Author: Eduard Nalbandian

Azerbaijani press: Expert: Kim Kardashian’s actions indicate a complete collapse of Pashinyan regime

Eduard Nalbandian
  • 10 Jul 2020 19:20

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Recently, the popular American television star Kim Kardashian started raising funds through the platform of the “Support Fund for Armenia” to help micro-entrepreneurs in Armenia who have suffered from the coronavirus pandemic.

On this occasion, a well-known Russian TV presenter, political expert Evgeny Mikhailov expressed his opinion in a conversation with News.Az.

“In my opinion, if Kardashian is already unsure of Pashinyan’s regime and started to collect money to help her compatriots in faraway Armenia, this points to the complete economic and political collapse of Pashinyan’s regime. It’s a direct indication that the Prime Minister’s government is incapable of pulling the economy out, unable to bear the blow of the pandemic,” Mikhailov said.

The expert noted that Pashinyan is not helping his population.

“Kim Kardashian understands very well that Armenia is a small country, which survives at the expense of small shopkeepers and tourist business. They tried to survive successfully under other regimes, which also did not rule well in Armenia. What is happening now is a collapse. Basically, Kim Kardashian, as a representative of the rich world of Armenians, directly rub Pashinyan’s nose into the fact that he is not coping. Besides, in the publication circulating in Armenian media, I liked the comparison of the current situation and the support to people in Armenia and neighboring countries. It is directly stated that in Azerbaijan, in Turkey the population is much better protected than in Armenia. And the fact that the government of these countries provides maximum support to different segments of the population in order to survive the economic crisis,” said Mikhailov.

“I think that Kim’s opinion and her actions indicate a lot. First of all, the collapse of statehood is coming in Armenia. After all, it keeps getting worse. Pashinyan will strengthen his power in dictatorial ways, shut everyone’s mouth. This will happen until the people finally overthrow him,” the expert said in conclusion.

Netflix and over 400,000 websites banned in Turkey

Eduard Nalbandian 
Greek City Times
by Paul Antonopoulos
July 4, 2020
Over 400,000 websites, including Netflix, are banned in Turkey,
according to the “Bans on the Web 2019″ report published by the
Freedom of Expression Association (İFÖD).
The report found that as of 2019, a total of 408,494 websites, are
banned in Turkey, meaning the true number is likely much higher today.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan promised on Wednesday that
social media platforms will be controlled or shut down after his
family was insulted by social media users. The very next day, Netflix
was blocked in Turkey.
However, Erdoğan does not have his eyes only set on Netflix, but is
also looking at Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and
others by requesting them to have legal representation in Turkey, so
courts can receive the identity of users, which would be a severe
breach of online anonymity.
The 2019 report found 130,000 websites, 7,000 Twitter accounts, 40,000
individual tweets, 10,000 YouTube videos, and 6,200 Facebook posts
were banned by law No.5651.
“Important statements that the Law No.5651 was used in a broad sense
that would lead to arbitrary practices were also included in the AYM
ruling,” the report said.
Video streaming giant YouTube was among the platforms that Turkey
banned for extended periods over the years, as reported by Ahval.
YouTube was first banned in 2007, when a Greek user uploaded a video
highlighting that Turkey’s founding father Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was
gay.
Unsurprisingly, among the hardest hit were news website, with at least
5,599 news articles banned in 2019, with news networks removing 3,528
of them to avoid a wider ban on their services, according to İFÖD.
Hürriyet removed 336 articles from its website, Milliyet 187 and T24
171.
Out of news websites more critical of the government, OdaTV removed
126 articles, showing 98 percent compliance, while the website Sol
removed 100 percent of its 69 banned articles. Evrensel followed with
46 articles removed, Ahaval corresponded.
Turkey is one of the lowest ranked countries for media freedoms in the
world, is the second most susceptible country surveyed on the European
continent to fake news, has the most journalists jailed in the whole
world, and 90% of media is government controlled.

Prosecutor requests 7-year sentence for Hayk Sargsyan, former President’s nephew

Eduard Nalbandian

Prosecutor requests 7-year sentence for Hayk Sargsyan, former President’s nephew

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 18:06, 19 June, 2020

YEREVAN, JUNE 19, ARMENPRESS. The Prosecutor’s Office has requested to sentence Hayk Sargsyan, former President Serzh Sargsyan’s nephew, with 7-year term, ARMENPRESS reports Yerem Sargsyan, the lawyer of Hayk Sargsyan, told the reporters.

