1- Israeli Cluster Bombs Sold to Azerbaijan
Kill & Maim Innocent Armenian Civilians
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com
2- Putin, Pashinyan, Aliyev meet in Sochi to Discuss Future of Artsakh
3- Yazidi Rights Activist Sultanyan Goes On Trial in Armenia
for ‘Incitement’
4- The Bus Of Shame:
Azerbaijan advertises on Thessaloniki bus its occupation of Shushi
5- Armenia Continues Fight Against COVID-19
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1- Israeli Cluster Bombs Sold to Azerbaijan
Kill & Maim Innocent Armenian Civilians
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com
Israeli journalist Yossi Melman wrote a lengthy critical article in
the Haaretz newspaper about Israel’s sale of banned deadly cluster
bombs to Azerbaijan to kill and maim innocent Armenian civilians in
Artsakh. The article, although published on Oct. 22, 2020, retains its
relevance given the fact that these cluster bombs were not only used
in last year’s Artsakh war by Azerbaijan, but may also be used in a
future war.
Amnesty International confirmed that Azerbaijan used Israeli cluster
bombs in the 2020 Artsakh war. These lethal bombs exploded in a
residential area near the city of Stepanakert, the capital of Artsakh.
“The use of cluster bombs in any circumstances is banned under
international humanitarian law, so their use to attack civilian areas
is particularly dangerous and will only lead to further deaths and
injuries,” said Denis Krivosheev, Amnesty International’s acting chief
for Eastern Europe and Central Asia. “Cluster bombs are inherently
indiscriminate weapons, and their deployment in residential areas is
absolutely appalling and unacceptable.”
Melman explained that “a cluster bomb is a kind of container holding a
bundle of small bombs. The mother bomb explodes at a certain height
and, over a wide area, scatters the smaller bombs, which explode a
short time later. The munitions can be launched from cannons of
various sizes, with diameters up to 155 mm, from launchers,
helicopters and planes.” Children often pick up unexploded cluster
bombs mistaking them for toys, resulting in their death or injury.
Melman wrote that he asked Israel’s Defense Ministry, the Israel
Defense Forces and the Foreign Ministry “on whether—and if so,
when—Israel supplied cluster bombs to Azerbaijan.” Not surprisingly,
he received no response.
Melman remarked that Israel’s Defense Ministry, “true to its
aggressive habits, is loath to give explanations and refuses to answer
questions it doesn’t like. It seems to have something to hide,
especially when it comes to its overly intimate relationship with
Azerbaijan.”
Melman asked a pertinent question: “Why is Israel arming Azerbaijan
against Armenia?” There would be a huge worldwide outcry if Armenia
were to transfer missiles to Hamas or Hezbollah to attack Israeli
citizens. Israel arming Azerbaijan is no different, but where is the
international condemnation of Israel?
Israel used cluster bombs on several occasions: In the 1973 war
against several Arab states, the wars on Lebanon in 1978, 1982 and
2006, and the Gaza war in 2008-09. Melman reported that “this led to a
condemnation by then-UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, and to tension
in the United States, because the firing apparently violated the
restrictions on using cluster bombs when the weapon was supplied in
1976.”
The Winograd Committee, formed by the Israeli government to review the
appropriateness of Israel’s military actions in Lebanon in 2006,
“harshly criticized the use of cluster bombs in civilian areas,”
according to Melman. It is illegal to use cluster bombs. It is also
illegal for the United States to sell them to Israel, which in turn
illegally sold them to Azerbaijan.
Regrettably, neither the Republic of Armenia nor the Armenian-American
community complained to the American government about Israel’s illegal
transfer of U.S. cluster bombs to Azerbaijan.
Melman reported that “in December 2008, the Convention on Cluster
Munitions was signed in Oslo. It prohibits the use, development,
manufacture, storage and transfer of cluster bombs, which it defines
as ‘a conventional ammunition that is designed to disperse or release
explosive submunitions’ from a container. Over 100 countries signed
the accord, which went into effect in 2010.”
