Turkish-Syrian rift.

The whole world realizes today that the alleged spring has become a
chance to attract Al-Qa’idah and the jihadist and Salafi fighters and
that Turkey is supporting those people. It formed, trained, and armed,
with Qatari-Saudi funding, the so-called Free Army and facilitated the
entry of terrorist elements from different nationalities. The
objective of this is not freedom, reform, or peaceful rotation of
power, but to settle a reactionary and Atlantic score with a skilful
regional player, which has remained, and will remain, strong,
principled, and honest. It is Syria, with the strong bond between its
people, army, and political leadership. In spite of the crisis, more
than two thirds of the peoples of the earth stand with it, while
Erdogan is pushing Turkey into an Arab and regional loss and gamble.

Targeted News Service
July 4, 2012 Wednesday 12:53 AM EST

Opening Address by Herman Van Rompuy, President of the European
Council, to Civil Society Forum ‘Armenia in Europe’

BRUSSELS

The European Union’s European Council issued the following opening
address by President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy:

It is a pleasure for me to be in Yerevan today and to be here at this
event. I am looking very much forward to listening and exchanging
views with you.

I am glad to see that the theme of “Armenia in Europe” attracts such
attention from civil society organisations in Armenia. If there is one
message I want to leave you with today, it is the following – the
joint project of bringing Armenia closer to the EU will only work and
will only meet its potential if it is understood and supported by
citizens. And here you have a critical role to play.

First, couple of words on how I see the developments in Armenia,
something I will also discuss with President Sargsyan later today.

Armenia’s commitment to reforms based on the core values of the
European Union, and geared at approximating to the standards and norms
of the EU is very welcome. This is clearly a strategic choice made by
Armenia.

I will encourage President Sargsyan, as I will encourage your
parliamentarians, to let Armenia continue on the path towards
strengthening its democratic institutions, to promote transparency, to
root out corruption and to respect Human Rights and the rule of law,
including the right to free speech and press. Armenia is on the right
track, even if there is still work ahead.

I will also point out that the European Union is prepared to support
Armenia. The stronger the commitment to pursue genuine reform and to
uphold our shared values, the more you will be able to count on the
EU.

In this context, The European Union welcomes the efforts which the
Armenian authorities made to deliver more competitive and transparent
parliamentary elections. This was an important step forward, although
there still are some issues that will need to be addressed, as
identified in the Final Report by the OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation
Mission. We trust that these issues will be addressed before the
upcoming Presidential elections.

Where does the Civil Society come in to the picture? I can only stress
the importance you play as a force in the reform process.

Let me underline three main areas which are intimately linked and
where your role is essential also when it comes to serving the cause
of relations between Armenia and the EU: monitoring the progress of
reform, encouraging accountability, and deepening expertise.

First, let me begin with monitoring the progress of reform. At the
heart of the relation between Armenia and the EU we have a common set
of goals and commitments. We depend to a great extent on civil society
to map progress on these agendas, whether on human rights, press
freedom, higher education reform or any other area.

We should not forget that these inputs cover economic as well as
political domains: your work is absolutely fundamental to our
understanding of areas such as the business and investment climate or
the tax system. Your efforts feed each year into our own progress
reports.

The second point I wished to stress is encouraging accountability –
this means being a voice for citizens and keeping them informed, in
particular those from groups that are marginalized or
under-represented in civil discourse. Let me give an example: to
ensure the full respect of minority rights, we need direct lines of
communication with the minorities themselves, through trusted and
reliable representatives who can articulate their social, economic and
political needs.

Third, ladies and gentlemen, is the development of expertise. We are
setting up dialogues, supporting reforms and providing financial and
technical assistance on a great number of fronts, from the
environment, to agriculture, to public health.

In order to succeed, we need constant advice on the state of
legislation and institutions here in Armenia, on the challenges to
bringing them closer to the norms and standards of the EU, and on the
worries and concerns which citizens may have. Much of this expertise
resides among ecology organizations, patients’ organizations, media
monitoring bodies and

so on – and we need it if the priorities for our cooperation are to be
realistic and focused on the needs of citizens.

