Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

FRENCH COMMITTEE SHOWS ARMENIAN BILL UNLAWFUL

Anadolu Agency (AA)
January 18, 2012 Wednesday
Turkey

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has said French committee
move shows Armenian bill is unlawful.

BRUSSELS Davutoglu on Wednesday said a French bill over the Armenian
allegations on the Ottoman era incidents of 1915 was unlawful “even by
French laws,” which he said was clearly shown by a French parliamentary
committee decision to propose to drop the bill off the agenda without
debating it at the Senate floor.

From: Baghdasarian

POLE DANCE CHAMPION IS ARMENIAN GIRL FROM UKRAINE – INTERVIEW

NEWS.am
January 19, 2012 | 01:15

YEREVAN.- It is hard to believe but the best strip dancer is
….Armenian. Varda (Vardanush Martirosyan) a Ukrainian dancer and
singer of the Armenian descent has a lot of plans for the future and
is expected to present her new show in Armenia as well.

“I was born in Ukraine. My father left Armenia before I was born. When
I was a child I went in for sports, took dance lessons. I started from
singing in a small restaurant singing for the guests. There was a
strip club Near the restaurant where the girls were dancing. It was
the first such club in our city, so I decided to learn to dance,”
she told in an interview with Armenian News-NEWS.am.

Varda says nowadays Pole Dance has become a kind of sport, different
championships are held in many countries. She learnt about such
championship in Ukraine and decided to participate.

“First I became a champion in Krivoy Rog [city in Ukraine] then left
for capital Kiev where I won the first place as well,” she said.

Later she participated in different championships in Ukraine, Moldova
and Russia and finally went to represent Russia in the tournament
held in Amsterdam.

“First I was a singer and always thought about a career of singer
and dancer. Then, I thought of a musical – it is the best genre for
me where I can both sing and use my dancing skills. My performance
features dancing and singing,” Varda said.

Varda is confident that nowadays singing is nothing without dancing.

She urges all to take dance lessons. “People want to see singer moving
in the stage,” she emphasized.

Her show in Yerevan is expected to a mixture of choreography and
songs performed in three languages: English, Russian and Armenian.

“I last visited Armenia when I was four. Now I would be glad to see
my relatives here,” she added.

In ten years a young Armenian dancer plans to become a head of
Ukraine’s pole dance federation and owner of many pole dance schools
around the world . “I think in 10 years I will be a mother, wife and
a happy person,” she concluded.

From: Baghdasarian

TURKISH FARCE IN HRANT DINK TRIAL

NEWS.am
January 19, 2012 | 13:58

ISTANBUL. – The circus continues after the show trial into the murder
of Hrant Dink, the founder and former chief editor of Istanbul’s Agos
Armenian weekly, who was killed in 2007. And this time the public
is extremely surprised at the announcement of Rustem Eryilmaz, the
judge who presided over Dink’s murder trial.

Eryilmaz said the court case did not reveal the background. “With
the ruling, the accused were acquitted of being members of a criminal
group, but this does not mean such criminal group does not exist.

Juridically, we simply did not find the necessary evidence. I believe
the idea for the murder was not that of Yasin Hayal. The ruling
satisfied no one. And if they were to ask me, I would say, yes,
I was not satisfied by the verdict, too,” the trial’s judge noted,
Haberturk of Turkey informs.

To note, on Tuesday, the Turkish court found Yasin Hayal guilty of
planning and organizing Hrant Dink’s murder, and sentenced him to
life in prison. Erhan Tuncel, on the other hand, was found not guilty
of prompting Dink’s murder, and, instead, he was sentenced to 10
years and 6 months for an explosion in a McDonald’s store. But taking
into account that Tuncel was already incarcerated for that amount of
time, the court ruled his release. The court also found the nineteen
defendants not guilty of being members of a terrorist organization.

