Author: Emil Lazarian

“I should like to see any power of the world destroy this race, this small tribe of unimportant people, whose wars have all been fought and lost, whose structures have crumbled, literature is unread, music is unheard, and prayers are no more answered. Go ahead, destroy Armenia . See if you can do it. Send them into the desert without bread or water. Burn their homes and churches. Then see if they will not laugh, sing and pray again. For when two of them meet anywhere in the world, see if they will not create a New Armenia.” - WS

Turkish press: France’s Darmanin takes stock of Macron’s anti-Muslim campaign

Emil Lazarian
 ISTANBUL EUROPE 
SEP 29, 2021 12:03 PM GMT+3

French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin reacts as he leaves the French Presidential Palace after a weekly Cabinet meeting, Paris, France, Sept. 22, 2021. (AFP Photo)

France is moving forward with its offensive campaign against the country’s Muslim population, further shutting mosques and centers on the pretext of “radical propaganda,” in a move that critics say promotes hate speech and Islamophobia within the nation and abroad.

One year after French President Emmanuel Macron announced the national fight against “Islamic separatism” during a speech in Lex Mureaux, Paris, Interior Minister Gerard Darmanin assumed the responsibility of taking stock of a plan that mainly targets Muslims in a country that loudly claims to be the vocal advocate for secularism, rights and freedom.

In an interview with French newspaper Le Figaro, Darmanin said Tuesday that “never French government done so much against political Islam.”

“About 10 structures were dissolved in four years. That is to say three times more than under the two previous terms of office combined,” Darmanin bragged. “Even before the separatism law promulgated at the end of August, this struggle was at the origin,” he added.

Alongside the minister for citizenship, Marlene Schiappa, Darmanin also presented a new plan stating that France seeks to shut six more mosques and break up several associations. He added that a third of the 89 places of worship “suspected of being radical” and flagged by the intelligence services had been checked since November 2020. Of those, an action to shut down six – in five different departments across France – had been launched, he said, according to remarks carried by Agence France-Presse (AFP).

The authorities would also request the dissolution of the publishers Nawa and the Black African Defence League (LDNA), describing them as contrary to “Western values” and having “separatist tendencies,” which Darmanin announced on Twitter.

He noted that the necessary steps have been taken to freeze the assets of the publishing house and detain the managers of the company.

Le Figaro newspaper also reported that the Nawa publishing house was asked to close down “due to its anti-universal, separatist and anti-Western publishing line.” Darmanin accused the managers of the publishing house, whose full name is the Nawa Center for Oriental Studies and Translation, of being connected to extremists, as Anadolu Agency (AA) reported.

On its website, Nawa publishing house describes itself as an organization that aims to “promote the human and political sciences born of Islamic heritage” and “contribute to the revitalization of these disciplines by studying the Western world and sciences, modern political ideology and doctrines.”

Meanwhile, the French interior minister accused the LDNA, the organizers of a protest against police violence in front of the United States Embassy in Paris June last year, of “calls for hate and discrimination.”

“In the coming year, 10 other associations are going to be the object of a dissolution procedure, four (of) them next month,” he remarked.

Last week, the Council of State, France’s highest administrative court, approved the government’s move to dissolve the Collective against Islamophobia in France (CCIF) and Baraka City.

In October of last year, Macron unveiled a new bill that would extend the ban on religious emblems, which notably affects Muslim women who wear headscarves or veils, to private-sector employees providing public services.

In stark contrast to dissolving Muslim publishing houses and arresting their managers, Macron previously said that he will not prevent the releasing of insulting cartoons of Prophet Muhammad under the pretext of freedom of _expression_, a statement that sparked outrage in the Arab and Muslim world. Even though caricatures insulting a prophet are legal in France on freedom of speech grounds, it is illegal to deny the so-called “Armenian genocide,” which is not recognized as such by most of the countries in the world.

Earlier, an international alliance of 36 nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) representing 13 countries petitioned the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) about the systematic anti-Muslim actions of Macron-run France.

