Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

FOR NON-VIOLENT TV: ARMENIAN SCHOLARS AGAIN RAISE CONCERNS OVER “AGGRESSIVE” SERIALS

Society | 04.10.12 | 13:40

The International Day of Non-Violence that was marked globally on
October 2 gave another occasion for some local figures to raise their
concerns over increasingly “violent” television that they say twists
the minds of the public.

Five years ago the UN General Assembly set aside a day, the birthday
of Mahatma Gandhi, leader of the Indian independence movement and
pioneer of the philosophy and strategy of non-violence, to bring the
world’s attention to problems of eliminating violence.

Vahram Mirakyan, a researcher at the Yerevan State University’s
Armenian Studies Research Center, used the occasion to meet with
journalists on Wednesday to talk about his concerns about the state
and quality of Armenian television.

The scholar contended that sometimes aggression that later turns into
violence has an acquired nature and is contingent on several factors
that exist in close surroundings as well as propaganda.

Mirakyan thinks that television now constitutes a major cause of
intra-communal violence in Armenia.

“Television channels show patterns that people are prone to copy.

‘Aggressive production’ is offered on prime time television in
the form of films containing violence or scandalous reports,”
said Mirakyan, noting that a 2011 survey showed that 30 percent of
Armenia’s population spent 7-12 hours and 50 percent spent 3-5 hours
in front of TV sets a day.

The researcher said that he was particularly concerned about
the quality of TV serials that attract the largest audiences and
advertisers paying good money for commercial breaks.

Several months ago along with a group of several other scholars and
representatives of public organizations Mirakyan signed a letter
addressed to President Serzh Sargsyan regarding the “alarming” TV
production, in particular the quality of TV serials. They solicited
intervention by the head of state to resolve the problem.

“The [president-affiliated] Public Council is now looking into the
matter. It has gathered proposals from different creative unions,
intellectuals and soon there will be a broad discussion around these
proposals and a final plan will be submitted to the President,”
said Mirakyan.

TV producers, meanwhile, respond by saying that they are merely
depicting real life in serials and films, trying to expose major
problems of the society.

Another group of critics opposing the reforms on TV are liberal
scholars who, while often agreeing with the assessments of television
as being a low-quality enterprise, still abhor any interference on
the part of the state in what is supposed to be an independent and
creative environment.

Mirakyan, meanwhile, thinks direction is needed as television fails
to properly address public concerns, but instead presents violence
as a social culture.

“In fact, they generalize the real life of only five percent of the
population and project it on the rest of our society. According to a
recent monitoring of 22 episodes of one serial, murders take place in
eight of them, kidnapping is present in four episodes, and violence
is used against police officers in five,” said Mirakyan.

While acknowledging that people have always been interested in crime
stories, eroticism and backstage, the scholar still called for an
alternative to all that to be made available.

Doctor of Psychology Samvel Khudoyan, meanwhile, also spoke about
the absence of cartoons that would teach kids something “good”.

“I can’t remember any good cartoon made recently. All cartoons are
based on aggression, which has a negative effect on our growing
younger generation,” he said.

From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIA SHOULD BE READY FOR SOLUTION
Naira Hayrumyan

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 14:31:49 – 04/10/2012

The Syrian crisis should end. It is likely to happen soon. This time,
Turkey will be the protagonist which hurries to hit first to avoid
a boomerang effect.

In Turkey, the opposition criticizes Erdoghan’s and Davutoglu’s
policies, more, the opposition announced vote of no confidence to
the foreign minister. The new Turkish policymakers are accused of
ruining the relations with former allies, including Syria. But the
main accusation is that such ambitious policy may lead to the split
of Syria. The opposition is now trying to stop the leadership of the
country, which is trying to receive the permission of the parliament
to hit Syria.

However, hardly anything can help Turkey. The U.S. makes Turkey break
in Syria in order to have someone to accuse of aggression. Moreover,
the U.S. will help Turkey to separate the Kurdish province of Syria
and add it to their Kurdish regions. After this, the Kurds will have
nothing else but to announce self-determination on the Syrian and
Turkish territories.

Armenia has a neutral position on the Syrian issue: the minister of
foreign affairs Edward Nalbandyan called in the UN to dialogue and
stop violence. But Armenia should be ready because after the solution
of the Syrian issue, the Kurdish movement will gain strength and the
issue on not only the Kurdish but also Armenian territories will be
on the agenda.