”The prosecutor made an accusatory speech. He thinks that carrying an illegal weapon and murder attempt are evidenced. As for carrying illegal arms, the prosecutor requested that expiration of the statute of limitations be applied to the carrying of illegal weapons, but requested a 7-year sentence for the murder attempt”, the lawyer said.

He added that they have always substantiated that there is no feature of murder attempt. The defense will present the details in a speech at the next court session.

On April 1, 2007, the Police were notified that Yerevan resident Davit Simonyan, born in 1984, has been hospitalized with a gunshot wound.

On the same day, A. Ghevondyan presented a gun to the Police and told that he fired shots as a result of carelessness, injuring his friend D. Simonyan.

Criminal case has been launched into the incident. But on May 28, 2007, a decision was made not to launch criminal proceedings against A. Ghevondyan on the grounds of absence of complaint.

However, on July 3, 2018, the Prosecutor General’s Office made a decision to eliminate the aforementioned decision. As a result of investigative operations, it was revealed that Davit Simonyan received a gunshot wound not by A. Ghevondyan, but by Hayk Sargsyan.

Hayk Sargsyan was detained but later, on September 10 2018 was released from jail on bail of 50 million AMD.

Editing and translating by Tigran Sirekanyan

Armenia National Security Service reveals false information spread attempt

Eduard Nalbandian

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 10:04,

YEREVAN, JUNE 19, ARMENPRESS. The National Security Service of Armenia continues revealing fake users who publish and spread false information which damages the security of the state, the society and the individual.

On May 29 Qizil alma Azerbaijani user posted on Youtube one and a half minute edited video titled “Shocking confession of Armenian architect about Yerevan: It’s not ours”. In the video a woman named Agnessa answers in Russian to the questions of a man making the video. While in the Republic Square of Yerevan Agnessa tells that “in the past Yerevan has been a village-like city. Armenians hardly lived here and have been engaged in trade”. While examining the video it can be seen that it has been edited from another original video from which separate expressions were taken and combined with each other as a result of which the meaning and content of the conversation has been distorted. This edited video has been spread in the Azerbaijani media with a respective anti-Armenian textual comment according to which the Armenian woman “voices” that no Armenians have lived in Yerevan. Speculating this phrase, the Azerbaijani side emphasizes that this is another fact that “Yerevan is an ancient Azerbaijani city which was transferred to Armenians in 1918”.

However, it turned out that the real video was made in February 2020 by Russian blogger Ilya Varlamov who was in Armenia that time, and Agnessa offered her help to the Russian blogger to introduce Yerevan.

The talk in the Russian blogger’s video is about a part of Yerevan in the 1850s where in the past the Ghantari market used to operate where mainly Persians have lived, but not Azerbaijanis, and Armenians visited that place for trade.

This fact once again proves that the Azerbaijani side is trying to “penetrate” into the history through fake news, but in fact it failed.

“We once again urge the citizens of Armenia to be more vigilant, show caution, not to panic and not to spread such videos, and in case of revealing such users who send similar videos inform the NSS”, the NSS said in a statement.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

Armenia Investigative Committee: No criminal case instituted against defense minister

Eduard Nalbandian
News.am, Armenia

23:15, 19.06.2020
                  

Prosecutor’s office will appeal court decision on releasing Kocharyan from jail on bail

Eduard Nalbandian

Prosecutor’s office will appeal court decision on releasing Kocharyan from jail on bail

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 19:07,

YEREVAN, JUNE 18, ARMENPRESS. The Prosecutor’s Office of Armenia will submit a cassation appeal against the decision of the Criminal Court of Appeal, according to which 2nd President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan will be released from jail on bail, a press service official of the Prosecutor General’s Office told ARMENPRESS.

‘’The Prosecutor’s Office has repeatedly emphasized that the criminal case is in such a stage where there are very high risks that the defendant, in case of being in freedom, can impede the investigation of the case by exerting illegal influence on the individuals participating in the trial and there are no other preventive measure except detention that can neutralize the risks of improper behavior of the defendant.

