Author: Chakrian Hovsep

Azerbaijan to pay compensation to Khadija Ismayilova as ECHR delivers judgement

Chakrian Hovsep

Save

Share

 10:47,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 28, ARMENPRESS. The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has delivered a judgement in the case of journalist Khadija Ismayilova against Azerbaijan.

The Court concluded that “ the arrest and detention of the applicant, a journalist who had published articles critical of members of the Government and their families for alleged corruption and illegal business activities, had been driven by the improper reasons of silencing her and punishing her for her journalistic activity”, ECHR documents show.

The ECHR ruled that Azerbaijan must pay Ismayilova 20,000 Euros in compensation.

Meanwhile, head of the Azerbaijani delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Samed Seyidov, told BBC that the Azerbaijani government will comply with the judgement and fulfill the demand.

This is already the third judgement in favor of the journalist.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan

Asbarez: ABMDR Representatives Visit Western Prelacy

Chakrian Hovsep

Western Prelate Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian welcomed the visit of Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry representatives to the Prelacy, headed by President Dr. Frieda Jordan. Archpriest Nareg Pehlivaian also joined in the visit, which took place on Wednesday, February 12.

Dr. Jordan first expressed thanks to the Prelate for welcoming the ABMDR members to the Prelacy each year to hear about the organization’s current and future plans. ABMDR members announced the expansion of their endeavors in the past year – now extending to Greece – with immediate plans for further expansion, as well an increase in the number of registered donors. Dr. Jordan referenced the support of community organizations and hospitals in the ABMDR’s success, and expressed her gratitude to the Prelate for bringing awareness to the organization’s mission through the Prelacy and its churches. Finally, the guests reported on their main forthcoming endeavors.

Prelate Mardirossian highly commended the ABMDR’s massive, vast, and valuable work, blessed the devoted service of its members, and concluded by presenting mementos.

Film: Armenia will have its first-ever stand at Berlinale film market

Chakrian Hovsep
PanArmenian, Armenia
Feb 12 2020
– 15:56 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Armenia will have its first-ever stand at the European Film Market of the Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) in 2020, the country’s National Cinema Center said on Tuesday, February 11.

A film trade fair held simultaneously to the Berlinale, the EFM is the world’s third biggest industry meeting for the international film circuit.

The artistic director of the National Cinema Center, Melik Karapetyan, will also curate the Armenian stand at the event.

According to him, the booth will help Armenian producers and directors to better organize their work – meetings, presentations, events – within the film market.

The Armenian stand will be set up at Marriott Hotel.

Armenpress: Armenian humanitarian mission sappers clear 126,000 sq. meters in Syria in first year of operations

Chakrian Hovsep

Armenian humanitarian mission sappers clear 126,000 sq. meters in Syria in first year of operations

Save

Share

 11:34, 8 February, 2020

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 8, ARMENPRESS. During the first year (2019 February 8 – 2020 February 8) of operations in Syria, the de-miners of the Armenian humanitarian mission have cleared a total of 126,000 square meters of territory.

The Center for Humanitarian Demining & Expertise, the organization that has deployed the sappers and medics to Syria, said in a news release that 91,000 square meters of the total territory has been inspected and commissioned back to the Aleppo provincial authorities.

During the 1st year, Armenian sappers have discovered and disposed of: 1 anti-vehicle mine, 10 TM62 anti-tank mines, 3 MON50 anti-personnel mines, 11 PMN2 anti-personnel mines, 8 OZM72 anti-personnel mines, 3 82mm mortar shells, 2 shells, 1 RPG 1 grenade, 1 D30 shell, 2 100mm shells, 1 cluster bomb, 1 fired missile propeller, 3 F1 grenades, 1 AO 2,5 PTM, 17 M42 sub-munitions, 7 IEDs.

The medical personnel have treated 10,114 patients and conducted 1354 lab tests during the one first of operations.

The Armenian humanitarian mission has also organized many mine hazard awareness campaigns and medical aid trainings. As part of the “We Are With You” and “A Handful of Smiles” campaigns, gifts have been collected and donated to Syrian children. The second part of the campaign is still in process. The medical personnel of the mission are regularly providing necessary medicine to the Aleppo Hospital.

In addition to the mission in Syria, the agency has also carried out mine-clearance work in Armenia during 2019 with a total of 25,000 square meters being cleared in Kapan Municipality.

In 2019, combat action territories in the Kornidzor settlement of Tegh Municipality have been cleared. Halo Trust has conducted mine-clearance work in nearly 40,000 square meters in accordance to the center’s plan.

The agency said it is using the gear and equipment provided by the US State Department.

During 2019, the Center for Humanitarian De-Mining and Expertise has also conducted mine hazard awareness trainings for more than 11,000 school students from Yerevan and provinces.

 

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan

PM claims they have found the ‘dream model’ of a Constitutional Court

Chakrian Hovsep
Panorama, Armenia
Feb 6 2020

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan proposed on Thursday a nation-wide referendum on constitutional and related changes. The statement came at the extraordinary session underway in the country’s National Assembly.

The proposed amendments relate among other things to removing the requirement for the Constitutional Court to check the compliance of draft legislation with the Constitution of Armenia, and subsequently change the procedure of revision of the Constitution itself. In addition, a constitutional amendments will result at ending the terms of several members of the current Constitutional Court with immediate.

“We have found the dream model of the Constitutional Court,” the PM asserted, speaking at parliament.

“We have gathered here today to launch this process and we should adopt a decision to solve the issue with people. I hope that the National Assembly will make a decision on changing Article 213 and call for nation-wide referendum. Changing the Article in question will result in ending the terms of the members of the Constitutional Court elected through old system. This will happen if the citizens of Armenia go to electoral stations vote for the proposed amendment on the scheduled day of the referendum, vote for the revolution and vote for the rule of the people,” Pashinyan said.