Prominent NGOs, lawyers and religious bodies called on the OHCHR to act on France’s “breadth of state abuse against Muslims” that has been raging in the country for over two decades. The coalition accuses the French government of violating “a number of basic rights that are protected in legislation that is ratified by Paris.”

The statement also alleged that the French government weaponized “laicite,” the French version of secularism, to justify the intrusion of the state in the religious and political practices of Muslims.

“France stands in violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. France infringed on freedoms of children, specifically to target Muslim children in violation of the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child,” the statement added.

The document calls upon the U.N. to ensure that France upholds and enforces the group’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and its International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) along with every directive on the prohibition of discrimination and racism.

Human rights group Amnesty International said in March that the new regulations “would be a serious attack on rights and freedoms in France.”

“Time and again we have seen the French authorities use the vague and ill-defined concept of ‘radicalization’ or ‘radical Islam’ to justify the imposition of measures without valid grounds, which risks leading to discrimination in its application against Muslims and other minority groups,” Amnesty International Europe researcher Marco Perolini said, adding that “this stigmatization must end.”

Finding Justice for Artsakh

Emil Lazarian
September 27, 2021 Maria Armoudian Opinion, Op-Eds 0

A torchlight procession in Artsakh, September 26, 2021 (Photo: Artsakh Press)

What can be done about the gross human rights violations endured by the Armenian people of Artsakh? Human rights advocates in the US and beyond have offered some clues about creative remedies for redressing grave injustices.

More than 40 years ago, Peter Weiss found one creative way to use US courts for survivors of torture and similarly egregious human rights abuses to find justice. Steeped in both the civil rights and human rights movements, Weiss wedded aspirational and practical ideas from both domains to get some semblance of justice for Joel Filartiga, a Paraguayan doctor whose son had been tortured to death in Paraguay by a member of the Paraguayan military. The core idea in Weiss’ pursuit was “universal jurisdiction,” which argues that some crimes are so heinous that they should not be prosecuted anywhere. To apply the concept for the Filartigas, Weiss and his colleagues found an obscure statute in the US’ first Judiciary Act that granted federal court jurisdiction for aliens if the wrongs they suffered violated the laws of nations. In the end, after an appeal, the US Court of Appeals, Second Circuit decided that torture was, in fact, one of those wrongs. For Joel and his daughter Dolly, the $10 million judgment in their favor was largely symbolic, as collection on these cases can be extraordinarily difficult. Then, decades later, Weiss and his colleagues shifted to do similar cases in Europe.

What might be some avenues for justice for Armenia and the Armenian survivors of human rights abuses? One year on from Azerbaijan’s and its Turkish ally’s attack on Artsakh, Armenia has sued Azerbaijan in the International Court of Justice for a range of claims, including mass killings and torture. But Armenians and human rights advocates can—and should—consider exploring additional creative ways to get justice for those who have been subjected to egregious human rights abuses—exploring actions against the individuals who enacted the harms, or from those individuals and other entities that aided and abetted such violations. 

The recent report by the Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Armenia suggests Azerbaijanis committed egregious human rights violations, including crimes against humanity, physical and psychological torture of POWs and civilian captives. The report said the Armenian captives were electroshocked and beaten with metal chains, gun butts and batons to force disclosure of sensitive information and false confessions. Many sustained injuries, including one person who has been rendered blind, according to the report. It also noted video and photos of beheaded Armenians during the ceasefire period, which can be considered a war crime whether or not the beheading was the cause of their deaths. As of this writing, approximately 45 Armenians remain in Azerbaijani detention, held without trial, while others are still missing, said the report.

Can a person damaged by Azerbaijan’s actions sue Azerbaijan itself?

