ARAVOT: SHOOTING REPORTED OUTSIDE CAFE OWNED BY FORMER MP
Panorama.am
01/09/2012
Yesterday, it was reported that shooting took place outside the
Lemon Lunch cafe in Yerevan’s Kanaker-Zeytun administrative district,
according to Aravot daily.
A man, 23, resident of Georgia’s Akhalkalaki district, was rushed to
hospital after suffering an injury.
Photo reporter Gagik Shamshyan told Aravot that the cafe is owned by
Ashot Tonoyan, former MP from Prosperous Armenia Party.
From: Baghdasarian
Shots in Yerevan: 23 year-old young man is transferred to hospital
2012-09-01 12:17:10
Yerevan’s Kanaker-Zeytun Police department received an alarm on August
31 at 03.40 pm that Volodya H., born in 1989 was moved to Mikayelyan
medical center with gunshot injuries. The operational group which
arrived at the scene found out, that a person, the identity of which
hasn’t been found out yet, released shots on Dro Street to the
direction of Volodya H., as a result of which 3 bullets tore into him.
8 capsules were found as a result of examination of the site. Measures
are being taken to find the gunman and clarify the circumstances of
the incident.
Investigation is underway.
From: Baghdasarian
We thank president for Ramil Safarov’s release – MP
Sat 01 September 2012 07:04 GMT | 8:04 Local Time
Ganira Pashayeva
This is a great pleasant event for not only Azerbaijanis living in
Azerbaijan, but for the whole Turkish people living inside and outside
Azerbaijan, and all of us are thankful to the president.
MP Ganira Pashayeva has told the statement to Gun.Az while commenting
on the return and pardoning of Ramil Safarov.
“Ramil is one of the heroes of our people. I congratulate our people
and his relatives. I believe that Ramil was always beneficial for his
people and will continue to be so.”
The MP noted that this step of the president was a message to all
youths that the state will always be near those who serve the state
and motherland.
News.Az
From: Baghdasarian
Sargsyan on the occasion of the NKR Independence Day
Congratulatory Address by President of the Republic of Armenia Serzh
Sargsyan on the occasion of the NKR Independence Day
02.09.2012
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651x800px – 400 Kb
Dear Artsakhians,
I cordially congratulate you on the occasion of Independence Day.
It’s been more than two decades that you have been healing the wounds
inflicted by the war unleashed by the short-sighted authorities of
Azerbaijan; you are restoring to life your villages and towns devastated by
the deadly bombs and missiles, your homes and schools; you are building and
beautifying the land of your ancestors. Today, we state with confidence
that the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh is an accomplished state – democratic
and developing. It is obvious for the entire world, even for those who hate
to admit it.
In 1991, when the people of Artsakh were making their historic decision, we
told Azerbaijan that the Armenians must not be underestimated. Our words
fell on deaf ears. We said that we didn’t want war but we were ready and
would fight. And again our words fell on deaf ears. We said that we were
not afraid of maniacs, sadists and murderers, that we had already seen
that. Once again our words fell on deaf ears. And they unleashed war which
had one clear-cut goal -to wipe the Armenians out from the territory of
Artsakh, or at least to expel them. The program of ethnic cleansing failed,
as will fail every new one.
Today, we state the same: the Armenians must not be underestimated; we
don’t want a war, but if we have to, we will fight and win; we are not
afraid of murderers even of those enjoy the highest patronage. And again
our words fall on deaf ears. Well, they have been warned.
Recently, we have witnessed a morbid episode. The one who killed with an
axe a sleeping Armenian officer was set free. We expect the response of the
international structures as well as of the Minsk Group Co-Chairs on this.
However regardless of the response, on behalf of the people of Artsakh and
the entire Armenian nation, I would like to pose a question – after what
has happened, is there a living soul on this planet who will advise the
people of Artsakh to become part of Azerbaijan, a country where illicit
orders set free and publicly glorify every bastard which kills people only
because they are Armenians?
A greater disgrace for the European justice is hardly to be imagined,
particularly for Armenia and Artsakh, because it was looked upon for
guidelines, but now we have seen another face of it.
Dear compatriots, unfortunately the history of Artsakh has never been short
of the invaders and brigands. We know that, we also know how to send them
right where they belong – to the cesspit of history. We have been doing it
regularly, and if needed, will do it again.
Almost daily, and particularly in recent days, we are witnessing new proofs
on how justified the choice made by the people of Artsakh 21 years ago was.
We continue to receive new striking evidence what was in store for the
people of Artsakh. Today is a great day, and nothing can spoil our glorious
holiday. I wish your families peace and prosperity.
Long live free Artsakh – embodiment of Armenian dignity!
From: Baghdasarian
ARMENIE
Prêtre arménien : l’Etat ne crée pas les conditions appropriées pour
conserver les familles
Plus de 1600 familles en Arménie sont au-dessous du seuil de pauvreté
et ont besoin d’un appui de l’état a déclaré le président de
l’Association Internationale des Avocats et des psychologues,
Khachatur Marozyan.
« Nous avons préparé un projet de la loi « sur la stratégique de
développement des familles » qui sera soumis au Parlement à l’automne.
La création d’une école des familles doit être le premier pas et la
participation de l’état dans ce processus est important, car les
problèmes des familles ne doivent pas être résolus seulement par les
efforts des organisations privées » a déclaré Khachatur Marozyan.
Il a aussi ajouté que la tche de l’école des familles sera de donner
des connaissances élémentaires et nécessaires sur les familles aux
jeunes générations.
Pour sa part, le représentant de l’Eglise Apostolique Arménienne le
prêtre Babken Hayrapetyan, a dit que l’église béni le Jour de la
Famille et a ajouté que l’état joue un rôle important déjà existant
pour le développement d’une famille.
« Malheureusement, notre Etat ne crée pas les conditions appropriées
pour conserver les familles. Cela a pour conséquence la fuite de la
population. De plus, les hommes dans de nombreux cas ne reviennent pas
dans leurs familles et les quittent » a dit le Père Babken
Hayrapetyan.
dimanche 2 septembre 2012,
Stéphane ©armenews.com
From: Baghdasarian
TURQUIE
Turquie : la ville cosmopolite d’Antioche s’alarme du flot de réfugiés syriens
Le flot d’exilés syriens dans le sud-est de la Turquie suscite
l’inquiétude et le rejet dans la ville cosmopolite d’Antakya,
l’ancienne Antioche, où vit une forte communauté alaouite, comme le
clan et la famille al-Assad au pouvoir à Damas.
`Nous ne voulons plus de ces soi-disant réfugiés !`, lance Malik
Kilig, le maire alaouite d’une localité de la banlieue d’Antakya. `Ils
arrivent toujours plus nombreux`, se plaint-il, `ils louent des
appartements en ville, où ils vivent parfois jusqu’à une vingtaine.
A la frontière turque, réfugiés et combattants syriens continuent de
passerSyrie : Kurdes et Arabes s’unissent contre Assad, et sont prêts
à aussi combattre le PKKIls posent des problèmes à tout le monde. La
cohabitation devient difficile`.
`Dans les hôpitaux, tous les docteurs sont occupés à opérer leurs
blessés, nous ne pouvons même plus nous faire soigner`, s’exaspère son
épouse Mariam.
`Plus personne ne veut de ces gens`, confirme lui aussi Kamal, le
gérant d’une boutique de téléphonie mobile, dont les Syriens
constituent pourtant une grande partie de la clientèle.
Officiellement, les réfugiés syriens sont désormais plus de 80.000 en
Turquie, répartis dans neuf camps le long de la frontière et
concentrés dans cette province d’Hatay. En fait, ce sont des milliers
d’illégaux syriens qui vivent aujourd’hui au grand jour à Antakya, la
capitale provinciale.
`Cette présence est de plus en plus visible, elle affecte toute la vie
socio-économique`, constate Mehmet, commerçant dans le bazar de la
veille ville. `Les gens commencent à avoir peur. La ville bruisse de
rumeurs de violences, d’agressions, de viols commis par des supposés
Syriens`, raconte le boutiquier, `on sent monter les tensions
inter-communautaires`.