Israel, however, refused to join the convention that banned cluster
bombs. Ironically, Israel was quick to condemn Syria for its reported
use of cluster bombs inside its own country. It is not clear why
Armenia refused to join the convention which would have given it a
stronger footing to condemn the illegal use of cluster bombs by
Azerbaijan and Turkey, neither one of which joined the convention. In
addition to selling cluster bombs to Azerbaijan, Israel also sold them
to Turkey, Ethiopia, Germany, India, Romania, Switzerland, Great
Britain, Austria, Denmark, Norway, Chile, Colombia and Venezuela.
According to Melman, Azerbaijan was the largest market for Israeli
cluster bombs, along with various cannons and rocket launchers.
“Israel sold dual-purpose munitions components, which can also be used
in cluster bombs, in a way that let Israel bypass the convention.”
Melman reported that, a year ago, Israeli “activist Eli Joseph, who
takes part in efforts to ban weapons sales by Israel to dictatorial
regimes,” petitioned in vain Israel’s High Court of Justice,
“demanding that Baku and Jerusalem’s military connections be revealed.
Also, Joseph and his colleagues in the Jewish Heart organization
demonstrated in front of the Knesset against arms exports to
Azerbaijan, under the slogan ‘No to war crimes, no to the murder of
innocents.’” It is heart-warming to see righteous Israelis objecting
to the immoral actions of their government.
By selling lethal weapons to the murderous regime of Azerbaijan,
Israel has undermined its moral standing and has become an accomplice
to Azeri war crimes.
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2- Putin, Pashinyan, Aliyev meet in Sochi to Discuss Future of Artsakh
(Combined Sources)—Russian President Vladimir Putin, Azerbaijani
President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met
in the southern Russian city of Sochi on November 26 to outline
further steps to strengthen stability and establish peaceful life in
Nagorno-Karabakh,
The leaders looked into the implementation of two statements they
signed on November 9, 2020 and January 11, 2021. Special attention was
paid to the restoration and development of trade, economic and
transport ties, according to RIA Novosti.
Putin also held separate talks with Pashinyan and Aliyev on November 26.
The leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed to move towards starting
a process of delimitating and demarcating their Soviet-era border and
pursue unblocking of all economic and transport links in the region as
a result of Russia-hosted talks last Friday.
In a trilateral statement released after their meeting in Sochi,
Putin, Pashinyan and Aliyev said, in particular, that they have agreed
“to take steps to increase the level of stability and security on the
Armenian-Azerbaijani border and to work towards the creation of a
bilateral commission on the delimitation of the state border between
the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Armenia with its
subsequent demarcation with the consultative assistance of the Russian
Federation at the request of the parties.”
The statement said that the parties also agreed “to intensify joint
efforts aimed at the earliest possible resolution of the remaining
tasks arising from the statements of November 9, 2020 and January 11,
2021” that includes the resumption of all economic and transport links
in the South Caucasus.
“We have emphasized the need to launch specific projects as soon as
possible in order to tap the economic potential of the region. The
Russian Federation will continue to provide all necessary assistance
in the interest of normalizing relations between the Republic of
Azerbaijan and the Republic of Armenia, creating an atmosphere of
trust between the Azerbaijani and Armenian peoples, as well as
building good-neighborly relations in the region,” the statement
added.
After their talks that, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov,
lasted for about three hours, the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and
Armenia also made statements for the press, in which all described the
meeting as positive.
“We have worked very constructively today. It was a deep analysis of
the current situation,” said Putin, adding that agreements had been
reached “on a number of key issues.”
“The first of them is the creation of mechanisms of the delimitation
and demarcation of the border between the two states, which we have
agreed to do by the end of this year. I hope it will be done as soon
as possible. There are no obstacles to the creation of these
mechanisms,” the Russian leader said.
Putin said that “significant progress” was also made on issues of
humanitarian nature. He did not elaborate.
He also said that the parties discussed in detail issues of developing
economic ties and primarily the issue of unblocking “transport
corridors.”
