Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

NUL N’A LE DROIT D’ETOUFFER LA VOIX DES ARMENIENS

Les dernières elections presidentielles ont vu s’exprimer, en Armenie,
le mecontentement massif du peuple et tout particulièrement de la
jeunesse armenienne, a l’occasion de la candidature courageuse et sans
detour de Raffi Hovannissian, lors des actions des mouvements civiques
et en diaspora a travers la campagne de sensibilisation menee par ”
Renaissance Armenienne “.

Force est de constater que l’amplification de ce mouvement populaire
amène les representants des pouvoirs politiques armeniens a reagir
par des methodes inacceptables pour tenter de le discrediter et de
l’etouffer. Depuis peu, nous subissons aussi ce phenomène en France
où l’on empeche par la pression la tenue de conferences d’information
en milieu armenien.

Ces man~uvres indignes, intolerables dans le pays des Libertes
et des Droits de l’Homme, sont le fait de personnalites aux ordres
des autorites d’Erevan. Dans ces circonstances, nous vous appelons
a etre presents en nombre aux prochaines reunions de soutien au
mouvement populaire d’Armenie, afin que les voix en faveur des valeurs
universelles de verite et de justice puissent s’exprimer ici et la-bas.

Tout en faisant nôtre cette phrase de Voltaire : ” Je ne partage pas
vos idees mais je me battrai jusqu’a la mort pour que vous puissiez
les exprimer “.

Paris, le 14/03/2013

Renaissance Armenienne Paris

vendredi 15 mars 2013, Ara ©armenews.com

From: Baghdasarian

LE CARDINAL BERGOGLIO (PAPE FRANCOIS) AVAIT DEMANDE LA RECONNAISSANCE DU GENOCIDE DES ARMENIENS

En 2006, lors des ceremonies couvrant la 91ème commemoration du
Genocide des Armeniens a Buenos Aires, le Cardinal Jorge Mario
Bergoglio avait exhorte la Turquie a reconnaître le genocide comme
etant un ” crime grave de la Turquie ottomane contre le peuple armenien
et a l’humanite toute entière.”

jeudi 14 mars 2013, Jean Eckian ©armenews.com

From: Baghdasarian

I WAS GOBSMACKED TO BE CHOSEN FOR EUROVISION… BUT WHO KNOWS, IT MIGHT WIN!

Birmingham Mail, UK
March 11, 2013 Monday
Edition 1; National Edition

SABBATH STAR TALKS TO MAIL ABOUT ARMENIAN ADVENTURE

by Paul Cole

BLACK Sabbath guitar legend Tony Iommi – whose song was bizarrely
selected as Armenia’s Eurovision Song Contest entry – last night
admitted: “I’ve plenty more where that one came from.”

The 65-year-old godfather of heavy metal has a treasure trove of
tracks he has written over the years, but which he has no intention
of recording himself, either with Sabbath or on a solo album.

He said he was gobsmacked when the Armenians chose Lonely Planet – a
song he wrote more than five years ago – as their Eurovision contender
but now has high hopes for the track.

“I was as shocked as anybody when they came knocking,” he said. “They
got in touch with me because of the charity work we’ve been doing
out there, building a new music school to replace one wrecked by
an earthquake.

“They asked if I’d got any spare songs.

“Well, I write loads of songs and they just get put away. They lie
on a shelf because either they’re not suitable for Sabbath or for
another project, and never see the light of day.

“I searched out Lonely Planet – it’s a bit of a power ballad – and
sent it off.

“I was surprised when it made the shortlist and gobsmacked when
the people of Armenia voted for it. With a little luck, who knows,
it might win.”

The track will be sung by self-confessed Sabbath fan Gor Sujyan at
Eurovision’s second semi-final in Sweden on May 16, aiming to land
a place in the big final in Malmo on May 18.

Tony, back in Britain after recording the new Sabbath album in LA,
faces long-term treatment in his battle against cancer but said
recording sessions went well and he was excited by the results.