Ladies and gentlemen, these are three among the many reasons why civil
society matters to us – we expect a lot from you and in return you
have the right to expect something from us in terms of recognition and
support.

Let me start with recognition: in its approach to the region, as part
of our “Eastern Partnership”, the European Union has aimed from the
very beginning to reach out beyond governments – to civil society, to
national parliaments, to regional and local authorities. A Civil
Society Forum has been established: its basic objectives are to
support civil society

organisations, promote contacts among them and to facilitate their
dialogue with the authorities.

Since its creation in 2009, the Forum has become an integral part of
the Eastern Partnership, helping to turn commitments into concrete
results throughout the region.

Here in Armenia recognition is also important. I am glad that several
meetings have taken place between the Civil Society Forum National
Platform and representatives of the government. We need to build on
this to achieve a systematic and continuous dialogue – that is the
only way to progress from formality to substance.

Recognition by government is of course also very important, as is the
respect for the independence of civil society when it brings messages
which are uncomfortable or unwelcome.

I also mentioned the right for civil society to expect our support. We
will continue to provide financial assistance directly to civil
society organisations, in all the areas where we are engaged.

As I draw to a close let me underline the vital role of civil society
in achieving genuine reforms and democratisation. The greater the
engagement of civil society, the stronger democracy will be, in terms
of political pluralism and a reliable system of checks and balances.

Ladies and gentlemen, in my address to Parliament one of my core
messages will be that Armenia’s fulfillment of its enormous potential,
including in the political association with the EU, depends upon
achieving medium to long-term stability and predictability. This can
only be achieved by eliminating the threat of conflict, and addressing
the consequences of

previous conflict as well. Here also civil society has an important
role to play, by encouraging and serving the peaceful resolution of
the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh.

The assessment I have often received is that public perceptions,
expectations and fears relating to the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process
are disconnected from the interactions between political leaders at
the negotiating table. Without fully involving that the societies
affected by the conflict in the peace process, this phase of the
negotiations could fail, with serious impact for long-term stability
in the region.

To conclude, ladies and gentlemen, you have a vital role to play in
the reform and peace processes of Armenia. My presence here today
shows you, I hope, that at the very highest level in the EU we rely on
you and we look to you for support. In all areas your help can make a
crucial difference, in particular in monitoring commitments and
results. We count on you to hold our upcoming bilateral agreement to
the highest standard – its success depends also on your involvement!

ANC Europe Urges OSCE to Take Action Against Azerbaijan

Thursday, July 5th, 2012
by Asbarez

European Armenian Federation’s President, Kaspar Karampetian
BRUSSELS – The Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security
and Co-operation in Europe on Thursday was scheduled to consider a
report for the General Committee on Political Affairs and Security,
titled `The OSCE: Region of Change’, to be represented by Lithuanian
rapporteur Vilija Aleknaite Abramikiene.

`The OSCE: Region of Change’ report tackles issues of security,
defence, conflicts, threats, conventional arms control, cyber-security
and other relevant issues.

The report makes a special mention to the unresolved or protracted
conflicts, and specifically mentions that the `Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict continues to cost lives along the line of contact, and
tensions in this region are still extremely high. The Co-Chairs of the
Minsk Group, together with the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan,
are working on developing a plan for peace, and it is now mainly up to
these parties to work to resolve the conflict and reach an agreement.
An important first step is to ensure that the ceasefire agreement is
being respected and that snipers are withdrawn’.

The European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy (EAFJD)
once again reiterates its long and firm standing position that snipers
have to be withdrawn from the line of contact, as a confidence
building measure. The leadership of the Republic of Armenia have
agreed to this, but Azerbaijan’s refusal of doing so is claiming an
increasingly number of innocent lives. The European Armenian
Federation once again demands from the OSCEPA to have a strong stance
on this issue and call on the Azerbaijani President to do so, and pull
the snipers away from the line of contact.