“It concerns both railway and road links. I think that here we should
thank our vice-premiers who have been working over this issue for
quite a long time now,” the Russian president said.
He said that as part of the agreements made during the November 26
talks deputy prime ministers of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan will
gather in Moscow next week “to summarize some results and announce the
decisions that we have coordinated today.”
In his remarks Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev expressed a hope
that the Sochi talks will lead to results that will make the situation
in the South Caucasus “more secure and predictable.”
“Today we had a very detailed and I would say frank conversation on
issues of border delimitation and demarcation and unblocking of
transport arteries. We openly discussed our plans, we openly discussed
issues that cause concern with both sides. The most important thing is
that the decisions that we’ve made in the issue of settling disputes,
differences will contribute to a more secure and predictable situation
in the South Caucasus,” he said.
Aliyev said that Baku also sees willingness from the Armenian side “to
create preconditions for the situation in the region to become more
predictable.”
“I have repeatedly said that in Azerbaijan we feel like turning over
the page of many years of confrontation with Armenia to begin a stage
of normal interaction,” Aliyev said. “I think our meeting will lead to
good results that won’t make us wait for too long.”
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in his remarks described the
meeting as “very positive,” saying that “we have, in fact, discussed
all issues of the agenda.”
“This wasn’t a meeting to hide problems. This was a meeting during
which we openly discussed all issues. I want to point out that it is
very positive that on many issues we clarified our positions, and it
turned out that on some issues we have no misinterpretations as it
would seem before this meeting. I want to say that, indeed, we stated
that in regards to the issue of the opening of all transport and
economic links in the region we have a common idea as to how these
links will work,” Pashinyan said.
The Armenian leader said that it is necessary to create mechanisms of
ensuring security and stability along the border between Armenia and
Azerbaijan before starting the process of border delimitation and
demarcation. He said humanitarian issues were also addressed during
the talks.
“On the whole, I too assess today’s talks very positively. I think
that we can expect concrete results if we manage to build on the
dynamics of our talks,” Pashinyan said.
“I reaffirm the readiness of Armenia and its government that has
received a mandate from the people of Armenia to open a peaceful era
for our country and our region. This is what we are striving for and
today’s meeting is beneficial for the realization of this agenda,” the
Armenian leader added.
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3- Yazidi Rights Activist Sultanyan Goes On Trial in Armenia
for ‘Incitement’
By Artak Khulian
(RFE/RL Armenian Report)—An Armenia court on November 24 opened a
controversial trial against a human rights activist from the minority
Yazidi community over comments he made in an interview, despite
international concerns about his prosecution.
Prosecutors accuse Sashik Sultanian, the head of the Yazidi Center for
Human Rights, of “inciting ethnic enmity between Armenians and
Yazidis,” an ancient Kurdish-speaking religious group.
The probe against Sultanian was launched in October 2020, after he
conducted an interview with the Yezidinews.am website in June that
year.
In the interview, Sultanian said that Yazidis face discrimination,
their rights are not protected, and they are unable to develop their
culture, language, or practice their religion.
He also claimed Yazidis are underrepresented in local government
structures, Armenians seized Yazidi property, and the community is not
allowed to develop economically.
Prosecutors argue that Sultanian’s statements don’t fall under human
rights advocacy and protected speech “since all allegations mentioned
in the interview do not correspond to reality.”
Sultanian says his comments were not directed against the Armenian
people, but rather the Armenian government. The interview was deleted
on the day of publication at the request of Sultanian.
Several international and national human rights organizations have
denounced the proceedings against Sultanian as an assault on freedom
of speech that will have a chilling effect on those who stand up for
minority rights.
Armenian authorities have obligations to ensure human rights defenders
can freely carry out their activities without any restrictions,
Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatovic said
in a letter to Armenia’s top prosecutor ahead the trial.
In June, Human Rights Watch called on Armenian authorities to drop
charges against Sultanian, saying his opinions are protected free
speech.
UN special rapporteurs on human rights defenders, minority issues, and
freedom of _expression_ have also called on Armenian authorities to drop
the case.