From: Baghdasarian

BACK TO BOOK FESTIVAL KICKS OFF IN ARMENIA
Sona Hakobyan

“Radiolur”
18:15 03.10.2012

Armenian Minister of Education and Science Armen Ashotyan visited the
Khnko Aper Library today to read excerpts from his favorite books
for children as part of the Back of Book Festival. The involvement
of politicians is the best practice in the world that helps promote
reading among children. Armen Ashotyan was the first political figure
to try to serve as an example for children aged 10-13 to prove that
he who reads books, succeeds in life.

Armen Ashotyan read excerpts form “My Small Bible.” The meeting was
useful not only for children, but also for the Minister himself. “I
learnt to be sincere and free. One can fully enjoy the freedom only
when he’s really ready to bear the burden of it,” Armen Ashotyan said.

Inspired by this fist successful experience, head of the “Antares”
publishing house Armen Martirosyan hopes that the good tradition
will continue.

From: Baghdasarian

ISTANBUL-ARMENIAN ARTIST ARET: “THERE IS NO CULTURAL DIVERSITY IN TURKEY”
Ani Hovhannisyan

11:56, October 3, 2012

Aret Gecer , an Armenian artist based in Istanbul, doesn’t let just
anybody enter his studio.

The reason for the secrecy is his series of works regarding Archbishop
Mesrob II Mutafyan, the Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople, now
incapacitated due to degenerative dementia.

Only several of the numerous works are ready to be exhibited. Aret
says he won’t comment as to the reasons why he’s focused on the
illness plaguing Archbishop Mesrob II until the exhibition.

“Even though the works have a political significance, I wanted to free
them of political and church related conceptions. I am displaying the
paintings of the archbishop solely from an artistic perspective. I
want people to see the art in them as the primary idea,” Aret says.

>From Yerevan to Istanbul

Aret is the only Istanbul-Armenian I have met who carries himself like
a Yerevan native. After studying for a year at the Lyon Art Institute,
Aret went to Armenia and enrolled at the Yerevan Art Academy.

Now, he walks past the luxurious stores in Taksim Square and when he
reaches a small intersection he changes direction towards his art
studio which is located in a building that stands out due to its
Armenian architectural design.

What can you say about the level of education at the Yerevan Art
Academy?

Those with no connection to art are accepted at this school tuition
free through their connections. The really worthy students are turned
away. The instructional methods are also outdated. You feel that you
are obtaining certain fundamental things, but they aren’t relevant
to the present era.

Do you mean that there’s a lack of good teachers?

Teachers exist but they have become disgusted with the job. Except
for a few exceptions, they’re only there to make extra money. You
would think that non-conformist young people would be enrolled at
an art school, but in Yerevan you’ll find the opposite; the most
conservative. Free thinkers are in the minority.

What’s the difference if we compare Lyon, Istanbul and Yerevan in
terms of art?

We can’t compare them to Lyon because that city is in a totally
different time frame. Istanbul tries to have the contemporary and
exhibit it. They spend tons of money on contemporary art.

Your paintings are hidden away in this room where you work. Why don’t
you at least show them in your studio?

I believe there are different ways to exhibit art. It should be done
at a formal exhibition. Furthermore, half of the exhibition process
involves hiding the works.

Cultural diversity in Yerevan is scarce, but in Istanbul you can
meet people of different cultures and religions. Does this diversity
influence your art, and if so, how?

I don’t feel such diversity. It’s probably because I’ve lived here
for so many years. Such great diversity doesn’t exists here. There
aren’t even sub-cultures anymore. It’s all been erased. There is only
one culture – the Turkish culture.

In addition to painting you’re also a cartoonist for the Agos
newspaper. Can you make a living doing this?

I live an average lifestyle. Here too, artists don’t live well.

From: Baghdasarian

POLITICAL EXPERT: CHARGE FILED AGAINST OSKANIAN IS A STEP DIRECTED AT PREVENTION OF HIS RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT

ARMINFO
Wednesday, October 3, 17:47

Stripping ex-foreign minister, member of Prosperous Armenia Party,
Vartan Oskanian, of immunity and his involvement in the case on money
laundering by Civilitas Foundation is a preventive step directed at
prevention of his running for president at the presidential election
2013 in Armenia, political expert, Ervand Bozoyan, said at today’s
press-conference.

“It is obvious that Civilitas case is invented and is a result of
the election campaign that has been already started. It is strange
that the case was started just after refusal of the PAP to join the
ruling coalition. It is also strange that the Huntsmans family has
no pretension to Oskanian although Prosecutor General Agvan Hovsepyan
has been trying to protect its rights”, – Bozoyan said. He also added
that if the Republican Party of Armenia was trying to remove Oskanian
like a candidate for president, at present the situation changed and
after this persecution the sympathy of the people towards Oskanian
and the PAP has grown.