The report also mentions, that `it is also vital that full
investigations are conducted when conflict-related incidents occur.
The joint statement by the Minsk Group Co-Chair countries and the
Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan, issued in Vilnius on 7
December 2011, reaffirmed the importance of reaching a peaceful
settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict’.

European Armenian Federation’s President, Kaspar Karampetian states
that `we demand a strong action from the OSCEPA in investigating
Azerbaijan’s acts of diversion attacks, especially in regard to
attacks against the Republic of Armenia, like the ones we witnessed
last month, on the day of OSCE Minsk Group co-chair, US Secretary of
State, Hillary Clinton’s visit to the region, and only a few hours
before her arrival to Armenia’.

`We will follow those issues closely with the OSCEPA, and also follow
the issue of conventional arms control and confidence building.
Azerbaijani adventurism endangers the ceasefire and draw the region in
renewed fighting. Azerbaijan needs to avoid such acts of violence if
it is genuinely concerned in peace, security and co-operation in the
region. Armenia has shown goodwill by numerous times, now it is
Azerbaijan’s time’, concluded Karampetian.

Armenian, who was punished for crime committed by someone else, to
receive 30,000 compensation for moral damages – newspaper

news.am
July 06, 2012 | 08:08

YEREVAN. – The European Court of Human Rights’ (ECtHR) ruling – that is,
30,000-euro compensation for moral damages – in the `Poghosyan and
Baghdasaryan vs. the Rep. of Armenia’ case will enter into force as of
this September, Aravot daily writes.

`By the way, the petitioner had demanded 280,000 from the ECtHR.

Armen Poghosyan, who was charged for the rape and murder of a small
child, was sentenced to fifteen years. [But] After serving 5.5 years,
he was released because it was found out that he was imprisoned
instead of another criminal.

Poghosyan made [formal] complaints, for years on end, [to the fact]
that he was not the one who had committed this crime, but they did not
believe him until when the real criminal confessed his crime.

Armen Poghosyan and his mother, Mrs. Baghdasaryan, had asked from the
European Court for compensation for moral damages, and not for
material [damages], which the Armenian courts had denied.

To note, Poghosyan is the first petitioner who asks the ECtHR for
money for compensation for moral damages,’ Aravot writes.

Heritage rep. calls for efforts to sack notorious figures from parliament

tert.am
15:52 – 06.07.12

The society has to take appropriate measures to make people like
[Republican MP and multi-millionaire businessman] Ruben Hayrapetyan
resign from parliament, Zaruhi Postanjyan, a lawmaker of the
opposition Heritage party, finds.

As she told reporters on Friday, it is very important the people like
Hayrapetyan avoid representing the Armenian society in parliament.

`This has to be an on-going process. Ruben Hayrapetyan is not the only
one in the National Assembly,’ she said, adding that individuals like
him should have nothing to do with the legislative work.

It comes after military doctor Vahe Avetyan was mercilessly beaten at
the Harsnaqar restaurant owned by the Republican lawmaker. One of the
security guards involved in the scuffle was later claimed to be
Hayrapetyan’s personal bodyguard. Avetyan died in hospital last Friday
after remaining unconscious for twelve days. The incident sparked a
major protest, with different activists’ groups calling for a fair
punishment against the perpetrators. Hayrapetyan, who is also the
president of the Football Federation of Armenia, later declared his
intention to quit his seat in parliament. He submitted his resignation
notice to the National Assembly on Wednesday.

The Heritage MP noted that Hayrapetyan decided to lay down his mandate
amid a public outrage.

`This is the first ever case that an official has resigned under
public pressure. Perhaps, it wasn’t his own decision. and he did not
write the statement, but he put his signature below it. That stemmed
from a public demand. We must be a society demanding responsibility
from everyone and never restricting ourselves with one person or one
case,’ she added.