“The tracks sound good and I’m looking forward to getting the album
out there,” he said. “At the moment I’m doing promotional work in
London. Then we have gigs in Australia and Japan.”

The album, titled 13, is set for release in June and is guaranteed
to top the charts, such is interest in the reunion.

From: Baghdasarian

ANOTHER 301 TRIAL FOR JOURNALIST DEMIRER

Scoop , New Zealand
March 13 2013

Journalist Demirer faces another trial under Article 301 of the
Turkish Penal Code after making a speech following the postponement
of his initial trial under the same article.

Elif AKGUL, Ankara – BIA News Desk 12 March 2013, Tuesday

The Ankara Police Department has sent a report the the Ankara Chief
Public Prosecutor’s Office, claiming that journalist Temel Demirer
breached Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code when he made a press
statement after his initial trial under the same article was postponed.

The first trial had been postponed provided that, following Provisional
Articles 1 and 2 of Law 6352, he would not “commit a new crime under
Clause 1 within the next three years”.

Referring to recent judicial reforms, Demirer had asked, “If there is
change, then why has this inquiry been opened? What are the [reform]
packages for?”

For the initial investigation, the Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office
had asked for permission from the Ministry of Justice, which has
been the procedure since 8 May 2008. At that time, changes in the
controversial Article 301 had also reduced the maximal sentence for
“denigrating the Turkish Nation, the Turkish Republic, its government
or government institutions” to two years.

According to the police report, after the trial, Demirer said the
following in front of the court building:

“If I don’t say ‘There was an Armenian genocide in Turkey’ or ‘the
state in Turkey is a murderer’ for the next three years, I will be
acquitted. Right now, five minutes after the trial, without waiting
for three years, I say, ‘The state is the murderer of Hrant Dink’. I
also say, ‘There was an Armenian genocide in this country’. If the
court, security forces or the Ministry of Injustice that postponed my
trial do not open another trial, they will be committing a crime.” “I
am not inciting anyone to commit a crime. What I am saying is that
ideas cannot be shackled in this country. I have learnt from Ä°smail
BeÅ~_ikci, Fikret BaÅ~_kaya and Baskın Oran [academics imprisoned or
tried for their work] that freedom of thought is standing strong. There
has been an Armenian genocide in this country. The state killed Hrant
Dink. These are my thoughts. So, if you want, try me again.”

“No change in mentality”

Levent Kanat, Demirer’s lawyer, told bianet that they had learned
about the new inquiry in the news and had not received an official
notification. For Kanat, the investigation is the result of a mentality
that has not changed: “They say they are becoming more democratic,
but that is not true.” First Trial When Hrant Dink, the editor-in-chief
of the Turkish-Armenian newspaper Agos was killed on 19 January 2007,
Demirer made a statement the next day, saying: “Hrant Dink was not
killed because he was Armenian but because he said that there had been
an Armenian genocide.” Demirer was then sentenced under Article 301,
with the prosecution demanding 2 years imprisonment.

At the final hearing on 19 February 2013, Demirer said he wanted
either an acquittal or a sentence. However, the court made use of the
provisional Articles 1 and 2 of Law 6352 that had been introduced in
the third judicial reform package and staid proceedings. (EA/AG)

ENDS

From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIA TO START “OPEN SKIES” POLICY

The Messenger, Georgia
March 13 2013

Armenia shall pass to an “open skies” policy between 2013 and 2025, the
Finance Ministry’s “Republic of Armenia Long-Term Strategic Development
Plan 2012-2015” draft states. This policy assumes including low-budget
airline companies, de-monopolizing railway passenger transport and
ensuring competition, building and modernizing tourism infrastructure
outside the capital city Yerevan, and encouraging the inclusion
of international hotel operators. In 2025, Armenia is expected to
receive 2,300,000 tourists per year, as compared to the present-day
800,000 vacationers.

