Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

RUSSIAN EMBASSY SENDS CONDOLENCES OVER DEATH OF SIX-MONTH-OLD BABY IN WAKE OF GYUMRI TRAGEDY

Interfax, Russia
Jan 20 2015

YEREVAN. Jan 20

The Russian Embassy in Armenia has extended its condolences over
the death of a six-month-old baby who was the sole survivor of a gun
attack that killed six members of one family in the city of Gyumri,
northern Armenia, on January 12.

A serviceman of Russia’s military base in Armenia is suspected of
the crime.

“We are mourning together with the entire Armenian nation. Up to the
last minute, all of us hoped and prayed for Seryozha Avetisyan.

Armenian and Russian doctors had been battling to save his life. The
loss of a child is a terrible tragedy. There are no words that can
ease this pain. But people ought to remain humane even in these
conditions. Most of them understand everything. Mourning means a
sorrow and prayers,” the embassy said in a statement.

“All of us should learn a lesson from this tragedy and do everything
in our power to make sure than it never happens again. We can assure
you that the criminal and those who could stand behind him will be
punished with the utmost vigor of the law,” it said.

According to earlier reports, a family of six, including a two-year
old child, were murdered in Gyumri, northern Armenia, on January 12.

The only survivor, six-months-old Sergei Avetisyan, was hospitalized
with a stab wound. He died on January 19.

Valery Permyakov, a serviceman from Russia’s 102nd military base,
who is deployed in Gyumri, was detained shortly after the attack. He
is now on the territory of the military base. Criminal charges were
brought against him on January 14 based on the Russian and Armenian
Criminal Codes.

On January 15, protests broke out in Gyumri. Their participants
demanded that Permyakov be handed over to the Armenian justice system.

Fourteen people, including five policemen, were hospitalized after
clashes between the demonstrators and police.

On January 18, Russian President Vladimir Putin called his Armenian
counterpart Serzh Sargsyan to again extend his condolences to the
victims’ relatives and all people of Armenia in regard of the tragedy
in Gyumri.

From: Baghdasarian

NAIRIT EMPLOYEES ARE IN FRONT OF THE PRESIDENTIAL RESIDENCE: STILL NO RESPONSE

13:10 | January 22,2015 | Social

At this moment Nairit factory employees are in front of the
presidential residence and demand their 18 months’ salary.

Nairit employee Vardan Sedrakyan says that he has got only 50 000
AMD from his 18 months’ salary. “They deceive us, I am a pensioner
at the age of 60, how can I live with that money?”

Still there has been no response by the President’s staff.

We note that shortly before the relative of Ashot Arushanyan felt ill,
who has declared sit-in and hunger strike in front of the presidential
residence. Ambulance brigade provided medical aid.

From: Baghdasarian

RF PRESIDENT’S SPEAKER VIOLATED THE INTERNATIONAL TREATY SIGNED BY ARMENIA AND THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

January 22 2015

“RF President’s Speaker’s statement does not comply with the
requirement of Clause 5 of the international treaty signed by Armenia
and the Russian Federation”, assured lawyer Nikolay Baghdasaryan in
the interview with Aravot.am. Note that while people in Armenia are
discussing the issue of whether the trial of heinous murder will
be held by Armenian or Russian legislation, and Gyumri people are
waiting for the Prosecutor General Gevorg Kosyanyan apply to the
Russian General Prosecutor on this matter, the answer to the question
is voiced in Moscow through the mouth of RF President Vladimir Putin’s
press spokesperson Dmitry Peskov. “There will be a Russian trial and
for such a monstrous crime, Russian law is absolutely merciless.”