And earlier, Hrant Dink’s actual killer, Ogun Samast, was sentenced to
a total of 22 years and 10 months for Dink’s murder and for bearing
illegal arms. But Samast was tried at a juvenile court, since he was
a minor at the time of the murder

From: Baghdasarian

‘DINK CASE REVEALS SHORTCOMINGS IN TURKISH JUSTICE’

Today’s Zaman
Jan 19 2012
Turkey

EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee President Helene Flautre on
Thursday released a statement regarding the outcome of the Hrant Dink
murder trial, saying she considered the verdict to be yet another
example of the “systemic shortcomings” in Turkey’s justice system.

The late editor-in-chief of the Turkish-Armenian weekly Agos, Dink was
shot dead on Jan. 19, 2007, by an ultra-nationalist teenager outside
the offices of his newspaper in Ä°stanbul in broad daylight. Evidence
discovered since then has led to claims that the murder was linked
to the “deep state.”

Flautre said she considered that the verdict “is evidence of the
limits of investigation in Turkey, which not only makes justice and
its delivery weak, but also makes it part of the problem of injustice
rather than the solution.” She said that the European Parliament will
follow the next steps in this trial and hopes that the Court of Appeal
considers the investigation’s shortcomings in its decision.

She also recalled that in a 2010 ruling, the European Court of Human
Rights (ECtHR), found that Turkey had failed to conduct effective
investigations into the murder of Dink. She said further judicial
investigation of the involvement of high-ranking officials in the
murder was needed. Flautre also noted that the case showed the need
for fundamental reforms in Turkey.

In the statement, she underlined that the trial was considered as
a test for the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary in
Turkey. She also said it had presented an opportunity to shed light
on the “deep state,” a term used in reference to a shady group of
military and civilian bureaucrats believed to have links with criminal
elements. “This verdict means not only that this opportunity has
been missed but it also reveals the shortcomings in Turkey’s justice
system,” Flautre said in her message.

From: Baghdasarian

US: INDEPENDENT JUDICIARY KEY IN TURKISH-ARMENIAN CASE

Agence France Presse
Jan 19 2012

(AFP) WASHINGTON ~W The United States said Thursday it has made clear
to Turkey that an independent and transparent judiciary is important
in the case of murdered ethnic Armenian journalist Hrant Dink.

A Turkish court on Tuesday jailed a man for life for inciting Dink’s
murder, but acquitted more than a dozen other suspects when it ruled
that his killing was not planned in a wider conspiracy, as alleged
by his supporters.

“We have regularly talked to the government of Turkey about this
case and others,” State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told
reporters.

Both the Turkish government and the Dink family expect that the case
will end up in an appeals court, “so we will continue to follow it and
not, from this podium or any other, prejudge the outcome,” Nuland said.

Washington has made clear in this case “that we believe that an
independent and transparent judiciary and full accountability are
critical to all healthy democracies, including Turkey,” she said.

When asked if Washington believed Turkey had such a judiciary, Nuland
replied: “It is incumbent on Turkey to ensure that their judicial
processes live up to those standards.”

She said she was “not in the business of giving report cards on
people’s judiciaries” when a reporter suggested she had failed to
offer a ringing vote of confidence in Turkey’s legal system.

“They have a long history of an independent judiciary and I think
what is needed here is confidence that this case and others like it
are handled in a transparent way,” Nuland said.

Thousands of people gathered in Istanbul Thursday to pay tribute to
Dink and to protest the court ruling. Television reports said around
20,000 people joined the demonstration.

A leading member of Turkey’s tiny Armenian community, Dink, 52, was
shot dead in broad daylight on January 19, 2007, outside the offices
of his bilingual weekly newspaper Agos.

Dink had campaigned for reconciliation between Turks and Armenians
and his assassination sent shockwaves through Turkey, growing into a
wider scandal following reports that state security forces had known
of a plot to kill him but failed to act.