From: Baghdasarian

RUSSIA REMAINS FIRMLY ARMENIA’S LEADING FOREIGN ECONOMIC PARTNER – PUTIN

ITAR-TASS, Russia
March 12, 2013 Tuesday 05:57 PM GMT+4

– Russian President Vladimir Putin and his visiting Armenian
counterpart Serzh Sargsyan met here on Tuesday to state the positive
development of the relations between the two countries in all spheres.

“Our relations are developing successfully despite all difficulties
in the world economy,” the Russian leader noted, recalling that in
the previous year the bilateral trade went up more than 20% to exceed
1.2 billion dollars. Russia remains firmly Armenia’s leading foreign
economic partner, particularly in terms of accumulated investments.

“Our political contacts are also established at all levels and all this
creates good prerequisites to build up the relations between people,”
Putin believes. “Many Armenians live in Russia, they are very honest,
industrious people of our country, and this is an additional potential,
which brings us together,” he stated.

Sargsyan agreed with the positive assessment of bilateral relations.

“We passed a good path and achieved outstanding results in all spheres,
including political, economic, military and humanitarian spheres,
as well as integration processes,” he believes. Sargsyan singled out
good progress in military cooperation and also noted that Armenia
valued highly the fact that the Russian defence minister visited
Armenia on the Day of Armenian Armed Forces.

From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIAN OPPOSITION MP ASKS CONSTITUTIONAL COURT TO INVITE PRESIDENT

Tert.am
21:08 ~U 13.03.13

Zaruhi Postanjyan of the opposition Heritage party has called for
inviting President Serzh Sargsyan to the Constitutional Court for
explanations regarding recent statements.

At the Court’s hearing on Wednesday, the opposition MP submitted her
motion, arguing her position by the fact the questions addressed to
the president are not to be answered by legal representatives.

“We are obliged to clarify certain statements of his, particularly
those regarding arms supplies, calls for violence and future hazards,”
she said.

In his letter to the System of a Down vocalist, Serj Tankian, the
president spoke of an obligation “to set aside mines on the way towards
development”. Postanjyan had earlier called for further clarification
from David Harutyunyan, the head of the National Assembly’s Standing
Committee on State and Legal Affairs.

Two former opposition candidates, Raffi Hovhannisian and Andrias
Ghukasyan, are disputing the February 18 presidential election at
the Constitutional Court. Ghukasyan has called for considering the
president’s letter to Tankian, particularly his statement about the
procedures of organizing elections. Hovhannisian, who is the Heritage
party’s founding leader, urged the court to officially dispute the
election outcomes.

Harutyunyan, a senior lawmaker of the ruling Republican Party of
Armenia and a lawyer by profession, objected to the motion, saying
that court is not a proper place for clarifying matters.

“Many of the questions raised are unrelated to the issue under
consideration. They just have nothing to do with the issue in dispute,”
he said.

President of the Constitutional Court Gagik Harutyunyan tried to
disperse the tension with the joking remark that the plaintiff
“nearly demands that Serj Tankian be summoned to the Court”.

Postanjyan later submitted a second motion, calling for measures to
check all the ballot boxes at a court hearing.

President of the Central Election Commission Tigran Mukuchyan said
in response that the plaintiff had missed the deadline for demanding
a vote recount.

“If you haven’t exercised that right, the Constitutional Court is
not the place for reinstating it,” he said.

Both motions were rejected.

From: Baghdasarian

DECEIVED VOTER ORGANIZES MARCH IN YEREVAN – VIDEO

07:51 PM | TODAY | POLITICS

A large-scale march will be held in Yerevan on the eve of Serzh
Sargsyan’s inauguration ceremony slated for April 9. Director Arshak
Zakaryan, tinitiator of the march, says he elected Serzh Sargsyan
in the 2008 presidential election, who gave him-an ordinary voter –
many pledges…

“Five years have passed ever since but Serzh Sargsyan has not fulfilled
his campaign pledges. He cheated voters. On April 8 he will be given
another opportunity to resign office,” said Mr Zakaryan.

The idea of holding a procession was born on March 10. On the same
day, presidential candidate Raffi Hovannisian went on a hunger strike
demanding to annul the results of the rigged vote.