He thinks that this case will negatively affect the world image of the
country, as accusation of ex-foreign minister for money laundering,
casts doubt upon democracy in Armenia. He said that after Ramil
Safarov’s pardoning, international structures said about lawlessness
in Azerbaijan and Armenia got a chance to raise its rating and get
various dividends. But after Oskanyan’s case the authorities of
Armenia put Azerbaijan and Armenia at one and the same level.

From: Baghdasarian

G.SAHAKYAN TO KOCHARYAN: LET MY PEOPLE GO
Naira Hayrumyan

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 15:51:48 – 03/10/2012

Galust Sahakyan does not believe that Kocharyan is the author of
the statement issued on his behalf. Although Robert Kocharyan’s
press secretary has already confirmed it, Galust Sahakyan is waiting
different reaction from Kocharyan.

How long is it possible to keep an entire party hanging in the air and
not to issue his real intentions? Galust Sahakyan is already losing
his nerve. He lost his nerve two years ago when Serzh Sargsyan hardly
swayed Gagik Tsarukyan to sign the coalition agreement. He was nervous
after the parliamentary elections too when Serzh Sargsyan failed to
make Tsarukyan sign the coalition agreement.

It is time for Kocharyan to express his real intentions for us to know
what to do, Galust Sahakyan stated openly. Apparently, he expected
that Kocharyan would state at least now what he is going to do. “Let
my people go,” Galust Sahakyan seems to be saying to Kocharyan while
the latter is protracting.

And if previously this intrigue was a serious game and a global
political project, the more it goes, the more evident it becomes that
the whole party has become the victim of Kocharyan’s political games.

That is why Galust Sahakyan is nervous. He believes that Kocharyan
is the author of his statement but he does not believe what Serzh
Sargsyan says. Sargsyan fails to convince his party that no one is
behind Kocharyan and that he plays an independent psychological game
and it is not necessary to be afraid of him.

Just like the Jews asked the Pharaoh to let them go and could not make
their mind and leave on their own, the RPA is waiting for Kocharyan
to let them go.

From: Baghdasarian

TURKISH JOURNALIST AGREES TO RETURN ARMENIAN CHURCH

03.10.12

Haberturk daily Editor-in-Chief Fatih Altaylı the owner of the
historic church, known as “Seven Churches,” in the village of Yukarı
Bakraclı, in Van, has agreed to return the church to the Armenian
community.

The local Armenian community launched protests after knowing the
church that required restoration was in the plot of land owned by
Fatih Altaylı, Taraf reports.

The journalists received numerous letters calling on his to return
the church to the Armenian community.

“You are a well-know journalists in Turkey, but you are discrediting
yourself by this step. Any reasonable person would hand his property
certificate to the Armenian Patriarchate,” protesters wrote.

In his response, Fatih Altaylı wrote he was ready to return the
church if the Armenian Patriarchate and the Ministry of Culture and
Tourism applied to him.

“This is your church and I can help you in any way. I can hand it
over to the Armenian Patriarchate,” Fatih Altaylı wrote.

From: Baghdasarian

COE ANTI-TORTURE COMMITTEE PUBLISHES REPORT ON ARMENIA

PanARMENIAN.Net
October 3, 2012 – 14:32 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – The Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention
of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) has
published the report on its ad hoc visit to Armenia in December 2011,
together with the response of the Armenian government. These documents
have been made public at the request of the Armenian authorities,
the CoE said on its website.

The 2011 ad hoc visit was carried out to assess the steps taken by the
Armenian authorities to implement long-standing recommendations made
by the CPT, in particular those concerning the treatment of prisoners
sentenced to life imprisonment. The Committee’s delegation visited
Yerevan-Kentron Prison and carried out a targeted visit to the unit
for lifers and the disciplinary unit of Nubarashen Prison.

The delegation received no recent allegations of deliberate physical
ill-treatment of prisoners by staff in either of the prisons visited.

In general, the delegation observed that the attitude of staff towards
prisoners was quite correct.

However, the poor material environment and impoverished regime at
Kentron Prison made it unsuitable for lengthy periods of detention. As
for the conditions of detention of life-sentenced prisoners held at
Kentron, the CPT states that they could be considered as amounting to
inhuman treatment. More generally, the Committee notes that virtually
none of the recommendations made after previous visits as regards
the detention of lifers have been implemented, the report says.