To note, Armenia’s authorities question the legitimacy of 7 out of 9 judges of the current Constitutional Court who had been elected prior to the entry into force of the 2015 constitutional amendments. The argument is that according to the previous text of the Constitutional the judges in question had been elected as members of the Constitutional Court. Article 213 of the revised Constitution, however, provided that the Chairman and members of the Constitutional Court appointed prior to the entry into force of the 2015 Constitution should serve their terms.

Azerbaijan responsible for Manvel Saribekyan’s death, ECHR rules

Chakrian Hovsep
Panorama, Armenia
Jan 30 2020

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled that the Azerbaijani authorities had been responsible for the torture and death of Manvel Saribekyan, an Armenian national who had been locked up in a military police cell in Baku.

The court held unanimously that there had been violations of Article 2 (right to life) and Article 3 (prohibition of torture and ill-treatment) of the European Convention on Human Rights.

The court found in particular that applicants Mamikon Saribekyan and Siranush Balyan had made a prima facie case that their son, Manvel Saribekyan, had died as a result of the violent actions of others, notably personnel at the Military Police Department in Baku, where he was being held. It could not accept the Azerbaijani authorities’ version of events that he had hanged himself.

ECHR obliged Azerbaijan to pay the applicants 60,000 euros jointly in respect of non-pecuniary damage and 2,200 euros in respect of costs and expenses.

Manvel Saribekyan, 20, who resided in the Armenian village of Ttujur, inadvertently strayed into Azerbaijani territory due to bad weather conditions on 11 September 2010 and was taken captive by Azerbaijani officials. He died in the Baku military police cell on 5 October. 


TI’s Corruption Perception Index 2019: Georgia holds strong, Armenia soars

Chakrian Hovsep
JAM News
Jan 27 2020
JamNews
Tatia nikoladze

Transparency International says Georgia is the leader in the fight against corruption in the region, while Armenia is ahead of China and things are better in Azerbaijan than in Russia

Transparency International has published its Corruption Perception Index for 2019. 

Since 1995, this report has been compiled on the basis of a survey of business owners and experts on a 100-point scale, with 0 being the worst score.  

In 2019, 180 countries were assessed, divided into six regions.

The best among them in the fight against corruption were the countries of the European Union and Western Europe, with an average score of 66. 

Sub-Saharan Africa scored the lowest, with 32 points. 

The regions of Eastern Europe and Central Asia, to which Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia belong, was just a little ahead in the world regional ranking fifth of the six regions, with 35 points. 

Among all the countries covered by the Transparency International report, the best results were shown by New Zealand (87 points) and Denmark with Finland (each 86 points). 

The worst indicators were in Syria (13 points), South Sudan (12 points) and Somalia (9 points). 

In their region (Eastern Europe and Central Asia), the three leaders are Georgia (56 points) and Belarus and Montenegro (each 45 points). All three countries received a rating that is above the world average.

The last places in the region was Turkmenistan (19 points) and Uzbekistan with Tajikistan (each 25 points).

Azerbaijan received the same 31 points as in 2018, without showing any progress.  But at the same time it overtook countries such as Russia, Iran and Ukraine.

Armenia scored 42 points – 7 more than a year ago. Transparency International believes that after the change of power in 2018, the country has good chances for positive changes in the fight against corruption. At the same time, China was left behind with 40 points.

The biggest disappointment in this region is Turkey, with 39 points.  Over the past 7 years, Turkey has lost 10 points in the anti-corruption rating.

The main problems of the region to which the countries of the South Caucasus belong, Transparency International believes to be: 

•Conflict of interest

•Opaque party funding

•Weak separation of powers

On a global scale, according to the organization, stagnation or even regression is taking place in the fight against corruption. The source of the difficulties remains the same: the merging of money and political power.

According to Transparency International, Georgia is the leader in the fight against corruption in the region. Armenia is ahead of China, things are better in Azerbaijan than in Russia



https://jam-news.net/tis-corruption-perception-index-2019-georgia-holds-strong-armenia-soars/





Lawyer: Investigators ‘found nothing’ during search of Hrayr Tovmasyan’s home

Chakrian Hovsep
Panorama, Armenia
Jan 24 2020

Investigators have found nothing while searching the apartment of Constitutional Court Chairman Hrayr Tovmasyan, his lawyer Amram Makinyan told reporters on Friday.

“They were looking for documents that could not factually exist in Mr. Tovmasyan’s apartment,” he said.

“Nothing has been found and confiscated. The investigators have left [the apartment],” the lawyer added.

Makinyan stated so far neither Hrayr Tovmasyan nor his defense team has got familiarised with the search warrant issued by the court, adding they are only aware that judge Artush Gabrielyan has ordered the search at the Constitutional Court chairman’s home.

The search comes nearly one month after the Special Investigative Service charged Hrayr Tovmasyan with two counts of abuse of power.

Tovmasyan denies any wrongdoing, adding the charges are part of a “political process” aimed at forcing him to step down. 

Armenia Police Chief personally neutralizes Yerevan gunman, escorts to police station

Chakrian Hovsep

Save

Share

 16:42,

YEREVAN, JANUARY 23, ARMENPRESS. The suspect who opened gunfire at the Erebuni Business Center in Yerevan has been apprehended and taken into custody, police said.

“At 14:00 police received a call that there is an active shooter in Erebuni Plaza. Top police officers and tactical units were immediately dispatched to the scene”, police said.

According to police, the suspect – a man whose identity hasn’t been disclosed yet – surrendered after Chief of Police Arman Sargsyan conducted negotiations with him.

Sargsyan personally escorted the suspect to the police station with his vehicle.

No one was injured in the incident.

The circumstances are being determined, police said.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan