Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

WHAT REALLY HAPPENED AT TERYAN STREET? IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF 19-YEAR-OLD BOY’S MURDER

2013-04-12 09:43:00

On April 9 at the intersection of Teryan and Koryun streets in Yerevan
in front the building of “Citadel” business center as a result of
stabbing 19-year-old Tigran Hayrapetyan died.

Some details in connection with the incident have become known
to Lurer.com. One of the students of Architecture and Construction
University, who did not want to introduce himself, said that there was
a common brawl among students. Tigran Hayrapetyan, as “the elder”,
intervened in a fight to settle the situation, and as a result was
killed. According to our interlocutor, Tigran Hayrapetyan was attacked
by several people, and then followed with a knife.

Recall, on April 9, at 15.45 RA Police got a report from University
Hospital N1, that a 20-year old boy with stab wound in the chest was
delivered to their hospital, who on the way to the hospital died.

Investigation group etermined that the victim was the resident of
Yerevan, Tigran Hayrapetyan, born in 1994.

RA Police report that in the Central Investigation Department a
crimonal case was opened on the grounds of an offense under Part 1
of Art. 104 of RA Criminal Code

On April 10 at 04.00 thanks to the measures by the staff of the Central
Police, on suspicion of murder, Hayk A. born in 1997 was brought to
the Department of Police, who admitted that he committed the murder.

Measures are taken to detect gun crime- knife.

RA Police reported that Hayk A. has been arrested. The circumstances
of the incident are being investigated. Under investigation.

From: Baghdasarian

ANOTHER CHRISTIAN CHURCH TURNED INTO MOSQUE IN TURKEY

April 15, 2013 | 18:26

Greek Christian church in Turkey’s Trabzon previously functioning as
a museum has been turned into a mosque.

Mufti of Trabzon said the renovation is close to an end, they only
must appoint an imam, Hurriyet newspaper reported. It reports say
that during prayers the icons will be covered.

The Church of Hagia Sophia was built in 1250-1260. It has been
functioning as a museum since 1964.

From: Baghdasarian

FRENCH ARMENIANS CALL ON PRESIDENT TO INITIATE ADOPTION OF BILL CRIMINALISING SO-CALLED GENOCIDE

Trend, Azerbaijan
April 15 2013

The French cultural association Hayastan continues to collect
signatures on a petition to be presented to French President Hollande
Frnasua, urging him to keep his campaign promise and initiate the
process of adoption of the bill criminalising denial of the so-called
‘Armenian genocide’, News-Armenia reported with reference to Nouvelles
d’Armenie.

According to the publication, the collection of signatures is being
held in Paris, Lyon and Marseille.

In January last year, the French parliament adopted a bill
criminalising denial of genocides recognised by law including the
so-called ‘genocide’ of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire. The document
called for a sentence of a year in prison and a fine of 45,000 euros
for denial of the ‘genocide’.

A month later the supreme supervisory authority, the Constitutional
Council, found the law unconstitutional, as it ‘infringes on the
freedom of expression and communication’.

Armenia and the Armenian lobby claim that the predecessor of Turkey,
the Ottoman Empire, committed ‘genocide’ against the Armenians living
in Anatolia in 1915. Worldwide Armenians, willing to recognise this
fact, achieved its recognition by parliaments of some countries through
strengthening propaganda of the so-called ‘genocide’ in the world.

From: Baghdasarian

TDK CREATES NETWORK FOR EASIER ACCESS TO KURDISH, ARMENIAN MANUSCRIPTS

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
April 15 2013

The Turkish Language Association (TDK) has established an online
virtual network to make it easier for researchers to access various
literary manuscripts collected in its library that are in Kurdish,
Armenian and other languages.

The TDK, which has a large library consisting of numerous valuable
literary manuscripts in the Turkish, Kurdish, Armenian, Arabic,
Persian, German, French, Romaic, Ancient Greek, Russian, Chagatai and
Latin languages.

Among the manuscripts is a Kurdish literary work titled “Mem u Zin”
(Mem and Zin) written by Ahmad Khani in 1692. “Mem u Zin” is a tragic
story of two young Kurdish lovers who are separated and can never come
back together.

The network is now accessible to the public at large.

From: Baghdasarian

WHY CHESS SHOULD BE REQUIRED IN U.S. SCHOOLS

Pacific Standard
April 15 2013

It’s a game that motivates us to win, but also teaches us how to deal
with defeat.

April 15, 2013~U By Alex Berezow ~U

Rook to B8. Checkmate.