Human rights advocates can explore taking action against the individual violators, as is being done in both US and European courts, if the survivor plaintiffs can meet the procedural requirements. In the US, non-profit organizations, such as the Center for Justice and Accountability, were founded specifically to pursue these cases against individual offenders who commit such acts, in part to help the survivors regain lost agency and recover psychologically. In Europe, a range of non-profit organizations do similar work. The European Centre for Constitutional and Human Rights, for example, has coordinated lawsuits and criminal actions across the continent for torture, complicity and aiding and abetting crimes against humanity. In one German case, Syrian opposition group members were charged for a range of crimes, including posing in pictures with severed heads and mutilating an enemy soldier’s body. Although these actions are difficult to bring, creative advocacy can help with jurisdictional and procedural hurdles to find the right forums and ascertain the most important evidence to advance the cause of justice. 

Can a person damaged by Azerbaijan’s actions sue Azerbaijan itself? Perhaps, this is among the trickiest scenarios. But despite laws protecting sovereign states, US-based human rights advocates like Scott Gilmore have found creative ways to sue human rights abusing states—and sometimes win. Gilmore won a lawsuit against the Syrian Arab Republic for its 2012 targeted killing of US war correspondent Marie Colvin in Homs, where she was reporting on the war. Represented by Gilmore, Colvin’s sister sued the Bashar al Assad regime in US District Court for the District of Columbia, which found for Colvin and ordered Syria to pay $302.5 million to the family of the slain journalist. While it’s unlikely they can collect on that judgment, the declarative win and the evidence gathered through the process could simultaneously help pave the way for possible prosecutions and serve as moral, symbolic victories.

There are other exceptions to absolute immunity, additional potential defendants, including those who are profiting from the conflict, other forums for which people can seek justice, and ways of finding justice, all of which can and should be explored thoroughly and vigorously until justice is won. In the end, all institutions, jurisdictional hurdles and procedural rules are really ideas that people have decided are important enough to uphold for one reason or another. But if the ideas stand in the way of a more important idea—such as justice for the gravely harmed—advocates have had to rise to the occasion to think beyond the status quo. That’s where creative advocacy and a “no stone unturned” approach to the pathways to justice are critical. And even though the international community has failed to stop the great violence inflicted by Azerbaijan on the people of Artsakh/Nagorno Karabakh, there are still opportunities to enlist them in the cause of repair, redress and restoration for the survivors.

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Maria Armoudian is a senior lecturer at the University of Auckland and the author of three books: Lawyers Beyond Borders: Advancing International Law through Local Laws and Courts: Kill the Messenger: The Media’s Role in the Fate of the World; and Reporting from the Danger Zone: Frontline Journalists, Their Jobs and an Increasingly Perilous Future.



Asbarez: ARS’ Humanitarian Assistance in Artsakh and Armenia

Emil Lazarian
by Asbarez Staff

 

 

 

in Armenia, Artsakh, Community, Latest, News, Top Stories

Today marks one year since the Azerbaijani government, along with its allies and hired guns, launched a war against the people of Artsakh. The Armenian Relief Society stands in solidarity with all the soldiers who fought valiantly to defend their land, with all those who gave their lives and their families who are still coping with their loss. The organization actively supports soldiers who were injured while protecting Artsakh and Armenia’s borders and those who lost their homes during the 44-day war.

Last year brought extreme grief to the Armenian Nation and that grief continues till this day, as the current government signs agreements with Azeri aggressors, who continue to threaten the existence of the Armenian people.

The ARS, true to its objectives – “to make special appropriations for food, medicine, and clothing in the event of war, epidemics, or natural disaster, and to aid the disabled, the ill, the needy, prisoners of war and the deported” – has provided aid since the beginning of the war, by arranging immediate relief efforts and assisting the civilian population affected by the 44-day war.

VIEW GALLERY: The ARS continues to provide assistance for families displaced by the 44-day war

The ARS has kept an active presence in Armenia and Artsakh for 30 years, with projects realized in a number of fields, proving the Society’s devoted commitment to the welfare and progress of the Homeland. Today, faced with sad realities, despite all the post-war trauma, and both emotional and physical pitfalls, the ARS continues to run its relief efforts in Artsakh. During the 44-day war and in its immediate aftermath, the organization has always stood by the Armenian servicemen and volunteers, their children and families, and all who, suddenly deprived of their ancestral lands and homes, needed immediate assistance.   