Member of Constitutional Court: Main law of Armenia does not provide
protection of human rights and freedoms

arminfo
Thursday, July 5, 21:35

Armenia needs constitutional reforms, a member of the Constitutional
Court Feliks Tokhyan said at today’s press-conference.

He also added that Constitution has not been functioning normally in
Armenia, in particular, the norms which provide protection of human
rights and freedoms, and independence of the legal system. He also
added that absence of independent legal system affects the rates of
the economic growth.

Chorrord Inqnishkhanutyun: Armenia’s second president discusses
Karabakh elections with ARF-D leader

tert.am
11:04 – 06.07.12

According to the paper’s information, the pre-electoral moods in
Artsakh are coming to an end.

On one hand the incumbent president Bako Sahakyan is trying to sum up
the results of the election campaign, on the other, Armenia’s second
president Robert Kocharyan completes the row of his meetings for the
sake of Bako Sahakyan’s victory.

The paper says in Gandzasar Kocharyan met with officials and
high-ranking militaries as well as with active wing of the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation-Dashnaktsutyun (ARF-D).

To sum up the results of the meeting, Kocharyan talked with ARF-D
leader Hrant Margaryan calling on him to subdue ARF-D members’
passions in Artsakh for ensuring peaceful election process.

ARMENIE
Une mère en grève de la faim suite à l’arrestation de son fils soldat

La mère d’un soldat arménien arrêté sur l’accusation d’avoir essayer
le service militaire a continué sa grève de la faim à l’extérieur d’un
btiment du gouvernement à Erevan pour exiger sa sortie immédiate de
la prison.

Le soldat, Ruben Mikaelian, a été arrêté fin mars après s’être coupé
ses veines dans son unité militaire placée dans la province du Syunik.
Les procureurs militaires disent qu’il l’a fait dans l’espoir d’être
démobilisé des forces armées.

La mère de Mikaelian, Shamiram, a fortement nié la théorie officielle
quand elle a commencé sa grève de la faim après plusieurs jours de
protestations en solitaire devant le bureau du Premier ministre Tigran
Sarkissian. Elle a dit qu’en fait le jeune de 19 ans a essayé de se
suicider après avoir été systématiquement maltraité par ses deux
commandants immédiats.

« Mon fils est resté dans cette condition humiliante pendant plusieurs
mois » a affirmé en sanglotant Shamiram Mikaelian aux journalistes.
Elle a dit que les coups ont commencé en décembre après que son fils
ait fait un témoignage devant des fonctionnaires militaires examinant
une discussion violente qui était arrivée dans l’unité de l’armée.

La mère de Shamiram était aussi présente lors de la manifestation.
Elle a fait un malaise et a été hospitalisée.

Deux fonctionnaires du personnel de Tigran Sarkissian et le Ministère
de la Défense Nationale se sont approchés de Mikaelian, lui demandant
de rendre visite les enquêteurs au Département d’Investigation du
ministère avec eux. Mais elle a refusé d’aller là-bas sans un avocat,
tenant compte du conseil d’une douzaine d’autres femmes manifestant à
l’extérieur du btiment du gouvernement.

Ces femmes sont les mères de soldats qui sont morts suite à des
bizutages et d’autres incidents hors combat ces récentes années. Ils
croient que les autorités militaires ont dissimulé ces morts. Les
autorités le nient.

vendredi 6 juillet 2012,
Stéphane ©armenews.com

Tour de France-Turquie : prochaine étape au Quai d’Orsay

Publié le : 05-07-2012

Info Collectif VAN – – Cet article est une mise Ã
jour du texte de Séta Papazian, Présidente du Collectif VAN [Vigilance
Arménienne contre le Négationnisme], publié le 28/06/2012 sur le
Huffington Post et intitulé « Euro 2012 : Erdogan passe le ballon Ã
Hollande ». Y est analysé le réchauffement des relations
franco-turques, alors que M. Laurent Fabius recevra à dîner au Quai
d’Orsay M. Ahmet Davutoglu, ministre des Affaires étrangères de la
République de Turquie, ce jeudi 5 juillet à 20h. Un procès-fleuve a
débuté lundi 2 juillet dans le pénitencier de Silivri, Ã l’encontre de
205 opposants politiques turcs et kurdes, parmi lesquels l’éditeur
turc Ragip Zarakolu et l’universitaire Büsra Ersanli. En sera-t-il
question lors de cet entretien ?

