Author: Emil Lazarian

Reporters without borders, France
May 3 2004
Azerbaijan – 2004 Annual Report
Azerbaijan
Area : 86,600 sq.km.
Population : 8,096,000
Language : Azeri
Type of state : republic
Head of state : President Ilham Aliev
Azerbaijan – 2004 Annual Report
The hoped-for wave of reform after Ilham Aliev, son of longtime leader
Heidar Aliev, became president in October 2003 did not come. Opposition
media remained under broad pressure, there was no diversity in
broadcasting and the regime did not fulfil its international
commitments.
President Heidar Aliev’s son Ilham took office as president on 31
October 2003 after an election denounced as a setback for democracy by
European monitoring organisations. The elder Heidar, who died in a US
clinic on 12 December aged 80, had prepared for the handover by naming
Ilham prime minister during the summer. When his father’s health
worsened, Ilham became acting president and on 2 October his father
withdrew as a candidate for reelection. Media that dared to mention the
old man’s health were punished.
The election campaign, the vote itself on 15 October and the
post-election period brought many press freedom problems. Journalists
were beaten and the government monopolised radio and TV, broadly
harassed opposition and independent newspapers and failed to keep its
international promises to respect press freedom. Journalists were
physically attacked from the summer on while covering election meetings
in Baku and the provinces and more than 50 were set upon during violent
clashes on 15 and 16 October between demonstrators and security forces,
who arrested more than a dozen of them.
Journalists organisations monitoring the campaign, as well as the
Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in a report,
said the four privately-owned nationwide TV stations all strongly
backed ruling party candidates, as did the state-run AzT, which should
have been turned into an independently-run public body as promised when
Azerbaijan joined the Council of Europe in 2001.
A council was set up on 24 January 2003 to see that radio and TV obeyed
the electoral law but its nine members were appointed by the president.
A public TV bill was given a second reading by parliament on 24
December, but it too would allow the government to have a predominant
voice.
The highly-politicised opposition and independent media came under
broad and heavy direct and indirect pressure from the authorities – in
access to public data, printing and distribution, advertising,
unjustified use of defamation laws and excessive fines. Journalists
demonstrated several times in the first half of the year against
bureaucratic harassment obstructing them in their work.
The main opposition daily Yeni Musavat was sued for libel more than a
dozen times between October 2002 and October 2003 and fined more than
100,000 euros. The laws on defamation and insults still provided prison
sentences, in conflict with international standards. A Press Council of
nine journalists and six government representatives members was set up
on 15 March to mediate between journalists and citizens, especially the
authorities.
Yeni Musavat editor Rauf Arifoglu was jailed in late October, accused
of organising the 15 and 16 October demonstrations.
Two journalists imprisoned
Rauf Arifoglu, editor of the opposition daily Yeni Musavat and
vice-president of the opposition Musavat party, was arrested on 27
October 2003 and remanded for three months in Baku’s Bailov prison for
stirring up public unrest (article 220.1 of the criminal code) and for
refusing to obey a police order (article 315.2). He could be sentenced
to up to 12 years imprisonment. He was accused of organising the
rioting that broke out around the country after the 15 October
presidential election. He staged a hunger-strike in prison from 1 to 9
December to demand the release of the 107 people arrested in the
protests and the application of the recommendations of the OSCE
observers’ report on the elections. Deputy prosecutor-general Ramiz
Rzayev said the gravity of the alleged offences, the possibility he
would abscond and also interfere with the investigation justified him
being held pending trial. Arifoglu, one of the regime’s fiercest
critics, had taken refuge in the Norwegian embassy between 18 and 21
October for fear of being kidnapped or physically attacked.
Sadig Ismailov, of the opposition daily Baki Khaber, was arrested in
Baku on 30 December and accused of involvement in the clashes in the
city after the 15 October election. His editor, Aydin Gouliev, said he
had been sent to Azadliq Square on 16 October to cover the
demonstrations. The Nasimi regional court ordered him detained for
three months in Bailov prison on 31 December while the case was being
investigated. He was charged under articles 220.1 and 315 of the
criminal code and faces between three and seven years in jail. There
was no evidence he was being detained because of his work as a
journalist.
At least 37 journalists arrested
Plainclothes police burst into the premises of the opposition daily
Milliyet in Baku on 23 April 2003 and arrested journalists Tahir
Abbasli and Sarkarda Sakharnova. They were freed a few hours later
after appearing before deputy prosecutor-general Ramiz Rzayev, who gave
them an “official warning” about a photomontage in the paper five days
earlier showing the demolition of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein’s
statue in Baghdad with President Heidar Aliev’s head on it instead of
Hussein’s.
Police seized 1,800 copies of the Russian-language edition of the
opposition daily Yeni Musavat on 2 May as they was leaving the
Viza-Media printers in Baku and arrested journalists Azer Aykhan,
Firdovsi Akhmedov and Sayyad Gadirli, as well as three staff of the
printing firm, including its boss, Aliovst Talishkhanly, for publishing
“anti-government” material. The journalists were freed five hours
later.
