Author: Chakrian Hovsep

Armenian Assembly of America
1140 19th Street, NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: 202-393-3434
Fax: 202-638-4904
Email: [email protected]
Web:

PRESS RELEASE
July 13, 2007
CONTACT: Christine Kojoian
E-mail: [email protected]

ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY CALLS CONGRESS’ ATTENTION TO DESTRUCTION OF JULFA
CEMETERY

Azerbaijan Denies Religious Freedoms to Armenian Minority

Washington, DC – The Armenian Assembly yesterday expressed serious
concerns over Azerbaijan’s attempts to restrict basic rights and
freedoms for minorities and called on Congress to urge Baku to
thoroughly investigate the deliberate destruction of Armenian
headstones in the medieval cemetery of Julfa in 2005.

In testimony submitted for a House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee
hearing, entitled "Ideals vs. Reality in Human Rights and U.S. Foreign
Policy: The Cases of Azerbaijan, Cuba, and Egypt," the Assembly
denounced Azerbaijan’s lack of effort to develop a civil society based
on the rule of law.

"This regime has fostered an atmosphere of intolerance for free speech
and free press by regularly resorting to violence and arbitrary
judicial practices," the Assembly stated in its testimony. "It also
restricts the most basic rights and freedoms of its citizens,
including those of ethnic and religious minorities, in particular
members of the Armenian minority, who are routinely harassed and
intimidated."

The Assembly also expressed grave concern over Azerbaijan’s failure to
condemn an Azeri military officer who brutally murdered an Armenian
participant at a NATO Partnership for Peace military training exercise
in Hungary in 2003. Rather than ensure that justice is served,
Azerbaijan’s National Democratic Party has awarded the individual the
title of "Man of the Year."

With respect to the destruction of the Julfa Cemetery, the Assembly
noted that the Azeri military was captured on film destroying the
centuries-old Armenian headstones of the Julfa Cemetery in
Nakhichevan, Azerbaijan. The Assembly likened the action to the 2001
destruction of the statues of the Buddha by the Taliban in Afghanistan
and noted that Baku has rejected fact-finding missions to Julfa, and
has refused to investigate the matter itself.

Additionally, the Assembly called attention to the troubling reports
by the Azeri media that the Armenian cathedral of St. Gregory the
Illuminator in Baku may be demolished, converted to a mosque, or used
for some other purpose. The Assembly urged Congress to undertake
measures to preserve the church and ensure the protection of ethnic
and minority rights.

Turning to Azerbaijan’s military expenditures, the Assembly
highlighted that the country is one of the world’s most rapidly
militarizing regimes, having increased its spending from $141 million
to $900 million in the past three years.

"We remain concerned that the rapid military escalation by Azerbaijan
not only poses a threat to democratic development and human rights,
but also to regional stability and security," the Assembly explained.
"We therefore, urge this Subcommittee and Congress to implement policy
measures that will bring about a de-escalation of tensions in the
region, as well as foster greater respect for human rights."

Jennifer L. Windsor, executive director of Freedom House, testified at
yesterday’s hearing and stated that: "The [Azeri] regime has been able
to effectively utilize its enormous petrol wealth to further
consolidate its control over society."

In her prepared testimony Windsor described Azerbaijan as "a
hydrocarbon-dependent quasi-dynasty," and noted that "Azerbaijan’s
sorry record on democracy and human rights…are well documented in
the State Department’s annual human rights reports."

The hearing, which was presided over by Subcommittee Chair Rep. Bill
Delahunt (D-MA), also included testimony from Morton H. Halperin,
Ph.D, senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, and Frank
Calzón, executive director for The Center for a Free Cuba.

The Assembly’s testimony yesterday marked the fifth of this year
before Congress. The Assembly testimonies have focused on a broad
range of issues, including Genocide and the Rule of Law, U.S. Policy
in the South Caucasus and appropriations funding, the Darfur
Accountability Act, the State Department Human Rights Report, as well
as human rights in Azerbaijan.

The Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based
nationwide organization promoting public understanding and awareness
of Armenian issues. It is a 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt membership
organization.