The ARS distributed gifts to children in Artsakh and Armenia

With the collective and constant efforts of the ARS Central Executive Board, Regional Executive Boards, the Executives of Entities and Chapters, as well as worldwide donors and supporters, it became possible to reach and help wounded soldiers, families of fallen heroes, children, and the families who lost their homes and were displaced. Alongside programs realized over the past months, today, the ARS is planning a new program to assist the families of Armenian prisoners of war and those missing in action. The humanitarian efforts organized by the ARS in Armenia and Artsakh since September 27, 2020 are as follows:

  •  With the joint efforts of ARS-Canada, ARS-Eastern and Western USA, CBA-France, ARS-Belgium, ABC-Greece, and their Armenian Communities, nearly $7,000 worth of items were shipped to Armenia and Artsakh, to be distributed among displaced families and individuals who had taken refuge in Armenia and cities of unoccupied Artsakh. Items included medications, coats, clothes, footwear, bedding items, food, medical equipment, sleeping bags, utility shoulder bags, wheelchairs and walkers, baby food, powder milk and other everyday necessities.
  •  Expanding its annual Yuletide (Amanor) Program, the ARS Executive Board launched the “Special Amanor” program which aimed at bringing some holiday cheer to the children of displaced residents of Artsakh. The local ARS entities distributed the gifts to 4,034 children both in Armenia and Artsakh. Children received coats, toys, educational games, and stationary.
  • Considering the status of the displaced families as a result of the 44 day war, the CEB initiated the “Stand with an Artsakh Family” relief project. The goal of this project was to provide financial assistance to one thousand displaced families from Artsakh. Each family received a total of $1,000 over the course of four months. With the kind donations of ARS supporters and entities, in total, $1,000,000 ($381,500 in Armenia and $618,500 in Artsakh) was distributed during the four phases of the project.
  • With the outbreak of the war, the teachers, principals, and staff members of the ARS “Sose” kindergartens fled to various cities of Armenia, many leaving behind their sons and husbands. Considering the uncertainty of the war and the high cost of living in Armenia, the ARS decided to provide a single allocation of $300 to all. In total, $24,596 was allotted to this purpose.
  • ARS-Armenia allocated $5,123 for provision of meals for one month to a shelter in Zvartnots hosting 165 refugees. 
  • The ARS has been a great supporter of the Military Disability Rehabilitation Center at the Heratsi Hospital, securing specialized equipment to provide professional treatment to the wounded. With the efforts of ARS entities, to date we have secured an anesthesia machine, an orthopedic surgical table, Arthrex arthroscopy tower and a ventilator․ A total of $184,000 has been donated to the Center by the ARS for equipment and other needs. 
  • During the early days of the Artsakh war, a total of $52,400 was provided to 74 families of fallen and wounded soldiers.
  • The ARS has been sponsoring young children in Armenia and Artsakh since 1992. Immediately after the breakout of the war, the CEB revamped its Orphan’s sponsorship program and renamed the program “Children of Fallen Heroes” to financially assist the children of fallen soldiers, both in Armenia and Artsakh. For $330 a year, sponsors can make an impact by transforming the life of a child whose father sacrificed his life while defending the Homeland. Donors must agree to sponsor children until the age of 18.
  • It is within the broad scope of the ARS objectives to assist the families of prisoners of war and of those missing in action. Planning ahead, the ARS is putting their efforts toward helping those families by providing them with care packages and other everyday necessities.

VIEW GALLERY: The ARS’ “Children of Fallen Heroes” program provides financial support for the children and families of fallen soldiers

The moral support and material contributions made by the ARS’ supporters, donors, and all ARS entities help the organization achieve organizational goals, especially those of the ARS Emergency Assistance Programs in Armenia and Artsakh.