Le gouverneur d’Hatay, Mehmet Celalettin Lekesiz, a récemment balayé
d’un revers de main les `histoires` de la presse locale, qui se fait
chaque jour l’écho de ces frictions. Selon le chef de la police
provinciale, Ragip Kilig, 145 incidents impliquant des ressortissants
syriens ont été recensés, avec 330 interpellations, un `chiffre normal
comparé au nombre de réfugiés dans la province`.
`Nous entendons toutes ces rumeurs, mais il ne faut pas y prêter
attention`, a commenté pour sa part le mufti d’Hatay, Mustafa
Sinanoglu, lors d’une rencontre entre représentants des communautés
d’Antakya. `Personne ne peut briser l’amitié entre nous`, a assuré le
religieux.
Ancien `sandjak` (division administrative de l’empire Ottoman)
d’Alexandrette, placé sous mandat français après la Première guerre
mondiale, la région syrienne d’Antioche a été rattachée à la Turquie
en 1939, au grand dam de Damas qui la revendique toujours comme partie
de son territoire.
Antioche, rebaptisée Antakya par le pouvoir turc, est une cité de plus
de 200.000 mes où musulmans cohabitent avec catholiques, orthodoxes,
maronites, juifs, et même arméniens. Les musulmans y sont pour la
plupart alaouites, une branche du chiisme, caractérisée notamment par
une pratique religieuse assez souple, d’où est également issue la
famille du président syrien Bachar al-Assad.
L’arrivée massive de réfugiés syriens, arabes sunnites conservateurs,
et en filigrane le soutien turc aux rebelles, met à mal ce délicat
équilibre. Majoritaires dans Antakya, mais petite minorité à l’échelle
de la Turquie sunnite, les Alaouites se sentent particulièrement visés
par ces réfugiés ou combattants de passage.
La même anecdote, invérifiable, revient dans toutes les bouches. `Dans
les restaurants tenus par des Alaouites, ils s’en vont souvent sans
payer la note en se disant les +invités+ du gouvernement turc`.
Suspects de sympathie avec le régime Assad, des Alaouites sont parfois
pris à partie par des Syriens.
La présence croissante de femmes entièrement voilées de noir, d’hommes
à la longue barbe contribue au malaise dans une ville très libérale où
les adolescents vivent à l’occidentale et les femmes en mini-jupes
déambulent dans le centre piétonnier.
`Nous les voyons passer dans le bazar tous ces salafistes syriens,
comme ces étrangers qu’on ne croisait presque jamais par ici :
Egyptiens, Libyens, Tchétchènes… ce ne sont pas des touristes !`,
ironise un commerçant. `Nous avons tenté d’alerter les autorités, mais
elles font semblant de ne rien voir`, déplore encore Malik Kilig.
`Nous avons vécu ici comme des frères. L’arrivée des réfugiés syriens
risque de briser cette harmonie`, met-il en garde, `lentement mais
sûrement, les incidents spontanés vont se multiplier`.
dimanche 2 septembre 2012,
Stéphane ©armenews.com
From: Baghdasarian
Pasadena Star-News, CA
Aug 31 2012
Pasadena officials speak out against denial of Armenian Genocide after
Turkish official’s visit
PASADENA – When Councilman Terry Tornek learned about the Holocaust as
a boy, his mother gave him the novel “The Forty Days of Musa Dagh”
based on events in Armenian during 1915.
His mother wanted her 10-year-old son to understand that genocide
wasn’t something that only happened to Jews; it had already been
perpetrated by the Ottoman Turks against the Armenian people, Tornek
said.
So when a Turkish consular official visited City Hall on Aug. 9 and
took issue with the term genocide for a proposed memorial the Armenian
community wants to erect in a city park, Tornek felt the move was
“very strange” but not entirely surprising.
“Apart from the Turkish government, there are very few people who
subscribe to the notion there wasn’t a genocide” against Armenians,
Tornek said. “The whole concept of denial is not something I can wrap
my arms around frankly.”