There’s nothing quite like the feeling of defeating a worthy opponent
in a game of chess: the ultimate battle of the wits. Of course, it’s
not a feeling I have very often, since I’m not very good at chess. On
the other hand, my father is officially an “expert” and my friend is
a “master.” In other words, they are both very, very good. To give
an idea of how good, if I was to play 100 games with each of them,
I would win precisely zero.

Worldwide, chess is still a popular game, but it is treated with
particular seriousness in Eastern Europe. For instance, the Bulgarian
National Olympic Committee has been lobbying for chess to be recognized
as an Olympic sport, as has Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, the Russian president
of the World Chess Federation. In September 2011, Armenia made chess
a required subject for all children over the age of six.

(In the DW-TV news clip below, the children are in 2nd grade.)

Indeed, the Armenians may be on to something. One recent
psychology study found that chess was associated with greater
“cognitive abilities, coping and problem-solving capacity, and even
socioaffective development of children.” Of course, because it was
a cohort (observational) study, the link could be due to some third
factor or the possibility that smart, mature children are more inclined
to play chess in the first place.

In the above video, the math/chess teacher says, “Chess trains logical
thinking. It teaches how to make decisions, trains memory, strengthens
will power, motivates children to win, and teaches them how to deal
with defeat. It’s the only school subject that can do all of this.”

That is a very interesting insight. Not only does chess help train the
brain, but it also teaches children basic life skills. In our culture,
we hand out trophies to winners and losers-or neglect to keep score at
all-out of some misguided, politically-correct notion that we should
never hurt anyone’s feelings. But, in Armenia, schools are teaching
children reality: Sometimes you lose. That’s an important lesson,
and it should be taught at a young age.

What makes chess so fascinating is that no two games will ever
play out the same. Checkers-really a game for intellectual wimps
(like me)-has 500 billion billion possible positions, and, in 2007,
researchers reported that a computer has solved the game. (If neither
side makes a mistake, the outcome is always a draw.) But chess is
far more complicated than checkers. It is unlikely that a computer
will ever “solve” the game.

Americans are concerned that our children aren’t receiving a solid
K-12 education. Perhaps chess should be introduced into the curriculum
as a fun way to teach logic and memory?

In fact, I should get back to practicing the game. Knowing that there
are seven-year-old Armenians that could run me off the chessboard
without breaking a sweat is a tad humiliating.

From: Baghdasarian

‘UNITY IS OUR STRENGTH’ ARMENIAN GENOCIDE COMMEMORATION IN ORANGE COUNTY

Monday, April 15th, 2013

Orange County Genocide commemorations

SANTA ANA-This year’s annual community wide commemoration will take
place on April 21, 2013, at 6 pm at Gugasian Hall, 5315 W. McFadden
Avenue, Santa Ana, CA. The event is organized by the Armenian National
Committee of America Orange County Chapter (ANCA-OC) which has once
again brought the Armenian community of together to present a unified
front on this important national issue.

The program includes musical performances by accomplished Armenian
artists Armenian Public Radio, Ayline, and Greg Hosharian, along with
Orange County’s very own Green K.A.R.D., a local OC band comprised of
AYF members, and Hasmik Piliposyan, a current student at UCI. There
will also be a special presentation by the AGBU Manoogian Demirjian
School Drama Conservatory ArtReach project “Voices from the Genocide,”
and recitals by the A.G. Minassian Armenian school students. A number
of short videos will also be screened during the program.

The participating organizations in this year’s event once again
represent the entire Armenian community of Orange County and include
the following: ACYO, AGBU Orange County Saturday School, A.G.

Minassian Armenian School, ARF Armen Karo Gomideh, ARS Karni chapter
and Saturday School, ARS Sevan chapter and Saturday school, AYF Ashod
Yergat, AYF Aghpiur Serop Juniors, Forty Martyrs Armenian Church,
Hamazkayin Siamanto, Homenetmen Sardarabad, Orange County Armenian
Professional Society (OCAPS), St. Mary Armenian Church, and UCI
Armenian Students Association (ASA).

The “Unity is Our Strength” motto was adopted by the Orange County
Armenian community organizations during a February meeting organized by
the ARF Armen Karo Gomideh. “Over the past few years the organizations
have been working much more closely with each other, but the ARF’s
proactive steps in reaching out to everyone and being inclusive has
created stronger ties in Orange County with unprecedented levels
of cooperation and coordination,” said ANCA OC board member Talar
Malakian.