Copyright photo : AA

Le Huffington Post

Euro 2012 : Erdogan passe le ballon à Hollande

Séta Papazian

Présidente du Collectif VAN [Vigilance Arménienne contre le Négationnisme]

Publication: 28/06/2012 23:42

Fidèle à son habitude, Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an donne le tempo des
nouvelles relations bilatérales qui se sont ouvertes entre la France
et la Turquie depuis l’élection de François Hollande. Il semblerait
que l’entretien – qui s’est tenu entre le Premier ministre de la
République de Turquie et le Président de la République française le
mercredi 20 juin 2012 en marge du Sommet de Rio – ait porté ses
fruits. Et Ankara attend beaucoup de la rencontre entre les chefs des
diplomaties turque et française ce 5 juillet à Paris.

“La nouvelle position de la France” dont il est fait mention dans les
déclarations officielles turques, mérite pour le moins d’être
explicitée par l’Elysée et le Quai d’Orsay afin qu’elle ne soit pas
interprétée comme une énième contorsion émanant du Kmasûtra de la
Real-Politik. Un recul des positions françaises serait un signal
fcheux alors que s’est ouvert le 2 juillet à Silivri, le procès [1]
de l’éditeur turc Ragip Zarakolu, défenseur de la liberté
d’expression, pressenti pour le Prix Nobel de la Paix 2012, qui avait
eu le courage d’intervenir, du fond de sa cellule, en faveur de la loi
française pénalisant le négationnisme de l’Etat turc.

Entre levée des sanctions et menaces d’Ankara

Ainsi donc, le Président français est invité officiellement en Turquie
pour tourner la page des vicissitudes dues à la loi pénalisant la
négation du génocide arménien. Ankara ayant annoncé avoir levé ses «
sanctions » contre la France, il importe de savoir si cette «
mansuétude » est due à une quelconque promesse diplomatique de ne pas
inscrire à l’ordre du jour un projet de loi pénalisant la négation du
génocide arménien en France.

Le candidat socialiste, qui avait pris, au cours de sa campagne
électorale,”l’engagement de reprendre ce dossier” [de la pénalisation
du négationnisme] “dans l’apaisement, dans la conciliation et en même
temps, dans la volonté d’aboutir”, ne peut se situer, en la matière,
en deçà de Nicolas Sarkozy.

Que cela plaise ou non, l’ancien Président a laissé un héritage fort
avec des discours officiels que nul chef d’Etat au monde n’avait osé
tenir à ce jour. Ceux qui regrettent que cette posture courageuse
-concernant la négation du génocide arménien ou le génocide des Tutsi
au Rwanda- ait été tenue par un homme politique controversé, vont
devoir se poser la question suivante : François Hollande, héritier de
Jaurès, peut-il se permettre de brader les valeurs universelles des
droits de l’homme pour se soumettre à un lobby économico-politique
dédaigné par son prédécesseur, proche des milieux d’affaires ?
Dilemme…

Comme il l’avait promis le 24 avril dernier lors des commémorations
parisiennes du génocide arménien, le nouveau Président se doit de
mettre à l’ordre du jour un nouveau projet de loi pénalisant le
négationnisme. Et ce d’autant plus que le message adressé par le
ministre turc des Affaires étrangères, Ahmet DavutoÄ?lu – reçu ce 5
juillet par son homologue français Laurent Fabius – laisse
transparaître les agaçantes et inacceptables menaces qui identifient
la diplomatie néo-ottomane: “Les relations franco-turques ont
l’opportunité de prendre une meilleure tournure. Notre position
principale est claire. La Turquie, son Etat et son gouvernement
respecteront toutes les nations qui les respectent. Si on manque de
respect à la Turquie, les mesures nécessaires seront prises pour
l’honneur de notre pays, la dignité de notre nation, et les intérêts
nationaux”.