In their response, the Armenian authorities provide information on
the various measures being taken to address the concerns raised by
the Committee. In particular, they stress that most of the CPT’s
recommendations will be implemented once the new prison in Armavir
becomes operational in December 2013.

From: Baghdasarian

ARTSAKH AIRPORT OPENING DIRECT RESPONSE TO AZERI KILLER CASE – EXPERT

news.am
October 02, 2012 | 23:11

YEREVAN. – The airport opening in Artsakh [Nagorno-Karabakh] capital
city Stepanakert is the direct response to the case of Azeri killer
Ramil Safarov [who murdered Armenian officer, was extradited and
pardoned in Azerbaijan], expert Richard Giragosian told Armenian
News-NEWS.am commenting on the statement by the Artsakh Civil Aviation
Department on officially putting the airport into operation.

“The operation is an important step in reinforcing Artsakh as a state,”
he stressed believing effectiveness of Armenian air defense and safety
forces securing flights between Yerevan and Stepanakert.

To note, the Artsakh Civil Aviation Department Head Valeri Adbashyan
ensured full readiness for operating the airport to the agency.

From: Baghdasarian

NOT FINE WITH NEW FINE: RECENT PROVISION FOR ARMENIAN CITIZENS ABROAD RAISES EYEBROWS
By Gohar Abrahamyan

ArmeniaNow
03.10.12 | 10:58

A new controversial law under which citizens of Armenia absent
from the country for more than six months must inform corresponding
bodies about their status in written form or face a fine has elicited
mixed reactions among ordinary people some of whom see it as another
encroachment.

Still, specialists in Armenia acknowledge that the law does not break
any human rights norm, even though, they say, such provisions aren’t
widely applied elsewhere in the world. Some human rights activists,
meanwhile, believe this novelty is part of the government strategy
to get a better idea about the exact number of citizens staying more
or less on a permanent basis outside Armenia ahead of next year’s
presidential elections.

The fine has been set by the government based on a new provision in
the Code of Administrative Offense that was adopted last November
and went into force on June 1 of this year.

The Armenian Ombudsman’s office issued a statement on Tuesday, warning
citizens of Armenia who have been abroad for more than six months and
have failed to notify corresponding bodies of the Republic of Armenia
about their status in written form that they will be fined 3,000 drams
(about $7.50) upon crossing the border into Armenia.

Naira Karmirshalyan, who heads the Ombudsman’s Office Public Relations
Department, told ArmeniaNow that the Office’s analytical department
had sent an inquiry to the police and conducted a relevant research
that revealed no unconstitutionality in the norm in question.

“In fact, such a provision does not run contrary to human rights,
as it does not restrict the freedom of movement, but only implies
certain liability for failing to properly inform [state bodies]
about that,” said Karmirshalyan.

While the size of the fine could be viewed as “symbolic” by many,
some citizens of Armenia are against the very concept of the norm
that they say is also hard to comply with in many case.

Samvel Galstyan, a native of Yerevan, says he spends most of the year
as a migrant worker in the remote Russian region of Sakhalin. He says
to comply with the law he has to make quite a journey as no embassy or
consular services of Armenia are available in the close surroundings
of that Far East area.

“Why are they complicating our lives as well as their own? In any case,
still before arriving [in Russia] we put all our data in a registration
form on the plane and we present it to immigration authorities upon
arrival. Can’t they just get that from there?”

wonders Galstyan.

Talking to ArmeniaNow, former Ombudswoman and MP Larisa Alaverdyan
said that while there is nothing strange in that law, she still
doubted it would help bring about any positive change.

“The state had better develop a method to make that estimation
by itself, without causing any unnecessary inconvenience to the
population. Besides, in this case the process of fine payment is not
that transparent,” said Alaverdyan, adding that the law has a concealed
purpose of estimating the actual size of Armenia’s population ahead
of next February’s presidential election.

Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly Vanadzor Office head Artur Sakunts
explained to ArmeniaNow that while in the past citizens of Armenia
were also supposed to register with consular bodies abroad, there
was no question of fines then.

“Imposing a fine is certainly meaningless. This is just to fill the
budget. Why should a citizen pay 3,000 drams for doing nothing wrong
except not letting the state know about his or her whereabouts?” said
the human rights activist.

“There is a more simple and effective mechanism. Information on
citizens’ entries and exits to and from the country are available in
the Border Service database and the state can learn about the status
of citizens from there without bothering them,” added Sakunts.

From: Baghdasarian