The Armenian lawyer substantiates that the Russian laws and
jurisdiction implies exclusively to the cases provided for by Clause
5 of “The Agreement on Matters of Jurisdiction and Mutual Legal
Assistance Relating to the Russian Military Base Stationed in the
Territory of the Republic of Armenia”, which is effective between
the Republic of Armenia and the Russian Federation, and details,
“This clause provides that the perpetrator and the one against
whom the offense was committed, these subjects should be serving
in the Russian military base and their family members. If a crime
is committed in the territory of the Russian base, which is not
directed against Russia, but our citizen, this case shall be tried
in given territory by RA legislation and by our government and law
enforcement officials. In this case, the agreement does not grant
territorial immunity to the Russian base. The case is deliberately
messed up by some lawyers to cause such a situation. The case shall be
investigated by Russian law enforcers for several categories, however,
murdering is not among them. If our lawyers had explained this clause
clearly that it is written not in the territory but the legislation
of the Russian Federation implies to specific persons and specific
crimes, while these exceptions do not apply to murder, accordingly,
the person located in given territory is not protected by the Russian
Constitution, such a situation would not have happened. But instead,
an intentional simple thing, which even a university student can
explain, is deliberately distorted. There is no contradiction between
this Agreement and our legislation.”

We asked human rights activist Artak Zeynalyan whether the future
course of events is predetermined by the statement of RF president’s
press spokesperson, Mr. Zeynalyan stated, “If a person is under the
jurisdiction of the Russian Federation, the case will be investigated
according to the legislation of the Russian Criminal Code. And if the
Russian citizen was detained by us, then the trial would be carried out
by RA laws. The problem here is that the Russian border guards had no
right to detain the perpetrator and not to handover to Armenia’s law
enforcement agencies; in this case, regardless of who says this, the
Russian president’s press spokesperson or not, it should have been so.”

Tatev HARUTYUNYAN

Read more at:

From: Baghdasarian

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
Jan 19 2015

Court lifts travel ban on Perinçek ahead of Strasbourg trial on
`genocide’ denial

A Turkish court ruled on Monday to lift a travel ban on a Turkish
ultranationalist politician ahead of a European Court of Human Rights
(ECtHR) hearing on the denial of an alleged Armenian genocide in 1915.

According to a statement released by the ultranationalist Workers’
Party (Ä°P), the travel ban imposed on its leader, DoÄ?ru Perinçek, as
part of a domestic coup case has been unanimously lifted by the
Ä°stanbul 4th High Criminal Court, and he will be able to attend the
hearing scheduled to take place on Jan. 28.

`The travel ban on our chairman imposed due to the Ergenekon case has
been lifted unanimously by the court upon our appeal. Now, the [next
step] is [for] the historical case in Strasbourg to finalize the lie
of Armenian genocide,’ it said in the statement.

Ä°P leader Perinçek won an appeal at the European court against a Swiss
court decision to convict him for branding the claims of Armenian
genocide an `international lie’ during a series of speeches in
Switzerland in 2007. The court said in its Dec. 17, 2013, decision,
which was hailed by Turkey, that the politician had exercised his
right to free speech.

Switzerland, on the other hand, asked the ECtHR to review its
decision. The Grand Chamber of the Strasbourg-based court is now due
to review its earlier verdict on Jan. 28.

The Ergenekon case, which is why there is a travel ban on Perinçek, is
being heard by the Turkish Supreme Court of Appeals; however, the
Ä°stanbul court ruled to lift the travel ban, saying Perinçek’s
appearance at the ECtHR is of importance.

The court, underlining the closing date of the hearing, stated that
the Ä°P chairman’s attendance at the hearing is of deep interest to
Turkey, particularly regarding the ECtHR’s stance on Turkey’s thesis
on the 1915 events.

Days before the court made its decision to lift Perinçek’s travel ban,
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt ÇavuÅ?oÄ?lu said he wished that the
politician would be able to attend the hearing in Strasbourg.

`This is a matter that should be decided by the Supreme Court of
Appeals. We, as Turkey, are a party to this case. For me, Perinçek
should attend the hearing. But the decision will be made by the
court,’ he had said back on Jan.9.

Perinçek was convicted in Turkey of being a member of Ergenekon, a
network described by a court as an armed terrorist organization bent
on overthrowing the government through a coup. He was released from
prison in March 2014, and his travel ban has remained in force until
now.