###
NR#2007-082

Editor’ s Note: Below is the full text of Executive Director Bryan
Ardouny’s testimony, which was submitted to the subcommittee on July
12, 2007.

Testimony by Bryan Ardouny
Executive Director, Armenian Assembly of America

Before the Subcommittee on International Organizations, Human Rights,
and Oversight
Committee on Foreign Affairs
U.S. House of Representatives

July 12, 2007

Chairman Delahunt,
Ranking Member Rohrabacher,
Distinguished Members of the Subcommittee,

The Armenian Assembly of America commends the Subcommittee for its
decision to hold a hearing on U.S. policy toward select regimes
violating human rights, including Azerbaijan.

As part of the South Caucasus, Azerbaijan has benefited from the
region’s growing importance to U.S. national interests. At the same
time, Azerbaijan has come under serious criticism by governments and
NGOs alike for its human rights practices, and its lack of effort
toward developing a civil society based on the rule of law. According
to the Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index,
Azerbaijan is one of the most corrupt countries in the world, ranking
130th out of 163.

In addition, Azerbaijan has never held a democratic election, as
documented recently by the Freedom House country report on Azerbaijan,
and has in fact transitioned towards a hereditary autocracy. This
regime has fostered an atmosphere of intolerance for free speech and
free press by regularly resorting to violence and arbitrary judicial
practices. It also restricts the most basic rights and freedoms of
its citizens, including those of ethnic and religious minorities, in
particular members of the Armenian minority, who are routinely
harassed and intimidated. In a continuing assault against independent
media, a number of journalists and editors have been arrested, beaten
and tortured in 2006, for criticizing the government. One of these
cases has resulted in a fatality.

The Azerbaijani government has also consistently failed to condemn
Ramil Safarov, an Azeri military officer who in 2003 brutally murdered
an Armenian participant at a NATO Partnership for Peace military
training exercise in Budapest, Hungary. Instead, it has encouraged
domestic media and various organizations to treat the murderer as a
celebrity. That individual has since been awarded the title of "Man of
the Year" by Azerbaijan’s National-Democratic Party.

The arbitrariness and defiance with which the Azerbaijani regime has
treated its citizens for years has only intensified with the regime’s
access to a new source of wealth – oil revenues. The commissioning of
the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline and its associated infrastructure has enabled
Azerbaijan to experience an unusual influx of wealth generated by oil
and gas production and exports. That wealth, however, has not
translated into meaningful benefits for ordinary citizens. Rather than
address the country’s economic and human development needs, including
critical gaps in healthcare, education and the social sector, enormous
resources have been directed toward the procurement of equipment and
other hardware for the military and security services, resulting in a
dramatic increase in restrictions on political and civil liberties,
and a surge in war rhetoric against Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh.

In just the past three years, Azerbaijan has become one of the world’s
most rapidly militarizing regimes, having increased its military
expenditures between 2004 and 2007 by an unprecedented 638 percent
from $141 million to $900 million (6.31 percent of its GDP in 2006).
During this same period, the Azerbaijani military was captured on film
destroying Armenian headstones of the Old Jugha (Julfa) Cemetery – a
medieval architectural ensemble of rare cultural and historic
value. This action, which took place in Nakhichevan, Azerbaijan, and
is reminiscent of the destruction of the statues of the Buddha in
Afghanistan by the Taliban in 2001, was the latest in a series of
outbreaks of vandalism at the cemetery, with earlier incidents
recorded in 2002 and 1999. To date, Azerbaijan has denied requests by
European and international inter-governmental organizations and NGOs
to conduct a fact-finding mission to Julfa, and has also refused to
investigate this incident itself.

The destruction of the Julfa Cemetery also raises serious concerns
regarding other remaining historical monuments, including the Armenian
cathedral of St. Gregory the Illuminator in the center of Baku. To
date, the Azerbaijani media is awash with proposals to demolish the
cathedral, convert it to a mosque, or use it for some other
non-religious purpose. In the meantime, according to eyewitness
accounts published in the media, "tourists arriving in Baku take
pictures of the burnt walls of the Armenian Church and the garbage
near them."