Moreover, ever since the criminal case was submitted to the court, the stage of the judicial investigation has not changed (it’s in pre-trial stage – edited) and the court, including the same Court of Appeal had accepted the mentioned risks.

Therefore, we can say that a cassation appeal will; be filed against the judicial act’’, the official said.

The Criminal Court of Appeal approved the appeal of attorneys of Robert Kocharyan on changing the precautionary measure selected against the ex-President.

Kocharyan will be released on bail in the amount of 2 billion drams.

Robert Kocharyan has been remanded into custody on June 25, 2019. Kocharyan is charged with overthrowing the Constitutional Order during the 2008 March protests in Yerevan.

Editing and translating by Tigran Sirekanyan

Armenia likely to extend the state of emergency

Eduard Nalbandian
Public Radio of Armenia
June 9 2020


The state of emergency will likely be extended, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan told a daily briefing today.

The state of emergency was declared on March 16 and has been extended twice since.

The Prime Minister said the coronavirus situation remains tense, but there is vague hope for some stabilization.

“This circumstance should not make us relax. Instead, we need to be more vigilant,” the Prime Minister said, adding that the formula remains unchanged.

“Any of us should bear responsibility for compliance with anti-epidemic rules,” PM Pashinyan said, urging everyone to wear masks, disinfect the hands and keep social distancing.

He once again called to avoid large gatherings at funerals and refrain from wedding parties.  

Armenia has so far reported 13,675 cases of coronavirus; 4,451 people have recovered, 217 deaths have been reported.

CSOs Call on Georgian Gov’t to Help COVID-hit Armenia

Eduard Nalbandian
Georgia Today
June 5 2020
05/06/2020 – 14:20

94 Less than a minute

Ten local civil society organizations have appealed to the Georgian government to provide assistance to neighboring Armenia that has been hit hard by the pandemic.

In the statement released on June 5, the group urged the authorities to demonstrate solidarity and a spirit of cooperation towards Armenia, which – in turn – would lay the ground for joint measures to contain the regional spread of the virus. 

Signatories include the Human Rights Education and Monitoring Center, Georgian Democracy Iniatitve, Open Society Foundation Georgia, Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association, Human Rights Center, Tolerance and Diversity Center, Women’s Iniatives Supporting Group, Equality Movement, Union “Sapari”, and “Salam” – a civic activism platform of ethnic Azeri Georgians.

Based on Georgia’s “successful handling” of the first wave of the virus spread, CSOs suggested Georgian healthcare system could offer “tangible assistance” to Armenia in order to avoid large-scale outbreak in the region. 

The signatories maintained that international solidarity and cooperation was a “necessary precondition” for mitigating the fallout of the pandemic and preventing high mortality rate.

Georgian CSOs expressed readiness to provide assistance to their Armenian counterparts – within their capabilities and resources. 

The Georgian Foreign Ministry issued a statement on June 4 reiterating Georgia’s readiness to support Armenia and help it weather the crisis. 

To date, Armenia has recorded up to 12,000 cases of infection, with the death toll exceeding 170. 

Armenia’s healthcare capacity has been overwhelmed by the recent upsurge in new cases. As stated by Armenian Health Minister, 154 out of 186 intensive care units (ICU) in the country are already occupied by seriously ill patients.

Public control campaign is not a punitive action – Armenian PM

Eduard Nalbandian

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 11:59, 5 June, 2020

YEREVAN, JUNE 5, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan says the current public control campaign is not a punitive action, but a mean to overcome other problems together.

The PM said on Facebook that this campaign will continue and urged users writing bad comments to delete them.

“The photos posted on my page about the violations of anti-coronavirus rules are about us, not about the others. They are about me, my family members, you and your family members. We are the same nation, the same people, with the same perception and behavior. We, our friends and relatives are in these photos. Let’s rule out insulting the people because we are talking about us, not the others”, the PM said.

He apologized to all the compatriots who received insulting comments on his page.

Pashinyan also urged to send information about the upcoming “secret” parties, events, weddings to his Facebook page.

Starting June 2 various users are sending photos showing violations of anti-epidemic rules in Armenia to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s Facebook account.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

Karabakh MOD: Azerbaijan attempted sabotage penetration

Eduard Nalbandian
News.am, Armenia

12:38, 23.05.2020