True to their motto, “With the People, for the People,” the ARS’ activities continue with the same zeal and commitment. To become a supporter of the ARS’ humanitarian assistance programs, invest your tax-free donations to the ARS Artsakh Assistance Fund.

Metro Detroit Armenians remember fallen heroes on first anniversary of 2020 Artsakh War

Emil Lazarian
 Georgi-Ann Bargamian Oshagan Community News, Community 0

Candles lit in memory of the heroes of the Second Artsakh War surround the base of Detroit’s Artsakh memorial

DEARBORN, Mich.—Against the backdrop of a setting sun, Armenians of all ages gathered in Dearborn, Michigan on Monday to remember the martyrs of the Second Artsakh War.

The remembrance was held a year after the launch of Azerbaijan’s unprovoked attacks on Artsakh’s towns and villages which resulted in the loss of an estimated 5,000 Armenian soldiers and civilians.

The memorial service was organized by the ARF Azadamard Gomideh, ANC of Michigan, AYF-YOARF Kopernik Tandourjian Chapter and Homenetmen of Detroit. It was held at the memorial to the fallen heroes of the First Artsakh War located on the campus of St. Sarkis Armenian Apostolic Church, Armenian Community Center and St. Sarkis Senior Citizens Tower.

“It is a very difficult day for all of us,” said ANC of Michigan chair Dzovinar Hatsakordzian in her opening remarks. “A year ago, our brothers and sisters in Artsakh woke up to a barrage of bombs falling from every direction. For 44 days, Azerbaijan and Turkey, with the help of jihadist mercenaries, attacked Artsakh, abusing and violating every human right with no accountability to anyone while the world was watching silently.”

AYF members and Homenetmen Scouts each holding a photo of a fallen Artsakh soldier

As Hatsakordzian shared the ANC of Michigan’s recent work to garner support from Michigan’s senators and members of Congress to push for a just resolution for the people of Artsakh, AYF members and Homenetmen Scouts solemnly stood in a line for the duration of the program, each holding the photo of a fallen soldier who had been a member of the ARF Youth Organization of Armenia or Homenetmen.

“This is a somber day,” said ARF Azadamard Gomideh Chair Raffi Ourlian. “Five thousand lives were lost in a 44-day battle. These 5,000 were heroes, and we have to do everything we can in their memory. This community has been directly impacted, and the Detroit community has always stood by Armenia and Artsakh. This is far from over.”

Pictured left to right: Raffi Ourlian, Dzovinar Hatsakordzian, Mari Manoogian, Rev. Hrant Kevorkian, Ahmad Alkaabi, ARF Central Committee member Sebouh Hatsakordzian and former ARF Bureau member Hayg Oshagan

Ahmad Alkaabi represented Congresswoman Debbie Dingell who was unable to leave Washington, D.C. to attend the event. Also in attendance was Michigan State House Rep. Mari Manoogian, who recalled Michigan Senate and House support for the people of Artsakh through a House resolution passed in the wake of the Second Artsakh War and a Senate resolution passed in 2017 recognizing Artsakh’s right to self-determination and independence.

“It’s good to know we have allies standing side by side with us,” said Manoogian. “We gather together to remember our losses, but we also gather to be resilient together as we always have done.”

Hatsakordzian reflected on losses close to home, naming those with a Michigan connection who died defending freedom and security for Artsakh’s people.

“The pain was unbearable when many of our community members lost their loved ones as a result of the Azerbaijani attacks,” said Hatsakordzian. “We remember today Kevork Hadjian who visited Michigan on many occasions and sang at our different events, gracing us with his amazing voice. He was a close friend to many of us here and he is greatly missed.

“The Gulian family lost their relative Garo Hovagimian who was only 20 years old,” Hatsakordzian continued. “He died bravely trying to push back the enemy in Hadrout. The Arslanian family lost their beloved nephew and cousin last year, Sarkis Avetisyan. He died while saving the lives of his wounded friends in the Martuni region.”