From: Baghdasarian

JUSTICE IN TURKEY: NOT FOR SOME

The Economist
Jan 19 2012

His supporters protest over the verdict in the Hrant Dink murder trial

..THEY never expected real justice. But when an Istanbul court gave
its verdict this week at the end of a controversial trial for the
2007 murder of Hrant Dink, an Armenian newspaper editor, his family
and lawyers were still shocked. The judge acquitted all 19 defendants
on charges of belonging to an “armed terrorist organisation”. Just
one received a life sentence for conspiring to murder Mr Dink, who
was gunned down in broad daylight outside the offices of AGOS, an
Armenian weekly. Another suspect who had worked as an informant for
the intelligence services was cleared, only to be sentenced instead to
over ten years in jail for the 2004 bombing of a McDonald’s restaurant
in Trabzon.

Fethiye Cetin, a lawyer and close family friend, described the trial as
a “comedy from start to finish.” “But they reserved the biggest joke
for last,” she added, as she stood outside the courthouse alongside
Mr Dink’s stony-faced widow, Rakel.

Mr Dink, who deconstructed myths around the 1915 massacres of some
1.5m Armenians by the Ottoman Turks, ran afoul of the authorities when
he called the episode genocide. He was slapped with a docket of court
cases accusing him of “insulting the Turkish identity”. Another crime
was to have exposed the Armenian roots of Ataturk’s adopted daughter
and Turkey’s first female pilot, Sabiha Gokcen. Mr Dink wrote several
prescient columns predicting his own tragic end after the authorities
had warned him to keep in line.

The murder trial was seen as a test of the ruling Justice and
Development (AK) Party’s commitment to the rule of law. For Turkey’s
60,000 ethnic Armenians, justice for Mr Dink might have salved the
wounds of the past. “This verdict sends a clear message that Armenians
are fair game,” said an Armenian businessman. Turkey’s prime minister
noted that the outcome had “disturbed the public’s conscience” and
said the appeals process was not yet exhausted.

Even Turkey’s allies worry about its legal system. In a report
citing Mr Dink’s case, Thomas Hammarberg, the Council of Europe’s
human-rights commissioner, rebuked Turkish judges and prosecutors for
“giving precedence to the protection of the state over the protection
of human rights.” He criticised lengthy pre-trial detention periods
of up to ten years. A former chief of staff, Ilker Basbug, recently
joined several other generals in pre-trial detention.

Sadullah Ergin, the justice minister, has announced reforms to reduce
sentences for supposed terror crimes-such as praising the imprisoned
Kurdish rebel chief, Abdullah Ocalan-and to raise the bar for evidence
to detain suspects. These are welcome, if modest, steps. But they
are too late for the scores of journalists, hundreds of students and
thousands of Kurdish politicians and protesters still behind bars.

from the print edition | Europe

From: Baghdasarian

AZERBAIJAN’S POSITION ON NEGOTIATIONS OVER KARABAKH

The Messenger
Jan 19 2012
Georgia

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliev stated that the issues surrounding
Karabakh should not just be limited to the subject of not starting
another military conflict in the region. According to him there are
only two options for the conflict resolution of Karabakh: military or
negotiations. There is no third way. According to Aliev Azerbaijan
has the strongest army in the region. In 2011 its military budget
reached almost USD 4.5 bln. Azerbaijan’s position is very clear, it
wants its territories back, while Armenia claims that Karabakh is an
independent entity.

From: Baghdasarian

OAKLAND COUNTY JUDGE DISMISSES KEVORKIAN ART LAWSUIT
By Shaun Byron

Royal Oak Daily Tribune

Jan 18 2012

Dispute moves back east.

PONTIAC – The dispute about who owns the artwork of the late Jack
Kevorkian could be decided in a Massachusetts federal court after an
Oakland County judge dismissed a lawsuit.

Oakland County Circuit Court Judge Martha Anderson, who admitted the
matter could come back to Michigan, dismissed the lawsuit, stating
the matter was already being taken up in Massachusetts.