“Unity is Our Strength” has spread throughout the county, where on
April 21st there will be an entire day filled with activities to
remember the victims of the first Genocide of the 20th century. At
9 am the AYF Ashod Yergat chapter and the ANCA-OC will participate
in the “Walk to End Genocide,” organized by the Jewish World Watch
at Mile Square Park in Fountain Valley. At 1 pm Professor Richard
Hovhannisian will be speaking at St. Mary Armenian Church, and at 6 pm
the ANCA-OC has organized the “Unity is Our Strength” commemoration at
Forty Martyrs Church with the participation of ALL the organizations
and institutions listed.

“We encourage all of our community members to support each of the
events planned for April 21st, to commemorate the Armenian Genocide,
remember the victims and renew our commitment to work together to
defend the rights of the Armenian people everywhere,” said ARF Armen
Karo Gomideh Chairman. He went on to say, “These events are no longer
a place of mourning and victimization, but a call to action, and we
have room for every single Armenian in Orange County, especially the
youth, to join the struggle, be it political, educational, cultural,
or by any means that helps Hai Tahd.”

For more information and to join the Commemoration:

From: Baghdasarian

TRIAL DAY FOR GAGIK TSARUKYAN’S PAP

2013-04-15 18:50:10

What was expected for a long time, from February 18 happened and the
resilts finally signed their logical as a result of ossuary fight,
if it can be called so, but only for those, who lost. Here are those
fated the owners of the situation, those, who long tasted defeat,
jumped and cheated. Here the rules are different, and the corpses are
experienced in this emerging and new, but full of rich traditions,
and many expectations fight.

But paradise is Yerevan, main pretenders are two- colleagues, and
friends, and due to circumstances, competitors- RPA and PAP. And as
the trial date – May 5 approaches, the tension of powers is rising,
too. Flowers on April 7, community meetings, spring planting- all
these functions RPA and PAP repeat like Siamese twins one another.

It’s obvious, that RPA also leads to the monopoly in the election
process. However, unlike the Republicans, at least where everything
is coordinated, a completely different atmosphere prevails in RPA,
taking into account high dose of lukewarm. First, PAP is facing rather
complicated question of oligarch society and confrontation of political
wing and on the one hand, PAP is a reflection of RPA.

“Prosperous Armenia” party is divided into two organisms, which
differ from each other, but which can not survive without each
other’s existence.

To get rid of any one of these interrelated branches, would mean
a serious blow to the integrity of the party. In the first case,
the financial strength and stability that allows PAP to step into
RPA is being put under threat of elimination, as a result of which
Oskanian’s wing will be left without an oportunity, which will lead
PAP to become ARF-D or RLP members.

However, taking into account party leader Gagik Tsarukyan’s mood,
he will hardly go to self-liquidation path, taking into account the
fact that May 5 elections are probably the last elections until 2017.

That is why PAP presence at ANC founding congress matures on the idea
that, however, that theses elections will become indicator against
RPA, several parties, including for example ANC, PAP and ARF for
co-operation.

The option of creating controlling coalition is the only real option
that will allow to redistribute the votes of elections, taking into
consideration the fact that elections are not just for voting, but
redistribution of their results.

Gevorg Avetisyan

From: Baghdasarian

Police officers are charged with illegal deprivation of freedom of the
taxi driver
Sat, 04/13/2013 – 11:58
Trending topic

The police officer of Yerevan unit metropolitan security unit of RA
Police Gor Poghosyan is charged with unlawful deprivation of freedom
with a group with prior agreement. The other member of the group,
according to indictment, is a police officer as well; he is his
friend, the police officer of the 1st platoon of the 3rd Battalion of
Yerevan unit SPS of RA Police Karapet Malkhasyan.

So, according to indictment, the taxi driver of `Charbakh’ taxi
service, which belongs to Gor Poghosyan’s father Aghasi Poghosyan,
Garnik Tovmansyan had an accident with the car of the taxi service and
80.000 AMD was needed for the recovery of the car. Learning about that
Gor Poghosyan and his friend Karapet Malkhasyan demanded the
compensation for the damage from Garnik Malkhasyan.

But the former refused arguing that the incident was not his fault.
After that Gor Poghosyan and Karapet Malkhasyan unlawfully kept Garnik
Tovmasyan in the rooms for 5 hours, from 17:00 to 22:00, closed the
door and hindered his right of free movement. Later Karapet Malkhasyan
and Gor Poghosyan with `Mercedes’ car of the former, without Garnik
Tovmasyan’s consent transported and kept him until 2 o’clock at the
Malkhasyan’s rest-house in Charbakh, during which with the use of
actions dangerous for health demanded for the abovementioned money and
allowed him to leave only after he promised to give it.