Manoush Movsesyan and Tamar Soghomonian, sisters of martyred Artsakh war hero Goruyn Soghomonian holding a photo of their brother

Holding a photo of her fallen brother Goruyn Soghomonian, Manoush Movsesyan joined Hatsakordzian at the microphone to share the story of her brother, a hero of the 2016 Four-Day Artsakh War and captain of an Artsakh military special unit in the Second Artsakh War who was promoted to the rank of major the day he died.

“Goruyn was an inspiration not only for his family,” Movsesyan said. “He was also an inspiration for the Armenian nation. Blessed be the memory of Goruyn and all of our heroes.”

Memorial service for the fallen heroes of the Second Artsakh War

Before beginning the memorial service for the fallen soldiers, Rev. Hrant Kevorkian acknowledged the weight of the day and the “hope that Artsakh and all of our lands will be returned to us.”

The following soldiers were remembered during the memorial service: Benyamin Nalbandian, Ardag Darbinian, Gim Katchadrian, Viken Mouradian, Kevork Hadjian, Kegham Mousheghian, Mher Haroutiunian, Kristapor Artin, Arshag Melikian, Ardag Ishkhanian, Hayg Teriglian, Erig Kalsdian, Krikor Ghazarian, Armen Arousdamian, Ardag Mardirosian, Artur Aghasian, Mossik Seklemian, Hagop Astardjian, Harout Panoyan, Garo Hovagimian, Sarkis Avetisyan and Goruyn Soghomonian.

“We will continue our struggle,” he added. “Their blood will not be in vain.”

Community members placing a candle at the base of the memorial to the heroes of the First Artsakh War

The program ended with attendees placing a lit candle at the base of the Artsakh memorial and planting a white flag in memory of a fallen soldier on the lawn of St. Sarkis Church facing highly travelled Ford Road where nearly 5,000 flags in memory of the fallen were already fluttering in the light evening breeze.

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AW: Cardiologist Dr. Ani Nalbandian named Fellow of the Year

Emil Lazarian
 Guest Contributor Announcements 0

Ani Nalbandian, MD

NEW YORK CITY, NY—Ani Nalbandian, MD, has been named Columbia University Division of Cardiology’s Fellow of the Year for 2020-2021. 

Dr. Nalbandian is a medical school graduate of Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons in New York City. She completed her internal medicine residency at Columbia University Irving Medical Center-New York Presbyterian Hospital, where she is now also completing her cardiology fellowship. 

The award recognizes her outstanding contributions to the cardiology fellowship program, clinical care and professionalism. It is awarded to one fellow each year who is deemed most deserving. 

Dr. Nalbandian is the daughter of Rev. Fr. Untzag and Yn. Setta Nalbandian. She grew up in the Armenian Church of the Holy Ascension community in Trumbull, CT. Prior to medical school, she volunteered at Sts. Tarkmanchatz Armenian School in the Armenian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem and was awarded an Intramural Research Training Award at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD.




Film: 2022 Oscars: Armenia selects ‘Should the Wind Drop’ for international feature film category

Emil Lazarian
Panorama, Armenia
Sept 28 2021

CULTURE 19:28 28/09/2021 ARMENIA

Armenia will submit filmmaker Nora Martirosyan’s “Should the Wind Drop” (Si le vent tombe), a drama about Artsakh, for consideration in the Best International Feature Film (formerly called Best Foreign Language Film) category of the 2022 Oscars, the Armenian National Film Academy reported on Tuesday.

The decision was made as a result of a secret voting at the meeting of the Film Academy on Monday.

The film was produced with the financial support of the National Cinema Center of Armenia and is a France-Armenia-Belgium coproduction.

Its screenwriters are Nora Martirosyan and Emmanuelle Pagano, the producer is Julie Paratian.

Nora Martirosyan is a graduate of both the Art Academy in Yerevan, Armenia, and the State Academy of Fine Arts, in Amsterdam. In 2010, she directed the documentary short “Les Complices”. “Should the Wind Drop” is her feature debut. She currently lives and works in Montpelier, France.