Turkey categorically denies the claims of Armenian genocide, saying
there were deaths on both sides when Armenians revolted against the
Ottoman Empire during the years of World War I to create their own
state in collaboration with the Russian forces then invading eastern
Anatolia.

The European court said in its December 2013 decision that the `free
exercise of the right to openly discuss questions of a sensitive and
controversial nature was one of the fundamental aspects of freedom of
expression and distinguished a tolerant and pluralistic democratic
society from a totalitarian or dictatorial regime.”

Turkey has welcomed the ruling and said it expects the court to uphold
its judgment when its Grand Chamber reviews it.

From: Baghdasarian

Anadolu Agency (AA), Turkey
January 19, 2015 Monday

Turkey: Thousands mark slain journalist’s anniversary

Prominent journalist Hrant Dink was one of the founders of bilingual
Turkish-Armenian weekly Agos, who was assassinated in 2007

ISTANBUL

Thousands of people gathered Monday in Istanbul to commemorate the
eighth death anniversary of prominent journalist Hrant Dink.

Dink was one of the founders of bilingual Turkish-Armenian weekly
Agos. He was assassinated in broad daylight in front of his office in
Istanbul on Jan. 19, 2007.

The crowd of people, including Dink’s widow Rakel Dink, co-chairman of
the pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party, Selahattin Demirtas, main
opposition Republican People’s Party’s Deputy Chairman Sezgin
Tanrikulu, lawmaker Safak Pavey, marched from Istanbul’s Taksim Square
to Agos newspaper in Sisli district, where Dink was shot dead.

Dink, 52, was a human rights and democracy and he was considered as
one of the most prominent Armenian voices in the country.

The crowd chanted “we are all Armenians, we are all Hrant” and “for
justice, for Hrant.” They also carried banners in Turkish, Kurdish,
Armenian and English.

A petition was also initiated to rename the street where Dink was
murdered to “Hrant Dink Street.”

Police took extra security measures and closed some roads en route to
Taksim Square and Sisli district where the Agos newspaper is located.

Turkey’s prominent writer and poet, Murathan Mungan, said the Hrant
Dink murder case would not be abandoned. “When justice remains undone,
it multiplies its murderers and its victims,” Mungan said.

Recalling Dink’s dream to open the border between Armenia and Turkey,
he said “if that border were to be opened today, it would mean opening
the door to so many other things. The opening of that border will
scatter the heavy fog lurking over the Ararat Mountain for the last
century.”

Armenian government and the diaspora still describe the events of 1915
in the Ottoman Empire as “genocide,” while Turkey officially refutes
this description.

Although Dink’s murderer, Ogun Samast, who was 17-years-old at the
time, was tried and convicted in 2011, Turkey’s Constitutional Court
ruled in July 2014 that the murder case had been an “ineffective
investigation.”

Samast had said he killed Dink for “insulting Turkishness.”

A new case was launched regarding possible negligence by certain
officers in Dink’s killing. Some former senior police officers have
been questioned and others arrested in an ongoing court case.

An Istanbul court ordered Monday the arrest of a Turkish police chief,
Ercan Demir, who was charged with causing the death of Hrant Dink by
“deliberate negligence.”

A Jan. 23 hearing may see Dink’s murderer, Samast, and others involved
in the murder being called to the court.

One of Dink’s family lawyers, Hakan Bakircioglu, had told The Anadolu
Agency that they were at the bottom of the “structure” that carried
out the murder.

“Some officials were aware of the murder… They deliberately did not
take protective measures,” Bakircioglu said.

Two other gatherings were expected to commemorate Dink’s anniversary

in Istanbul’s Taksim and Kadikoy at 7 p.m. Monday night.

From: Baghdasarian

Concert to be given in Yerevan in memory of killed Gyumri family

by Karina Manukyan
Tuesday, January 20, 18:11

A concert will be given in Yerevan on Wednesday at 7:00 PM in memory
of the killed Gyumri family.

The Opera Support Foundation reports that the concert will involve the
symphonic orchestra, choir and soloists of the Yerevan Opera House.