As many as 1.5 million Armenians were slain from 1915 through 1923 in
what was then the Ottoman Empire.
While the vast majority of historians assert the mass killings of
Armenians that started in 1915 was the 20th century’s first genocide,
Turkey – a strong U.S. ally – has long denied there was a systematic
campaign to kill Armenians.
The nonprofit Pasadena Armenian Genocide Memorial Committee last month
called for design proposals for the architectural design of the
memorial to be proposed in Memorial Park. Local Armenian-American
leaders say the memorial, if approved, would be paid for with private
funds.
Councilman Gene Masuda said while it’s a free county and Turkish
officials can visit City Hall, using the word genocide for a proposed
Armenian monument is “very appropriate” since the city has long issued
a proclamation each year formally recognizing the Armenian genocide.
Having an memorial to commemorate the genocide, he said, “is a
longtime coming.”
“It would be very respectful, appropriate and it shows that Pasadena
really supports the Armenian people,” Masuda said.
Tornek, however, said it’s “not a foregone conclusion” that an
Armenian Genocide Monument would be approved in Memorial Park since
all proposed monuments have to adhere to a number of city guidelines.
“I’m not sure what our policies are in terms of erecting monuments in
a city park, particularly concerning events that occurred overseas and
didn’t involve Americans,” he said.
While Tornek said he’s not objecting to it, “I just don’t know how it
fits in the context of our policy.”
In the past, some memorial proposals have evolved significantly over
time during the approval process, he said.
According to the city’s monument policy, all proposals “should be to
memorialize a person, place or event that is significant to Pasadena.”
Proposals are also evaluated on criteria including appropriateness,
compatibility with the surrounding environment, impact on park use,
aesthetics, maintenance and safety.
Khatchik “Chris” Chahinian, chairman of the Armenian Community
Coalition, said the genocide’s survivors have worked hard to make the
events known to the world, battling cover-ups, misinformation and
denial.
“As a community, we should stand together and join our Armenian
brothers and sisters in an effort to memorialize these fallen
ancestors and ensure this horrible act is not repeated,” he said.
From: Baghdasarian
Regina Leader-Post, Canada
Sept 1 2012
Officer convicted in killing given a pardon
By Pablo Gorondi
An Azerbaijani military officer sentenced to life in prison in Hungary
for hacking to death an Armenian officer was sent back to his homeland
on Friday and, despite assurances, immediately pardoned and freed by
his country’s president.
Lt. Ramil Safarov was given a life sentence in 2006 by the Budapest
City Court after he confessed to killing Lt. Gurgen Markarian of
Armenia while both were in Hungary for a 2004 NATO language course.
Hungary returned the 35-year-old Safarov to Azerbaijan only after
receiving assurances from the Azerbaijani Justice Ministry that
Safarov’s sentence, which included the possibility of parole after 25
years, would be enforced.
“The Ministry of Justice of Azerbaijan has further informed the
Ministry of Public Administration and Justice of Hungary that Ramil
Sahib Safarov’s sentence will not be modified but will immediately
continue to be enforced, based on the Hungarian judgment,” the
Hungarian ministry said in a statement issued before the news of
Safarov’s release was known.
The ministry said it based its decision on the 1983 Strasbourg
Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons.
In a brief statement posted in English on his website, Azerbaijani
President Ilham Aliyev decreed Friday that Safarov “should be freed
from the term of his punishment.”
Hungary’s Justice Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
During his trial in Budapest, Safarov claimed that a long-standing
conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia was at the root of his actions
and that he used an axe to kill Markarian while the victim was
sleeping in a dormitory room after the Armenian repeatedly provoked
and ridiculed him.
The two neighbouring, former Soviet republics remain at odds over the
status of Nagorno-Karabakh, an ethnic Armenian enclave within
Azerbaijan.
“My conscience was clouded as a result of the insults and humiliating
and provoking behaviour, and I lost all control,” Safarov told the
court in April 2006.
Armenian-backed forces drove Azerbaijan’s army out of the ethnic
Armenian enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh in the early 1990s. A 1994
ceasefire ended the six-year war that killed 30,000 people and left
about 1 million homeless and the enclave is now under the control of
ethnic Armenians.