“In my address I called on people either to take to the street to
express their opinion or to put up with the system,” he said.

The participants of the march will head to Bagramyan 26, the residence
of the Armenian President, demanding Serzh Sargsyan to step down.

From: Baghdasarian

CONSTITUTIONAL COURT CHAIRMAN: SOON YOU WILL OFFER TO INVITE SERJ TANKIAN AS A WITNESS

NEWS.AM
March 13, 2013 | 18:22

YEREVAN .- Armenia’s Constitutional Court retired to consider the
application of plaintiffs.

Prior to that, during the hearing on the claims filed by former
presidential candidates Raffi Hovannisian and Andreas Ghukasyan,
representatives of Hovannisian introduced 11 motions.

Secretary of Heritage parliamentary group Zaruhi Postanjyan, in
particular, presented a motion for incumbent President Serzh Sargsyan
to be involved in the process as a defendant, and also that asking
to bring and recount the ballot bags from all 1,988 polling stations.

Her motion also proposed to involve as witnesses five people –
lawyers and representatives of NGOs. Constitutional Court Chairman
Gagik Harutyunyan responded to the remark: “If it goes this way,
you will suggest inviting Serj Tankian as a witness.”

In his turn, Andreas Ghukasyan presented the petition to the
Constitutional Court requesting to deliver ballots from 576 polling
stations, where, according to the Central Electoral Commission,
Serzh Sargsyan received the highest number of votes.

Constitutional Court Judge Felix Tokhyan noted that it is technically
impossible. According to the 51st article of the Constitution,
the lawsuit must be considered in10 days. The term is expiring on
Thursday when the Constitutional Court will pass the verdict.

The defendant party opposed the motions.

From: Baghdasarian

R. HOVANNISIAN IS READY TO MEET LEVON TER-PETROSYAN – VIDEOS

07:00 PM | TODAY | POLITICS

Heritage party leader, official runner-up in the February 18
presidential election, Raffi Hovannisian, who went on hunger strike
on March 10 demanding a rerun of the ‘fraudulent’ vote, says he is
in good health condition.

Talking to journalists in Freedom square where he is continuing his
post-election rallies, Raffi Hovannisian enumerated all people who
had visited him during the day.

“Ter Grigor visited me at 6 a.m. We prayed together. Then I had a
private talk with Chief of Armenian Police Vladimir Gasparyan. We
discussed the post-election situation in the country. Mr Gasparyan
inquired about my health and offered me to find another way to continue
the nationwide struggle,” said the Heritage leader. “I thanked all my
guests for the visit and police officers for their work. At the same
time, I reiterated the demand of the people and said we are ready for
open discussions. I repeated that people have gained victory and they
are not going to step back from the struggle.”

Speaking about Tuesday’s meeting between Serzh Sargsyan and Russian
President Vladimir Putin during which Putin congratulated his Armenian
counterpart on his landslide victory in the February ballot, Raffi
Hovannisian said, “Mr Putin is mistaken. Strategic partnership does
not imply similar attitude. Russia should support the Armenian people.”

Regarding the congratulatory message of Wilfred Martens, President of
European People’s Party, Mr Hovannisian said, “Martens has broken his
liabilities as the EPP President and should be made accountable before
his party members. But if he decides to impose his opinion on the
other members, the Heritage party will have nothing to do with them.

But before that, we will do everything so that the EPP remains a
strong supporter of fair, independent and transparent elections.”

Asked whether he was going to meet Armenia’s first President Levon
Ter-Petrosyan, Raffi Hovannisian said, “I am ready to meet everyone,
including the first president. As you know Heritage members have
held meetings with different political forces, including HAK
representatives. If he [Levon Ter-Petrosyan] wants to meet me,
I shall be glad to receive him here in Freedom square.”

Spokesman for the Heritage party Hovsep Khurshudyan is scheduled to
give a news conference at 12.00 March 13, which will be followed by
Raffi Hovannisian’s press conference at 5.00.

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From: Baghdasarian