A family of six people was killed in Gyumri on Jan 12. The only
survivor from that family was six-month-old Seryozha Avetisyan, who
died in the hospital on Jan 19. The suspect is Russian soldier Valery
Permyakov.

From: Baghdasarian

New situation after the tragedy in Gyumri: Voice of America (video)

15:08 | January 20,2015 | Politics

The legal status of Russian military base in Gyumri must receive
extensive discussions between Yerevan and Moscow taking into account
serious contradictions emerged after the murder of the Avetisyan
family.

“Voice of America” referred to the issue

From: Baghdasarian

Je Suis Hrant, Je Suis Charlie: Armenians across Canada remember Hrant
Dink and Charlie Hebdo journalists

21:19, 20 Jan 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

Holding signs saying “Je Suis Hrant Je Suis Charlie”, Armenian
communities across Canada held events this weekend defending freedom
of expression and freedom of the press by remembering martyred
journalists of the French magazine Charlie Hebdo as well as
Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, assassinated eight years ago
on January 19, 2007. Dink, a journalist and editor-in-chief of Agos, a
bilingual newspaper published in Istanbul, Turkey was shot outside his
newspaper’s offices by Turkish ultra-nationalist youth, Horizon Weekly
reports.

Armenian National Committee of Canada President, Dr. Girair Basmadjian
said “Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu had no place in Paris
marching beside other world leaders who champion freedom of expression
and press freedom. Turkey remains the world’s greatest offender
against freedom of expression.”

Dr. Basmadjian added, “Charlie Hebdo cartoonists would have long ago
been arrested under current Turkish law. In contrast to France’s swift
actions to dismantle the terrorist networks responsible for theCharlie
Hebdo massacre, the conspirators behind the assassination of Hrant
Dink remain free to this day. If Turkey cares about freedom of
expression, it must repeal Article 301, protect the rights of its
minority peoples to speak the truth and bring Hrant Dink’s killers to
justice.”

Dink, a Turkish citizen of Armenian descent and staunch advocate of
dialogue between Armenians and Turks as well as the recognition of the
Armenian Genocide by Turkey was prosecuted and convicted under Article
301 of the Turkish penal code, and his life was constantly under
threat by Turkish ultra-nationalists. Despite knowing that Dink was
the subject of numerous threats, Turkish authorities did nothing to
protect him and some were even involved in the plot that ultimately
took his life.

Article 301 of Turkish penal code, which came into effect in 2005,
makes it illegal to “insult” Turkey, Turkish ethnicity, or Turkish
governmental institutions. It is one of the most extreme measures
supported by the Turkish government to oppose freedom of speech
especially regarding the issue of the Armenian Genocide.

Unfortunately, eight years later, the Republic of Turkey has done
nothing to bring the true perpetrators of Dink’s assassination to
justice. As well, Turkey still remains one of the world’s worst
offenders when it comes to imprisoning journalists. In 2014, Turkey
passed new laws allowing it to control all social media. Last March,
both YouTube and Twitter were blocked in Turkey despite international
protests, including by the Canadian government. Therefore, it is
ironic that Prime Minister Davutoglu would stand with world leaders in
Paris to condemn the recent attacks on the offices of Charlie Hebdo.

Dr. Basmadjian concluded by stating that “The ANCC stands with all
free-thinking people in condemning any attempt to violently restrict
freedom of expression. When extremists use guns to prevent us from
speaking freely, we must all make our voices heard. Je suis Hrant, je
suis Charlie.”

From: Baghdasarian

WPS Agency, Russia
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
January 19, 2015 Monday

EXTRAORDINARY CRIME

by Olga Kuznetsova, Vladislav Trifonov, Nikolai Sergeev, Lusine Vagramyan
Source: Kommersant, March 16, 2015, p. 5

RESIDENTS OF GYUMRI DEMAND PUTTING OF THE CASE OF THE RUSSIAN KILLER
SOLDIER UNDER JURISDICTION OF ARMENIA; Actions of protest related to
murder of the Avetisyan family in Gyumri by serviceman of the Russian
102nd base Valery Permyakov. Participants of the march to the building
of the General Consulate of Russia in Gyumri demanded putting of his
case under jurisdiction of Armenia.