Safarov’s lawyers said that his parents and relatives were exiled from
Nagorno-Karabakh during the war and that two of his relatives were
killed by ethnic Armenian separatists.
From: Baghdasarian
Aljazeera.com, Qatar
Sept 1 2012
Hero’s welcome for axe murderer in Azerbaijan
A huge crowd has welcomed home a convicted axe murderer to the
Azerbaijan capital of Baku.
Azerbaijani lieutenant Ramil Safarov, who returned to Baku on Friday,
was jailed for life after hacking Armenian officer Gurgen Margarian to
death in 2004 at a military academy in Budapest where the servicemen
were attending English-language courses organised by NATO.
Budapest agreed to extradite Safarov to Azerbaijan, but he was was
pardoned shortly after returning to his homeland.
Hungary however said that Azerbaijan had promised that the soldier
would serve out the remainder of his sentence after his return home
and would not be freed.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev issued an order that killer Safarov
“should be freed from the term of his punishment” directly after he
arrived on a plane from Budapest.
The decision prompted harsh criticism and diplomatic action from
Armenia, a long-time enemy of neighbour Azerbaijan.
President Serzh Sarkisian of Armenia said on Friday, “I cannot put up
with this. The republic of Armenia cannot put up with this.”
The country also severed its diplomatic ties with Hungary on Friday
but Azerbaijan defended its decision.
“Ramil Safarov was pardoned in accordance with the constitution and
laws of Azerbaijan and the Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced
Persons,” presidential administration official Fuad Alekserov said in
a statement.
Reinstated
In another move that will infuriate Armenia, Azerbaijan also
reinstated Safarov to the army and promoted him to the rank of major.
“Defence Minister Safar Abiyev received him, handed him his new rank
and wished him success in his future military service,” a defence
ministry statement said.
Azerbaijan also hit back at US criticism, insisting that the pardon
awarded to Safarov after he had served eight years of his sentence
conformed with a European legal convention on extradition.
Tensions are strong between Armenia and Azerbaijan over
Nagorno-Karabakh, a region of Azerbaijan that has been under the
control of Armenian troops and ethnic Armenian forces since 1994.
About 150 demonstrators gathered in Yerevan Saturday to set the
Hungarian flag ablaze and demand an end to talks on resolving the
Nagorno-Karabakh issue.
From: Baghdasarian
Xinhua General News Service, China
August 31, 2012 Friday 7:40 PM EST
U.S. concerned about pardoning of Azerbaijani officer
WASHINGTON Aug. 31
The United States on Friday expressed “deep concern” about
Azerbaijan’s pardoning of army officer Ramil Safarov after he was
transferred from a Hungarian jail, a move that prompted Armenia to
break off diplomatic ties with Hungary.
“The United States is extremely troubled by the news that the
president of Azerbaijan pardoned Azerbaijani army officer Ramil
Safarov, who returned to Baku today following his transfer from
Hungary,” State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell said in a
statement.
Safarov, 35, had been serving a life sentence in a Hungarian jail for
murdering Armenian officer Gurgen Margaryan during a 2004 NATO
training event in Budapest, the capital of Hungary. He was given a
life sentence in 2006 by a Hungarian court.
“We are expressing our deep concern to Azerbaijan regarding this
action and seeking an explanation,” Ventrell said, adding “We are also
seeking further details from Hungary regarding the decision to
transfer Mr. Safarov to Azerbaijan.”
Armenia responded by cutting off diplomatic ties with Hungary, as the
Central Asian nation is still in conflict with Azerbaijan over
Nagorno-Karabakh, a region that lies within Azerbaijan but has been
controlled by Armenian troops and ethnic forces since a separatist war
broke out in 1988.
Armenia and Azerbaijan signed a cease-fire agreement in 1994 but the
conflict has never been truly settled despite mediation by the Minsk
Group of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe that
was co-chaired by France, Russia and the United States.
“We condemn any action that fuels regional tensions,” said Ventrell.
From: Baghdasarian