Respect for human rights and freedom of expression are fundamental
values. As a leader on the world stage, the United States can and
must do more to ensure that respect for human rights and fundamental
freedoms are upheld. We therefore urge this Subcommittee to press the
Azerbaijani government to ensure that a thorough investigation into
the destruction of the Julfa site takes place. We also remain
concerned that the rapid military escalation by Azerbaijan not only
poses a threat to democratic development and human rights, but also to
regional stability and security. We therefore, urge this Subcommittee
and Congress to implement policy measures that will bring about a
de-escalation of tensions in the region, as well as foster greater
respect for human rights. Finally, we urge this Subcommittee to
undertake measures to ensure the protection of ethnic and minority
rights, and in particular the preservation of the Armenian cathedral
of St. Gregory the Illuminator.

BRUISES ON SOLDIER’S BODY

A1+
[05:55 pm] 11 July, 2007

Instead of celebrating the 19th anniversary of their son the Metazoans
were mourning over his premature death.

Hovik’s dead body was brought home on July 7.

According to official data, Hovik committed suicide.

The boy’s parents doubt this hypothesis.

" I am convinced that my son didn’t commit suicide.

Obviously, he was murdered," one of Hovik’s relatives said.

Hovhannes Meltosyan, an Agriculture Academy student, was recruited
to army eight months ago. He served in Vanadzor and two months ago
was tranferred to Noyemberyan where, according to official data,
he did away with himself.

The forensic examination concluded "disturbance of the brain
functions, scratches and injuries on the neck, chest, toes and
haemorrhage." Hovik’s parents, relatives and acquaintances state that
there were bruises and injuries on the body.

"I was in the morgue with inspectors. Hovik’s head was in blood. They
protocolled the bruises on Hovik’s hands, feet and body," Hovhannes’s
uncle Tigran Harutyunyan told A1+.

According to the platoon commander the bruises might have been caused
during the quarrel with the regiment commander.

One of the relatives told us that during his last visit Hovik begged
them to transfer him to another regiment. "He said he was on bad
terms with the officers."

It is noteworthy that Hovik’s lips were swollen and the relatives
suppose he was throttled.

The Meltosyans are going to apply to the RA President, National
Assembly, Prime Minister and other relevant bodies.

MARC CHAGAL FESTIVAL LAUNCHES IN YEREVAN

AZG Armenian Daily
10/07/2007

Festival dedicated to the 120th anniversary of famous painter Marc
Chagall opens in Yerevan on July 7-17.

"Taking into account the utmost necessity and actuality, as well
as importance that OSCE gives to issues concerning tolerance,
nondiscrimination, struggle against xenophobia and spread of tolerance
principles in modern world community, the OSCE Yerevan Office together
with state and non-governmental organizations of Armenia, including
"Menora" Cultural Center, supports and in every way assists the
realization of a long-term project, titled "Through Culture to
Tolerance"," Head of OSCE Yerevan Office Jeannette Kloetzer stated.

Presentation of a book by Karen Grigoryan entitled "Marc Chagall"
and premier of a short film -"Angel under Roofs" (music by Armenian
composer Villy Veiner) is scheduled within the framework of the
festival. V. Veiner said, the Armenian nation has unique traditions of
ancient national culture, music, architecture and fine arts… "This
nation has a highest taste for everything beautiful and is capable to
estimate the real culture at its true worth. Not long ago together with
Armenia the whole world marked the 100th anniversary of world-famous
Aram Khachatrian. Today Armenia pays tribute to great Chagall together
with the whole world," the composer underscored.

TATTOOING IS BECOMING COMMON AMONG ARMENIANS

A1+
[07:07 pm] 06 July, 2007

Tattooing in a Yerevan beauty salon simply requires 5000 drams and
boldness. And yet specialists state that only the youth representatives
aged 20-30 wear tattoos.

Sergey Kechechyan, a specialist from the "Elsap" Centre, says girls
usually wear tattoos on their backs, and boys – on hands and chest.

Armenian youth attach a great importance to tattoos, whereas Europe
highlights its beauty, Sergey told A1+.

In his words, boys mainly order crosses and animals, and girls –
flowers, butterflies and various ornaments.

When they attend beauty salons they mainly ask specialists for
advice. According to him multi-colour tattoos have recently come into
fashion but Armenians prefer one-color tattoos.