Gor Poghosyan and Karapet Malkhsyan are charged with article 133
section 2 of RA Criminal Code: illegal deprivation of freedom, with
the group of people with prion consent. The article prescribes from 3
to 5 years imprisonment. Pledge was used as a preventive measure
against G. Poghosyan and the signature for not leaving the country was
chosen for K.Malkhasyan.

The case is assigned by the Judge of Yerevan Shengavit court of first
instance Nelly Baghdasaryan.

Author:
Factinfo

From: Baghdasarian

National News Agency Lebanon
April 12, 2013 Friday 10:13 AM EST

Armenian MPs favor all inclusive government

April 10, 2013 (Referring to the National News Agency – Lebanon) Prime
Minister designate, Tammam Salam, met Wednesday with Armenian MPs
bloc, comprising Deputies Arthur Nazarian and Agob Pakradounian.

The bloc voiced support for the national interest government, that
would be extended and including representatives of all sects.

From: Baghdasarian

$575,000 Pledged for Continuing Education Program in Artsakh

Thursday, April 11th, 2013

UA President Bruce Boghosian (R), Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Parliament
Speaker Ashot Ghulyan (C), and AGBU Central Board Member Vasken
Yacoubian (L) officially open the temporary location for the AGBU NKR
Campus and the AUA Extension in Karabakh.

STEPANAKERT-The American University of Armenia (AUA) and the Armenian
General Benevolent Union (AGBU) have launched a collaborative
initiative to help reignite the workforce in the Nagorno-Karabakh
Republic.

AGBU and AUA issued the announcement on Wednesday, April 3 during a
ribbon cutting ceremony at Stepanakert School #3, attended by Karabakh
Speaker of Parliament Ashot Ghoulian, Karabakh Prime Minister Ara
Harutyunyan and other government officials. Following the ceremony,
AUA hosted two open house events at the school, introducing its
graduate, undergraduate and extension programs to the local community.

While in Stepanakert, the AUA and AGBU delegation also visited with
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic President Bako Sahakian, who is a strong
proponent for developing Karabakh’s education system.

`We are fully aware of what the American University of Armenia brings
to Karabakh and I can assure you that we will do everything to support
you fully,’ said President Sahakyan. `More importantly, we will
express our thanks and appreciation through our advancement as a
result of your work. I believe this will be the best measure of your
success.’

To achieve this ambitious goal, AGBU has committed $575,000 over
five-years to support a comprehensive Continuing Education Program
(CEP) in Karabakh through AUA Extension. CEP will offer six levels of
English language instruction and 4 certification tracks in Strategic
Management, Executive Leadership, Public Policy Planning &
Administration, and Tourism & Hospitality Management.

`Education is key to sparking economic growth and AUA is excited to be
working with AGBU to deploy a curriculum that helps create educational
opportunities that translate into university degrees or prosperous
careers in Karabakh, Armenia or the world,’ said AUA President Bruce
Boghosian. `Through CEP, AUA Extension will provide quality,
continuing education opportunities in Karabakh that enhance career
paths, promote higher education, and contribute to sustainable
economic development.’

AUA Extension will begin offering its CEP courses at Stepanakert
School #3 while AGBU builds a new cultural, educational and artistic
complex to house this and other programs.

President Sahakyan noted that AGBU is an organization that is an
integral part of NKR, and it was foreseeable that AGBU would initiate
such a program.

`An exciting new era begins today. The AGBU NKR Campus, when
completed, will expand the horizons of the people of Artsakh, provide
new opportunities and contribute to the sustainable, economic
development of the country,’ said AGBU Central Board Member Vasken
Yacoubian. `The new campus is the natural continuation of AGBU’s
unwavering support and commitment to the stability and prosperity of
Karabakh since 1988.’

When construction is complete, the new AGBU NKR Campus will offer a
wide range of programs for youth and adults, including training in the
creative arts, media, and Internet technologies. These classes will be
available to high school and college students, local businesses,
entrepreneurs, and government officials.

Through the campus, CEP will offer university test preparatory
courses, seminars in management, public speaking, and computer
software, as well as workshops on career development, resume writing
and interview skills.

Established in 1906, AGBU () is the world’s largest
non-profit Armenian organization. Headquartered in New York City, AGBU
preserves and promotes the Armenian identity and heritage through
educational, cultural and humanitarian programs, annually touching the
lives of some 400,000 Armenians around the world.

Founded in 1991, the American University of Armenia (AUA) is a
private, independent university located in Yerevan, Armenia and
affiliated with the University of California. AUA provides a global
education in Armenia and the region, offering high-quality, graduate
and undergraduate studies, encouraging civic engagement, and promoting
public service and democratic values.

From: Baghdasarian