Génocide arménien : une atteinte à l’honneur de la Turquie

Il n’a justement échappé Ã personne qu’évoquer le génocide arménien
est une atteinte à l’honneur de la Turquie. L’Article 301 du Code
pénal turc stipule que “Le dénigrement public de la nation turque
(…) sera puni de six mois à deux ans d’emprisonnement “: à ce titre,
affirmer l’existence du génocide arménien peut conduire tout citoyen
turc à la case “prison”.

La Turquie ne reconnaissant pas la double nationalité, les poursuites
judiciaires peuvent également concerner des Franco-Turcs : l’affaire
de l’étudiante française d’origine turque, Sevil Sevimli [2], partie
en Turquie dans le cadre des échanges Erasmus [3] et emprisonnée pour
“terrorisme” depuis le 9 mai, vient rappeler que la violence du droit
turc peut frapper nos concitoyens sans que le Quai d’Orsay ne puisse
intervenir.

Fort heureusement, François Hollande ne risque pas de connaître le
sort des 7000 détenus politiques [4] turcs et kurdes qui attendent le
“printemps turc” en prison, dont 600 étudiants parmi lesquels Cihan
Kimizigül, étudiant de l’université franco-turque Galatasaray,
condamné Ã une peine de 11 ans et 3 mois de prison le 11 mai dernier
pour port d’un foulard kurde [5]. Arrêté Ã l’ge de 19 ans, Cihan a
déjà fait deux ans de prison et avait été fort opportunément mis en
libération conditionnelle la veille du Colloque organisé par Paris 1
et célébrant en avril 2012, les 20 ans de l’Université francophone
d’Istanbul.

M. Hollande ayant estimé que l’invitation à se rendre en Turquie était
pour lui “un privilège” [n’est-ce pas un peu trop pour honorer un Etat
qui glisse depuis trois ans vers un fascisme vert inquiétant ?],
souhaitons qu’il saisisse l’opportunité du réchauffement des relations
franco-turques pour adresser dès à présent un signal fort au
gouvernement turc et l’inciter à respecter les valeurs démocratiques
et morales supposées être en vigueur dans l’Union européenne.

Ragip Zarakolu, un futur Prix Nobel en prison ?

Car la situation est préoccupante : depuis le lundi 2 juillet 2012 Ã
9h du matin, se tiennent dans le pénitencier de Silivri, ville située
à 67 kilomètres à l’ouest d’Istanbul, les procès KCK impliquant de
nombreux intellectuels turcs, dont l’éminent éditeur Ragip Zarakolu.

Fondateur de l’Association turque des droits de l’homme [IHD],
pressenti pour le Prix Nobel 2012, celui-ci est le précurseur, en
Turquie, d’un courageux travail de mémoire sur le génocide arménien
[6]. Seule une pression internationale aboutira à sa libération ainsi
qu’Ã celle de tous les intellectuels – telle l’universitaire Büsra
Ersanli [7] – jugés ces jours-ci pour “terrorisme” , délit qui
correspond en Turquie à ce que l’on nomme, en France, en toute
simplicité, la liberté d’expression.

Notre Président, qui porte désormais la parole de la France sur la
scène internationale, aura-t-il le courage d’être le chef d’Etat qui
rendra hommage à ces opposants turcs et kurdes Å`uvrant pacifiquement
pour influer sur le cours de l’histoire de leur pays ? Se rendra-t-il
en Turquie pour appeler “ce grand pays” Ã suivre les traces d’un Ragip
Zarakolu et à regarder son histoire en face ?