38 Artsakh civilians were killed by Azerbaijan by way of physical violence, stabbing, beheading, close-range shooting

Emil Lazarian
News.am, Armenia
Sept 28 2021
13:51, 28.09.2021

The Human Rights Ombudsman of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) has published an updated version of the Report on the cases of the killing of civilians in Artsakh by the armed forces of Azerbaijan.

The Report summarizes the data collected as a result of fact-finding work of the Artsakh Human Rights Ombudsman’s staff from September 27, 2020 to on the civilian killings by Azerbaijani armed forces either by targeted strikes or after their invasion of the civilian settlements of Artsakh. Only the cases proved on indisputable grounds are presented. The report provides a brief description on the circumstances of the killing of each civilian.

According to the data collected till , the identities of 80 civilians killed by the Azerbaijani armed forces were revealed. 42 civilians were killed from long-range strikes by the Azerbaijani armed forces, including rocket-propelled grenades, shelling, bombardment, and sabotage by subversive groups. 38 civilians were killed in captivity or at least under the control of Azerbaijan from physical violence, stabbing, beheading, close-range shooting and other direct means. Out of 80 civilian victims, 68 are men and 12 are women. 52 civilians were killed at the place of residence, 15 at the public place, 11 at the place of work, 1 person in the Azerbaijani prison. The majority of civilian victims are people over 63 years old.

The Human Rights Ombudsman also recorded the cases of 163 civilian injuries, most of which resulted from strikes that resulted in the deaths of others. The fate of two dozen civilians from the territories occupied by Azerbaijan remains unknown.

The report was prepared in a closed and public version. The closed report adds many photos of the victims before and after their deaths. The public report was prepared without photos, taking into account the cruel and sensitive images in them.

The closed version of the report has been sent to the relevant international organizations, but its public version is accessible  .

Person killed in front of Yerevan park was daughter of well-known businessman in Armenia

Emil Lazarian
News.am, Armenia
Sept 28 2021
15:35, 28.09.2021

Diana Darbinyan, the 27-year-old woman who died after gunshots fired in front of Victory Park in Yerevan on September 28, was the daughter of General Manager of Gloria Sewing Factory Bagrationi Darbinyan, and 29-year-old Vazgen Margaryan, who received a firearm injury, is Diana Darbinyan’s husband, who is the manager of a well-known limited liability company in Armenia, shamshyan.com reports.

Police and investigators have already identified the alleged suspect who committed the murder and fled the scene (the suspect is a 24-year-old citizen of Yerevan). They also found out that before the shootings, the young man, whose name is Levon, and Vazgen Margaryan had gotten into a dispute that turned into a brawl at a café located at an intersection in Yerevan.

On September 28 at around 1:40am, the police received a call informing that shots had been fired in front of Victory Park.

While the police were working at the scene, the law enforcement received a call from a hospital that two people with gunshot wounds had been admitted to this medical center, of whom a young woman had died and the man had been wounded.

About 17 cartridges fired from a rifle were found at the scene.

Also, there were traces of shots at the public transport stop and the wall behind it.

A car with Russian license plates was found in front of the medical center, and there was blood inside this vehicle.

A criminal case has been initiated.

The dead woman was Diana D., and the wounded was Vazgen M. They were husband and wife.

Turkish press: Turkey pledges support for stability of region on first anniversary of Karabakh war

Emil Lazarian
  • 12:01:00

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu on Sept. 27 reiterated Turkey’s support to Azerbaijan and called on parties for normalization process in the region on the first anniversary of the Karabakh war.

“We want Karabakh to be remembered for peace and development rather than instability and conflict. The region should now enter the normalization process. There are now new opportunities for regional cooperation and prosperity,” he said, speaking at the Extraordinary Meeting of Foreign Ministers of the Turkic Council.

When asked if there is a planned meeting with his Armenian counterpart to make efforts for normalization in the region, Çavuşoğlu said there was no scheduled meeting at the moment.