“It is not incitement to hatred or violence to raise human rights
concerns about the treatment of minorities,” the UN experts said in
August. “We call on Armenia to drop these criminal charges, which
appear designed simply to intimidate Mr. Sultanian and others who
stand up for minority rights.”
There are about 40,000 Yazidis in Armenia, and they make up the
largest minority group in the mono-ethnic South Caucasus country with
a population of about 3 million people.
The next hearing in the trial of Sultanian is scheduled for January 26.
Despite refusing to generally review the measure of restraint against
Sultanian, the court allowed the Yazidi activist to travel abroad from
November 30 to December 8 to attend the 14th session of the UN Forum
of Minority Issues in Geneva, Switzerland.
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4- The Bus Of Shame:
Azerbaijan advertises on Thessaloniki bus its occupation of Shushi
(Greek City Times)—Azerbaijan is using every means at their disposal
to normalise and promote their occupation of the Armenian city of
Shushi, which they call Shusha (Şuşa).
Thessaloniki was not spared from this propaganda effort, with a bus in
Greece’s second city promoting Azerbaijan’s occupation of Shushi.
Such a challenge did not escape the attention of the Armenian
community in Greece, who asked authorities to remove the
advertisements, something which was done without hesitation.
Although the advertisement has been removed, it does bring into
question why it was ever allowed to be displayed.
The Azeri military captured the historic Armenian city of Shushi from
local forces on November 8, 2020 during last year’s Nagorno-Karabakh
War.
Although a historically Armenian city, Shushi had a mixed
Armenian-Azeri population until the Shushi pogrom of 1920 when
Azerbaijani forces destroyed the Armenian half of the city and killed
or expulsed its Armenian population of around 20,000 people.
Due to the strategic advantage of the city, which directly overlooks
the Nagorno-Karabakh capital of Stepanakert, the capture of Shushi
became a decisive moment in the war, especially as Armenia surrendered
and Azerbaijan declared victory a few days later.
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5- Armenia Continues Fight Against COVID-19
Armenia continues the fight against COVID-19, as the country continues
promoting the vaccination phase.
The U.S. State Department on July 26 warned American citizens to
reconsider travel to Armenia due to the increase in cases of the
Covid-19.
“The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a
Level 3 Travel Health Notice for Armenia due to COVID-19, indicating a
high level of COVID-19 in the country,” said the State Department.
The State Department also urged U.S. citizens not to travel to the
Nagorno-Karabakh region due to armed conflict.
“The U.S. government is unable to provide emergency services to U.S.
citizens in Nagorno-Karabakh as U.S. government employees are
restricted from traveling there,” the State Department added.
WHO, with funding from the European Union, in September supplied X-ray
equipment to 7 COVID-19 frontline hospitals – 1 in the capital Yerevan
and in 6 other cities in Armenia.
A new law came into effect on October 1, by order of the Armenian
Ministry of Health, which mandates that all workers be vaccinated;
those who are not vaccinated must submit a certificate confirming the
negative result of the COVID-19 PCR test every 14 days. Those who do
not comply with the mandate face fines and penalties.
Armenia has the lowest vaccination rate in the region and Europe, with
only about 10 percent of its population having been inoculated against
COVID-19 so far. 620,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine were donated to
Armenia by Norway with the support of the EU Civil Protection
Mechanism within the framework of the Team Europe initiative is
already in Armenia.
“The entire infrastructure is ready to carry out a large number of
vaccinations. I add that vaccination does not exclude the disease, but
reduces the risk of contagion”, Armenian Health Minister Anahit
Avanesyan reported during a recent press conference, adding that the
late entry into force of the restrictive measures was a shortcoming of
her department. According to the minister, they are currently
considering the option of requesting certification of negativity from
Covid or vaccination to enter restaurants and attend concerts.
There were 14,387 active cases in Armenia as of November 29. Armenia
has recorded 338,120 coronavirus cases and 7,535 deaths; 316,198 have
recovered.
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