Actions of protest related to murder of the Avetisyan family in Gyumri
by serviceman of the Russian 102nd base Valery Permyakov. Participants
of the march to the building of the General Consulate of Russia in
Gyumri demanded putting of his case under jurisdiction of Armenia.

A big-scale action with a demand to put the case of Permyakov under
jurisdiction of Armenia took place near the residence of the President
in Yerevan. Before the beginning of the action its participants
honored the memory of the killed family buried yesterday.

Organizer of the action David Manukyan announced from the tribune, “We
demand preliminary investigation and trial to take place here and that
Permyakov serve his sentence in Armenia. Prosecutor says that this is
not a fundamental issue but everyone worries about where the criminal
will spend the sentence.”

A few dozens of activists gathered near the Embassy of Russia in
Yerevan with similar demands later. The action passed under increased
control of policemen who stopped an attempt to burn a Russian flag.

By the afternoon, the protect action near the building of the Russian
General Consulate in Gyumri grew into clashes. Policemen used special
means for dispersing of the demonstrators who tried to break through
to the building. Stones started flying at policemen protected by
shields and helmets. Twelve people including three policemen were
brought to a hospital. A few hours earlier, the crowed accompanied
General Prosecutor Gevork Kostayan with shouts “Disgrace!”
Demonstrators were not satisfied by his promises that trial would take
place on the territory of Armenia.

By that time investigator of the 519th military investigations
department of the investigations committee located in Gyumri stated
claims against Permyakov regarding committing of crimes outlined by
article 105 of the Criminal Code (murder of two people and more
including murder of a little child) and article 338 (desertion with a
weapon entrusted in the framework of military service). After that
investigators sent a request to arrest the private to the garrison
military court located in Yerevan but the accused was not delivered
there and the judge arrived to Gyumri. Meeting of the court took place
on the territory of the military base. Local lawyers refused to defend
Permyakov and he was given a lawyer brought from another region. The
private was arrested for two months. The court explained this saying
that Permyakov was accused of a crime that was punishable up to a
lifelong sentence and moreover so he already tried to hide from the
preliminary investigation bodies.

According to the law, Permyakov’s case should be heard in essence not
in a garrison court located in Armenia but in the North Caucasian
district military court in Rostov-on-Don. However, like the garrison
court it can organize meetings at the place where a crime is
committed. There were cases in practice of the garrison court when
cases against the servicemen who committed crimes against citizens of
Armenia were transferred by it to courts located in Russia. Motivation
part of such verdicts said that according to Russian laws a citizen of
Russia could not be extradited outside of the country or extradited to
another state.

[Translated from Russian]

From: Baghdasarian

Interfax, Russia
Jan 19 2015

CSTO chief, Armenian defense minister discuss military cooperation,
Armenian-Azeri conflict

MOSCOW. Jan 19

General Secretary of the Collective Security Treaty Organization
Nikolai Bordyuzha and Armenian Defense Minister Seyran Ohanian
discussed military cooperation and the situation on the Armenian-Azeri
border by telephone on Monday, CSTO spokesman Vladimir Zainetdinov
told Interfax-AVN on Monday.

“The talks dealt with progress made in implementing the resolutions
passed by the organization’s Collective Security Council in December
pertaining to military cooperation and the situation in the Caucasus
collective-security region, given the continuing tensions on the
frontline along the Armenian-Azeri border provoked by recurrent
gunfire attacks from the neighboring side,” Zainetdinov said.

The parties said that efforts should be made to ease tensions, saying
that a peaceful settlement of the conflict has no alternative.

In connection with the tragic killing of an Armenian family in Gyumri,
the CSTO general secretary conveyed condolences to the victims’
relatives and to the fraternal Armenian people. “He said he was
convinced that the joint investigation would be thorough and
objective, and that all those guilty would receive their just
punishment,” Zainetdinov said.

From: Baghdasarian