The specialist states that tattooing is painful and pains last for
a week. He pointed out that boys frequently have bare girls tattooed
on their bodies.

It is noteworthy that beauty salons charge different prices for
tattooing. According to our data, temporary tattoos cost 5000 drams
and permanent ones – 8000 Drams per 1 sq. cm.

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
July 4 2007

Turkish Lawyers Association chairman: Hrant Dink’s spouse exerts
pressure on court

[ 04 Jul 2007 14:58 ]

Turkish Lawyers Association chairman Kamal Kerincshiz accused Rakel
Dink, widow of the assassinated owner and editor of `Agos’ newspaper,
Turkey’s Armenian minority Hrant Dink of exerting psychological
pressure on court, Mr.Kerincshiz told APA’s Turkey bureau.
He stated that Dink’s widow accused Turkish nation and state in the
application she has sent to court.
`It is not right. The court invited citizens through media 15-20 days
ago. People who gathered in the funeral of Dink have been invited to
court again. But 500 people who gathered in front of the court
building early in the morning read statement and left. They tried
exerting pressure on court by gathering people in front of the
building, but it did not work. When Dink was insulting Turks, we were
closely following his court hearings. The group accusing us of
occupying court wanted to surround court at this time, but they
failed. Though 450 lawyers were said to defend Dink’s rights, there
were only 50 lawyers in the court on Monday.
Lawyer Kerincshiz said that Turkish society can not accept slogan `We
are all Armenians’.
`Because Turkish nation is not Armenian. Some did not show the
reaction in the court they had shown in the funeral ceremony. Because
they knew that they were mistaken,’ he said.
The Lawyers Association’s chairman called decision of court on
releasing 4 people right. `I think this releasing will continue. Our
inspectors detained people who were guiltless. Those people who
participate in crime should be detained. I do not consider rightly
the formula `the sufferers will be pleased if more people are
detained. I think the number of released ones will rise,’ he said.
/APA/

ARMENIAN CONSTITUTIONAL COURT CHAIRMAN URGES CITIZENS TO PAY GREATER ATTENTION TO PAPERS

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
July 3 2007

YEREVAN, July 3. /ARKA/. Armenian Constitutional Court Chairman Gagik
Harutyunyan, speaking Tuesday at the court session, urged citizens
to pay greater attention to the papers they submit.

"Very often citizens appeal to Constitutional Court without resorting
to qualified lawyers’ help, since they don’t realize how serious this
institution is. That is why there are many errors in their papers",
he said.

As an example of these errors, Harutyunyan singled out Arshaluys
Hakobyan, who disputes Civil Code’s provision N 313 insisting that
it contradicts the Constitution. The plaintiff was surprised when
told that the defender would be National Assembly.

DINK MURDER TRIAL OPENS AMIDST PROTESTS
E. BariÞ AltintaÞ Ýstanbul

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
July 3 2007

The trial of 18 people charged with involvement in the murder of
Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink opened on Monday behind closed
doors, six months after the murder took place in Ýstanbul.

Eighteen suspects — including O.S., the 17-year-old who confessed to
gunning down Dink — went on trial for the first time yesterday. The
trial will take place behind closed doors because O.S. is a minor.

Ultranationalists Erhan Tuncel, a university student, and Hayal,
who served time for the 2004 bombing of a McDonald’s, are charged
with planning the crime and membership in a terrorist organization.

The slate of defendants reaches high up into the political
ranks, including Yaþar Cihan, chairman of a local branch of the
ultranationalist Grand Unity Party (BBP), who is accused of giving
money to Hayal after the shooting. During the first day of the hearing,
Tuncel was reported to have said in his testimony that Hayal was "a
kid with nothing to do; has done nothing wrong. Has no bad intentions."

O.S. was reported to have demanded trial by a juvenile court,
plaintiffs’ lawyers informed the press during short breaks they took
throughout the day. Tuncel and Hayal were also reported to have
briefly bickered over remarks on each other’s psychological state
during the hearing, according to a press statement from Fahriye Cetin,
a lawyer representing the Dink family. "O.S. exercised his right to
keep silent and did not testify," she said in the evening when the
judge took a pause for 15 minutes.