Reminding that Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan gave some positive messages after the election, Çavuşoğlu said President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan expressed positive remarks afterward.

“Our greatest desire since the beginning is that after the war is over, the region turns into a place of peace and stability. In this direction, as you know, Azerbaijan has offered to sign a comprehensive peace agreement with Armenia. There has yet to be a positive response from Armenia. But in the next period, as always, we will coordinate the steps we can take together with dear Azerbaijan. We decide together; we take steps together,” he stated.

Speaking at the event, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov said that Sept. 27 marks the beginning of an end to the Armenian occupation in Upper Karabakh.

“The unity of the Azerbaijani people, army and the chief commander on the battlefield for 44 days showed that status quo had to change,” he said.

The latest big-scale clashes in Karabakh erupted last September when the Armenian army launched attacks on civilians and Azerbaijani forces.

During a subsequent 44-day conflict, which ended under a Russia-brokered deal in November, Azerbaijan liberated several cities and nearly 300 settlements and villages from Armenia’s nearly three-decade occupation.

On Jan. 11, leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a pact to develop economic ties and infrastructure to benefit the entire region. It included the establishment of a trilateral working group on the Karabakh issue.

A joint Turkish and Russian center to monitor a cease-fire deal between Azerbaijan and Armenia has since become operational in Karabakh on Jan. 30.

Turkic Council members met in Istanbul to discuss current developments in Afghanistan, where the Taliban have taken power. Top diplomats of the Turkic Council member states Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan and Hungary, which has an Observer State status, attended the meeting.

“Developments in Afghanistan have global implications. However, the Turkish world, as Afghanistan’s neighbor, feels the impact of these developments more,” Çavuşoğlu said.

The fact that millions of Turkish kin live in Afghanistan is of direct interest to Turkey, he added.

“We have special relations with Afghanistan. Therefore, it is important that we send a strong message to the world with the joint statement we will make at the end of the meeting,” the minister said.

Azerbaijan, Armenia mark anniversary of their war

Emil Lazarian
WRIC – ABC 8 News
Sept 27 2021
U.S. AND WORLD
Posted: Sep 27, 2021

MOSCOW (AP) — Azerbaijan and Armenia are marking the anniversary of the start of their six-week war in which more than 6,600 people died and which ended with Azerbaijan regaining control of large swaths of territory.

Soldiers carrying photographs of comrades killed in the war marched Monday through the center of the Azerbaijani capital of Baku. In Yerevan, the Armenian capital, thousands of people went to the Yerablur military cemetery to pay their respects to soldiers buried there.

The foreign ministries of each country issued statements blaming the other for starting the war over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Nagorno-Karabakh is within Azerbaijan but had been under the control of ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenia since the end of a separatist war in 1994.

Last year’s war ended when Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed a Russia-brokered cease-fire that granted Azerbaijan control over parts of Nagorno-Karabakh as well as adjacent territories occupied by Armenians.

Armenia says more than 3,700 Armenians and Nagorno-Karabakh residents died in the war. Azerbaijan said it lost 2,900 people.

Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry issued a statement placing blame for the war on Armenia, saying: “One year ago today, the armed forces of the Republic of Azerbaijan began responsive measures to counter another military provocation from the armed forces of the Republic of Armenia.”

But Armenia’s foreign ministry said “the 44-day war was a pre-planned and prepared military aggression, the purpose of which was to finally close the Karabakh issue by exterminating the Armenian population.”

https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/azerbaijan-armenia-mark-anniversary-of-their-war/
Also at
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2021-09-27/azerbaijan-armenia-mark-anniversary-of-their-war
https://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/ap-top-news/2021/09/27/azerbaijan-armenia-mark-anniversary-of-their-war
https://www.wavy.com/news/world/azerbaijan-armenia-mark-anniversary-of-their-war/
https://www.sbsun.com/2021/09/27/azerbaijan-armenia-mark-anniversary-of-their-war/
https://www.argus-press.com/news/national/article_75781a94-da33-5fa2-a004-0b41b7dc5f1b.html