Ce serait pour le moins, un immense service à rendre au peuple turc
pour l’encourager à se délivrer d’une schizophrénie nationaliste
injectée à haute dose depuis 97 ans, frein majeur à une réelle
démocratisation de la Turquie. Espérons que tel sera le message que
Laurent Fabius adressera au ministre turc des Affaires étrangères,
Ahmet DavutoÄ?lu, en visite jeudi à Paris, et ce, quelles que soient
les préoccupations engendrées par la crise syrienne.

Il importe de cadrer l’éthique des partenariats « culturels » signés
avec la Turquie. Car à travers divers instituts [8] et think tanks [9]
créés en France, c’est en fait une stratégie négationniste qu’Ankara
met en place pour 2015 et le centenaire du génocide arménien.

En tout état de cause, le négationnisme imposé [10] par Ankara – non
seulement en Turquie mais également dans le monde entier – ne peut
avoir droit de cité dans notre République, dans nos écoles et dans nos
universités.
C’est le sens du projet de loi que François Hollande se doit de porter.

Défendre la mémoire des Français blessés par un négationnisme
outrancier sera son véritable “privilège”.

_________________________________

[1] Parmi les éminents intellectuels turcs et kurdes, accusés de «
terrorisme », outre l’universitaire Büsra Ersanli et l’éditeur Ragip
Zarakolu, se trouvent le fils de ce dernier, Deniz Zarakolu [de la
maison d’Edition Belge], la traductrice Ayse Berktay, Dursun Yildiz,
Aziz Tunç, Cengiz Kapmaz, Mahmut Alinak, Mehmet Güler et Yüksel Genç.
Le Quai d’Orsay se doit de demander leur acquittement et leur
libération.

[2] Sevil Sevimli, étudiante lyonnaise d’origine turque, est
emprisonnée depuis le 9 mai dernier en Turquie. On reproche à la jeune
femme d’avoir participé Ã la fête et au pique-nique du 1er mai,
assisté Ã un concert d’un groupe de gauche, placardé une affiche
réclamant la gratuité des études.
Turquie : une Française arrêtée pour terrorisme – Mobilisation pour
l’étudiante détenue en Turquie.

[3] Les programmes Erasmus sont utilisés par Ankara pour exporter son
négationnisme d’Etat en Europe : Erasmus : instrument de négationnisme
de la Turquie.

[4] Turquie : des procès inquiétants le 2 juillet à Silivri.

[5] La 14e cour d’assise d’Istanbul a commué la peine en 11 ans et 3
mois de prison, après avoir condamné le jeune étudiant à 33 ans et 9
mois. Le parquet avait demandé 45 ans de prison lors de la dernière
audience tenue le 23 mars dernier durant laquelle le juge avait
prononcé la libération conditionnelle de l’étudiant.
A l’université Galatasaray : l’étudiant Cihan, petit cousin éloigné du
capitaine Dreyfus…
Un étudiant kurde condamné Ã 33 ans de prison.

[6] Ragip Zarakolu : Dossier complet

[7]

[8] « Le renouvellement de l’accord de 60 ans sur la coopération dans
le domaine de la culture est également important. La mise à jour de
cet accord permettra à la Turquie d’ouvrir des instituts culturels
Yunus Emre en France »

[9] L’Institut du Bosphore appelle les Députés à se mobiliser

[10] Observatoire du Négationnisme [Collectif VAN] : Cela se passe en
France ou cela vise des Français

Pour plus d’informations sur les procès d’opposants politiques en
cours en Turquie, écrire à : [email protected].

Lire aussi :

Les liaisons dangereuses de nos universités

Génocide arménien : l’argent du crime finance sa négation

Rencontre Fabius-Davotuglu : la Turquie place ses pions

Qui dénoncera le Goulag turc ?

Retour à la rubrique

Source/Lien : Le Huffington Post