Dink’s wife, Rakel Dink, in her court testimony blamed the negligence
of state officials for the assassination and demanded that the court
punish those responsible, a statement from a civil society organization
set up specially to monitor the Dink trial said.

The judges had not yet adjourned yesterday’s hearing by the time
Today’s Zaman went to print. Earlier in the morning, approximately a
thousand protesters gathered in Ýstanbul’s Beþiktaþ district, near
the courthouse, to demand that justice be done. Prominent lawyers,
artists and journalists joined the protestors appealing for justice
in front of the courthouse.

Protesters appealed for the rule of law, carrying banners that read,
"We are all witnesses, we want justice." The demonstrators also
shouted out, "We are all Hrant Dinks, We are all Armenians."

The journalist’s wife and other relatives walked through the nearby
square amidst hundreds applauding and proceeded to the courthouse
half an hour before the hearing began.

A large number of international journalists also turned up, as the
European Union and international human rights groups see the trial
as a litmus test for the Turkish legal system. Both Hrant Dink’s
lawyers and the print media have accused authorities of failing to
act on reports of a plot to kill Dink, and it is yet unclear whether
the allegations will be explored in the trial.

A statement issued by the Europe and Central Asia director of Human
Rights Watch (HRW), issued last Friday, said: "Hrant Dink’s murder
trial is a critical test of the Turkish judiciary’s independence. We
will be closely watching how the court handles any evidence that may
implicate the security forces."

In the wake of the murder earlier this year, Turkish authorities
promised a full and thorough investigation. The governor and police
chief of the Black Sea city of Trabzon — the hometown of O.S. —
were removed from office on charges of negligence in connection with
the case. Police and gendarmerie officers who posed for photographs
with the gunman as he held a Turkish flag were also dismissed.

However, there has been no evidence that directly implicates any police
or government officials in the slaying of Dink outside his office.

Many here believe that a shadowy network of individuals with access
to state power, referred to by critics as the "deep state," might be
behind the Dink murder as well as crimes targeting perceived enemies
in the name of nationalism.

Two days before the trial, the Dink family’s lawyer, Fethiye Cetin,
said a retired noncommissioned officer — a key suspect arrested after
the discovery of 27 hand grenades and TNT explosives in Umraniye —
was a co-plaintiff in past court cases against Dink. Dink had faced
charges of "insulting Turkishness" for his comments on Armenian claims
of genocide at the hands of the Ottoman Empire. Dink, who called for
reconciliation, was a hated figure for radical nationalists.

Cetin also said much evidence linked to the Jan. 19 killing of Hrant
Dink in the busy shopping district of Þiþli in central Ýstanbul,
including video records recorded by security cameras in banks near
the crime scene, had disappeared.

Shortly before the trial on Monday, Erdal Doðan, another lawyer for
the Dink family, expressed the same concern as Cetin. Replying to
questions from the press at the courthouse, he said, "We are not
satisfied about the real culprits not having been captured."

Also yesterday, in response to a question on the plaintiffs’ complaints
about the alleged limits of the Dink investigation, lawyer Cetin said,
"Our strategy will be to concentrate on that point. The gang is not
just limited to the suspects. It is a well-organized gang. All members
of the group should be rooted out. There is the negligence of the
gendarmerie and the police that was virtually on purpose. These [acts]
should be thoroughly investigated." Cetin also expressed that they had
demanded another ongoing investigation into claims of negligence to
be merged with the Dink trial. "These are interrelated crimes under
Article 8 of the Criminal Procedures Law (CMK)."

Approximately 500 lawyers from various parts of Turkey have obtained
authorization to follow the trial from the plaintiff’s side, with
about 300 of them present yesterday for the first day of the trial.

"This trial will be a test of whether this quagmire will be dried
up or not," lawyer Kezban Hatemi, representing Dink’s family, told
reporters before the hearing Monday. "The indictment lacks evidence
and there is a need to find the real culprits."

Ali Bayramoðlu, a columnist at Dink’s newspaper Agos, claimed "there
are dark, semi-official forces in action."

Dink’s death prompted calls for the revision or repeal of Article 301,
which is viewed by the EU as an obstacle to Turkey’s efforts to join
the bloc. No changes have yet been made.