Attorney Mayer Morganroth represents Kevorkian’s estate and was suing
the Massachusetts-based Armenian Library and Museum of America in an
attempt to have the artwork returned.

Museum officials took the matter to court, arguing Kevorkian had
donated the pieces to them.

The pieces have been with the museum since 1999. The dispute regarding
ownership sparked after Morganroth attempted to retrieve the paintings
for an auction. The proceeds are to go to his estate.

Kevorkian only named two heirs in his will. One of the heirs has
disclaimed her interest, according to court documents.

Attorney Gerald Gleeson represents the museum and said on two occasions
that statements were made indicating the pieces were donated. The
museum finds it frustrating Kevorkian’s wishes are being ignored,
he said.

The artwork was only loaned to the museum and the matter only came
into question when museum officials learned it was to be auctioned
off and all proceeds were to go to Kevorkian’s family, Morganroth
said following the hearing. Continued…

12See Full Story The artwork, about 17 paintings, has remained in
storage at the museum for most of the time it has been on loan,
he said, predicting the case in federal court will be dismissed.

Kevorkian, internationally known for his role as a controversial
assisted suicide advocate who spent time in prison for one of the
deaths he helped cause, died in June at age 83.

From: Baghdasarian

FRENCH ENVOY SUMMONED TO AZERBAIJANI FOREIGN MINISTRY
Gabriel Keller

News.Az
Thu 19 January 2012 14:31 GMT | 14:31 Local Time

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry has summoned French Ambassador
Gabriel Keller over a bill on genocide denial.

Deputy Foreign Minister Khalaf Khalafov conveyed to the ambassador
Azerbaijan’s protest at the French Senate’s forthcoming discussion of
a bill on criminalizing the denial of genocide, visiting Turkish MP
Necdet Unuvar told journalists in Baku.

If passed on 23 January, the bill will make it a crime to deny any
genocide recognized by France. This includes denial that the 1915
killings of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire were genocide.

Unuvar, who is co-chair of the Turkey-Azerbaijan interparliamentary
friendship group, mentioned the ambassador’s summons when summing up
Azerbaijan’s response to the bill.

“We have seen protests from the Azerbaijani people against the issue
to be discussed in the French parliament and we are grateful for
this,” Unuvar said.

“Azerbaijani and Turkish diaspora organizations have started joint
work in France. Our embassies in Paris will work together on the
issue. The committee on international relations of the Azerbaijani
parliament has sent a protest letter to the French Senate, Deputy
Foreign Minister Khalaf Khalafov has summoned the French ambassador to
Baku and expressed his protest,” the Turkish MP said.

He said that France’s withdrawal as a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk
Group, the international body mediating a solution to the
Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, would be
favourable for Azerbaijan, the region and even Armenia.

Unuvar added that Turkey had always supported and would continue to
support Azerbaijan.

“We closed the border with Armenia in protest at the occupation of
Azerbaijani territories,” he said.

Unuvar said he had met Azerbaijani officials, parliamentarians and
journalists during his Baku trip.

From: Baghdasarian

MARCH COMMEMORATING HRANT DINK’S MURDER HELD IN ARMENIA’S CAPITAL

Tert.am
19.01.12

A march commemorating the 22nd anniversary of Armenian massacre in
Baku, Azerbaijan, and the 5th anniversary of Hrant Dink’s murder in
Istanbul, Turkey, has been held in Yerevan.

About 60 students marched toward the Memorial to Armenian Genocide
victims, Tsitsernakaberd. They laid flowers at the cross-stone
commemorating the Armenians murdered in Baku and Sumgait.

Gevorg Melkonyan, Chairman of the Association of University Students
made a speech and called on young people to struggle for international
recognition of the Armenian pogroms in Baku.

With respect to Hrant Dink’s murder, Melkonyan said that it was a
“government program.”

From: Baghdasarian