Hayal’s lawyer harasses Dink family

Security was tight at the Ýstanbul 14th High Criminal Court before
the trial Monday morning.

The lawyer for one of the suspects, Yasin Hayal, charged with having
incited O.S. to carry out the assassination, told members of the
press that he had no expectations from the trial. "I protest this
type of pressuring of the Turkish judiciary. They will never think
it fair no matter what decision comes out of this courtroom," he said.

He also expressed his opinion that the indictment was erroneous in
that there was no gang involvement in the killing.

Hayal’s laywer, Turgut, upon the arrival of Hrant Dink’s wife and
two daughters, amidst applauding onlookers, charged at the newcomers:
"You are all Armenians! You all have Armenian passports!" Umit Abanoz,
one of Dink’s lawyers, yelled out and over Turgut’s comments, "Take
off your robe, you’re a provocateur!" The tension died down with the
intervention of police officers present in the room.

–Boundary_(ID_Dx5QxW9c/6aNDruQADGnhw)–

Die Welt Online 3. Juli 2007, 13:25 Uhr

Von Boris Kalnoky
Türkei
Geheimdienst in Mord an Hrant Dink verwickelt?

840/Geheimdienst_in_Mord_an_Hrant_Dink_verwickelt. html

Im Prozess gegen den Mörder des armenischen Journalisten Hrant Dink
untersucht das Gericht nun die Rolle der Sicherheitskräfte. Zwei Angeklagte
gaben an, im Auftrag des türkischen Geheimdienstes gearbeitet zu haben.
Spuren führen auch zu anderen Verbrechen.

Im Prozess gegen den Mörder des türkisch-armenischen Publizisten Hrant Dink
und 17 mutmaßliche Komplizen hat das Gericht die Ermittlungen ausgeweitet –
und zwar gegen die Sicherheitskräfte. Im Klartext bedeutet dies, dass
Elemente der Sicherheitskräfte in einem Fall impliziert werden könnten, in
dem einer der Anklagepunkte "Bildung einer Terrororganisation" lautet. Zwei
Hauptangeklagte, Yasin Hayal und Erhan Tuncel, gaben an, für einen
türkischen Geheimdienst gearbeitet zu haben.

Weiterführende links
a.. Ermittler untersuchen Rolle türkischer Behörden
b.. Bilderstrecke: Der Mord an Hrant Dink
c.. Hrant Dinks Mörder stehen vor Gericht
d.. Der zerbrochene Traum der Türken
e.. Christen als Freiwild
f.. Staatlich verordnete Hetze gegen Missionare
In den türkischen Medien macht ein Brief Furore, den Yasin Hayal am 9. Mai
an den Staatsanwalt geschrieben haben soll. Darin heißt es: "Eine Gruppe
innerhalb der Polizei, ob legal oder illegal, hat uns gelenkt. Das ist
offensichtlich. Obwohl Sie das erkannt haben, haben Sie unsere Rechte nicht
geschützt. Wenn wir einen Auftrag für den Staat erfüllt haben, müsste der
Staat dann nicht seine Aufgabe erfüllen und unsere Rechte schützen?"
Mit anderen Worten, Hayal, der dem Mörder, Ogün S., mit Geld half und ihn
auch zu der Tat angestiftet haben soll, versteht sich als ein Instrument der
türkischen Sicherheitsorgane und diese als die Auftraggeber für den Mord.
Der Hauptverdächtige will acht Geheimdienstler benennen
Ein weiterer Hauptverdächtiger, Erhan Tuncel, gab in einer dreiseitigen
schriftlichen Aussage an, er wolle die Namen von acht Geheimdienstlern
bekanntgeben, mit denen er in Kontakt gewesen sei. Er habe sie wiederholt
gewarnt, dass Dink ermordet werden sollte, sei aber immer mit den Worten
abgewiesen worden, man sei sehr beschäfigt.
Noch brisanter wird das Verfahren dadurch, dass aus der Gruppe der
Angeklagten Spuren zu anderen politischen Morden der jüngeren Vergangenheit
führen, etwa die Ermordung dreier Mitarbeiter eines Bibelverlages im
vergangenen Mai und der Mord an einem Verwaltungsrichter vor rund einem
Jahr. Auch die meisten problematischen politischen Prozesse der letzten
Jahre, etwa gegen Literatur-Nobelpreistraeger Orhan Pamuk, gehen auf einen
Mann zurück, der enge Verbindungen zur Gruppe der Angeklagten hat:
Rechtsanwalt Kemal Kerincsiz, der prolifischte Anzeigen-Erstatter des Landes
gegen Intellektuelle, meist wegen vermeintlicher "Beleidigung des
Türkentums".
Der türkische Staat als eigentlicher Mörder?
Der Prozess begann als Verfahren gegen einen zur Tatzeit 17-jährigen
arbeitslosen Jugendlichen, der Dink auf offener Straße erschoss. Inzwischen
ist daraus in weiten Kreisen der Öffentlichkeit und der Medien ein Prozess
gegen den türkischen Stat als eigentlichen Mörder geworden. Dinks Witwe
formulierte es dem Gericht gegenüber schriftlich: Das andauernde Gerede von
Separatisten und Staatsfeinden in der Türkei, propagiert von allen möglichen
staatlichen und mit dem Staat verbundenen Stellen, erziehe Kindern zu
potentiellen Mördern. Es sei diese Rhethorik, die an Dinks Tod schuld sei.
Schlagworte
Türkei Prozess Hrant Dink Christen
Im Prozess geht es somit von nun an um die Frage, ob es einen "tiefen Staat"
in der Türkei gibt, verwurzelt in den Sicherheitskraeften, der durch Worte
oder vielleicht sogar Taten aus vermeintlichem Patriotismus zum Mörder wird.
Das Verfahren ist bis zum 1. Oktober vertagt.

GOOD GOVERNANCE HELPS FISCAL POLICY SPUR ECONOMIC GROWTH

World Bank Group, DC
,,contentMDK:21392999~pagePK:34370~piPK:34424~theS itePK:4607,00.html
July 2 2007

New World Bank Report Recommends Spending and Tax Reforms to Enhance
the Impact of Public Finance on Growth in Eastern Europe and Central
Asia

BRUSSELS, July 2, 2007-Well-run governments get better results out of
their budget resources, according to Fiscal Policy and Economic Growth:
Lessons for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, released today by the
World Bank. The study draws on quantitative analysis and case studies
to confirm that more productive public spending, lower fiscal deficits,
and greater reliance on non-distorting taxes can spur economic growth.

The report reviews trends in public spending and taxation in Eastern
Europe, Turkey, and Central Asia (ECA) since the 1990s and how they
compare to trends in high-growth countries elsewhere in the world.

Middle-income countries in Eastern Europe typically have bigger
governments than comparator countries in Asia or Latin America because
of large social transfers. Primary public spending in Croatia is more
than double the size of that in Thailand, and the 8 Eastern European
countries that joined the EU in 2004 spend on average three times
as much on social transfers as Korea. The lower-income countries
in ECA have smaller governments, closer in size to the high-growth
comparators.

Once public spending exceeds about one-third of GDP, higher spending
is associated with lower growth in countries with weak governance,
but no such relationship exists in well-governed countries. "High
levels of public spending are risky when public institutions are
weak," says World Bank Country Manager and report co-editor Aristomene
Varoudakis. "Money is less likely to be well-spent, fiscal deficits
are more likely to emerge, and higher taxes needed to finance such
spending are more likely to distort business and worker decisions."

"The biggest challenge in most countries in ECA is to increase the
efficiency of public spending," emphasizes World Bank Sector Director
and co-editor Cheryl Gray. "This is particularly important to enhance
growth prospects and ensure that populations benefit from expenditures
in health, education, pensions, and infrastructure."

The study offers policy recommendations to enhance the efficiency
and effectiveness of public spending in these four sectors, drawing
on experience in high-growth countries such as Chile, Korea,
and Ireland. In education and health, for example, Eastern Europe
achieves good results but at a high cost. Reorienting spending away
from expensive vocational programs and high-cost hospital care,
moving to per capita financing, and realigning cost-sharing between
governments and students or patients can both help make public spending
more effective and yield better results.

Investing in infrastructure can help boost economic growth if project
selection is appropriate and operations and maintenance costs are
adequately funded. Removing implicit subsidies, especially in power
and water, can make resources available for maintenance while also
making infrastructure more attractive for private investment.

Armenia, for example, has taken important steps to reduce pricing
subsidies and improve collections in the power sector to ensure
financial viability, while ensuring an adequate safety net for needy
households.

Given aging populations, low employment ratios, and a legacy of
generous social protection, pension spending in Eastern Europe tends
to be much higher than in fast-growing countries elsewhere. Reforms
of pension systems need to create fiscal space for growth-enhancing
public spending while continuing to protect the most vulnerable. In
middle-income countries, public pensions need to be further streamlined
and complemented by privately-funded pillars and means-tested social
assistance. In low-income countries, a universal or means-tested
low-rate pension financed out of general revenues-as has recently
been adopted in Georgia-may be the best option.

On the revenue side of the budget, the study focuses on two questions
that are central in today’s debate: (1) What are the economic
impacts of the flat-rate income tax reforms sweeping through Eastern
Europe? (2) How can labor taxes be reduced to stimulate employment?

"Flat-rate income tax reforms have generally had positive effects in
Eastern Europe, but need to be complemented with additional steps to
modernize tax administration and reduce labor taxation," says World
Bank Senior Economist and co-editor Tracey Lane. The flat-rate income
tax reform in Slovakia closed tax loopholes and improved compliance,
and well-designed exemptions and changes in social benefits maintained
the progressiveness of the overall fiscal system.

Despite income tax reforms, labor taxes are still much higher in
Eastern Europe than in comparator countries and are associated with
lower formal employment and growth. The key to reducing labor taxation
and stimulating employment is to reform social benefits and move some
financing to general revenues rather than relying on wage taxes.

PARANOID, AND LOVING IT

Strategy Page –
June 24, 2007

July 2, 2007: Russia will veto a Kosovo independence vote in the UN,
fearing that the dismemberment of Serbia will encourage separatists
in Russia and some of its neighbors (Georgia, Armenia and Moldova).

Russia also fears that an independent Kosovo will become a refuge
for Islamic terrorists, as it believes Bosnia has.

July 1, 2007: The government has passed laws that make it more
difficult for new political parties to be formed, and to operate. In
addition, existing parties are complaining of many hacker attacks
on their web sites and network access. This is seen as a government
Cyber War capability, which the government denies, but which keeps
showing up when the government needs it.

June 30, 2007: There are still terrorist incidents in Chechnya, but
they occur about once a week, about as frequently as new arrests
of terrorists are made. Most of the surviving Chechen terrorists
have moved to neighboring areas, or farther abroad. The Chechen
government, now run by Chechens, wants to end the amnesty program,
because those who were serious about using it have, and those who
haven’t just use the amnesty program to catch a break between bouts
of terrorist activity.

June 28, 2007: After several failures, there was a successful test
of the new ballistic missile, the Bulava. This is a naval version of
the Topol-M ICBM, which has finally entered mass production. Topol-M
uses solid fuel, and is similar to the American Minuteman.

June 26, 2007: Russia does not believe Iran would be stupid enough
to fire missiles at Europe. Therefore, the Russians cannot believe
the American anti-missile system being installed in Eastern Europe
can be anything but a sneaky way to begin construction of a missile
defense against Russian rockets. After all, Russia knows it is hated
and feared in Eastern Europe, which is why those nations offered to
host parts of the anti-missile system. Russians love a good conspiracy,
and this missile defense situation fits the bill.

June 24, 2007: Russia is pouring billions of dollars into research,
reviving the vast research organization that existed throughout
the Soviet period. Most of the Soviet research institutes were
inefficient, and only 3,500 of them, containing about 600,000
researchers, survive. But many of these are operations that adapted,
and found work in a market economy. Modeling their government research
efforts on programs used successfully in Western nations, Russia sees
the possibility of finally taking the lead in many key areas, like
nanotechnology. Any technology edge can be translated into a military
edge, because Russia has managed to keep key defense industries
intact. New weapons are being produced, and future ones developed.