Police in 10 cars roughly arrested a group of senior journalists on 26
July as they were driving away from the Baku home of Yeni Musavat
editor Rauf Arifoglu on the way to the city’s press club. They included
Arifoglu himself, Aflatun Amashev (president) and Gunduz Takhirli
(member) of the Press Council, Mehman Aliev, head of the Turan
independent news agency, Arif Aliev, president of the press club and
head of the Yeni Nesil trade union, Ganimat Zakhidov, managing editor
of the opposition daily Azadliq, and Yeni Musavat staffers Elkhan
Hasanli, Safar Hummatov, Mirza Zeynalov and Murshud Hasanov. All were
freed an hour and a half later. Police said they had violated traffic
laws and had insulted and hit the police.
The council of the country’s media chiefs and Arifoglu said they had
heard a few days earlier of plans to arrest him. Just before the police
swooped, the heads of the main opposition press and media organisations
had gone to his home to discuss the situation.
Interior minister Ramil Usubov said on 30 July the episode would be
investigated and the police responsible punished. But no action had
been taken by the end of the year.
Rial Jafarli (Azadliq) and Ali Orujev (Milliyet) were arrested on 21
September while covering a meeting of two opposition presidential
candidates, Etibar Mamedov (National Independence Party) and Ali
Kerimly (Popular Front Party), in Lenkoran (south of Baku). Jafarli was
freed five hours later but Orujev was charged with “hooliganism” and
not released until 25 September.
Ali Ismailov (Milliyet) was beaten and briefly detained by police in
the village of Sinjanboyag (120 km north of Baku) on 3 October while
travelling with opposition candidate Issa Gambar.
Elnur Sadigov (Azadliq) was not allowed in a polling station, beaten by
police and held by them for three hours in the northern town of Ganja
on 15 October, the day of the presidential election. Two other
journalists were arrested – Parviz Hashimov (Uch Nogta news agency),
held for three hours in Ganja, and Mushfig Mamedli (the daily Baki
Khaber), who was arrested in Baku.
The Committee to Protect Journalists of Azerbaijan (RUH) said at least
16 journalists were arrested on 15 and 16 October while covering the
election and the next day’s protests. Most were freed on 22 October
after being sentenced to a few days in prison for “disturbing the
peace” or “refusing to obey orders.
Azer Qarachenli, of the weekly Avropa, disappeared between 15 to 21
October. His arrest by masked special police in front of Musavat party
offices in Baku was filmed by the TV station ANS, but the interior
ministry denied for several days he had been arrested. He had been
picked up during anti-regime demonstrations and sentenced to two weeks
in prison. He said he had not been allowed to contact the paper or see
a lawyer and had refused to sign a false statement about the
circumstances of his arrest.
Sayaf Gadoriv and Teymur Imanov, of Yeni Musavat, were arrested on 17
October as they left the paper’s offices.
Ilham Akhundov, founder and editor of the weekly Gyrkh Chirag in
Ali-Bairamly (100 km south of Baku) and a member of the opposition
Popular Front Party, was arrested at his home in the village of Mes on
18 October and two days later sentenced to 10 days in prison for
“hooliganism and using bad language in public.”
Jehyun Askerli, correspondent in Geychay (west of Baku) for Milliyet
and member of the Popular Front Party, was arrested on 19 October and
sentenced to 10 days in jail.
Police arrested Zabil Mugabiloglu, political reporter of the
pro-government daily 525, at the paper’s offices on 20 October and
taken to the Yasamal district court in Baku, where he was jailed for
two weeks for disturbing the peace.
Mustafa Hajibeyli (Yeni Musavat), was arrested on 23 October at his
parents’ home and held for several hours. Interior ministry officials
searched the apartment and took away a video cassette.
At least 99 journalists physically attacked
About 30 men attacked the offices of the opposition daily Yeni Musavat
on 4 May 2003, insulting journalists, threatening to kill editor Rauf
Arifoglu and causing a lot of material damage. They demanded an end to
articles about President Aliev’s health and to criticism of the
government. Assistant managing editor Gabil Abbasoglu, and journalists
Elshad Pashasoy, Samir Azizoglu and Khalid Kazimli were injured. The
staff, who had expected such an attack, had asked for police protection
after government officials had called for the paper to be “punished”
and the government press had called them “enemies of the country.” The
officials accused the paper of calling for Aliev’s resignation because
of his poor health. Editor Arifoglu said police protection, begun three
days earlier, had been withdrawn two hours before the attack. Three of
the attackers were jailed for between three and five days for
“hooliganism.”
Reporters Shafayat Salah (Turan news agency), Azer Ahmadov and Sahib
Ismaylov (the opposition daily Azadliq) and Elshad Memedov (the
opposition daily Khurriyet) were beaten up by police while covering a
meeting of the Popular Front Party in Baku on 24 May.
Elshad Pashasoy (Yeni Musavat), Alim Huseynov (the daily Olaylar),
Ramil Huseynov (the news agency Bilik Dunyasi), Perviz Heshimov (the
weekly Politika), Rauf Mirkadyrov (the daily Zerkalo), Abbaseli
Rustemli, Ruslan Beshirov, Ramiz Necefli, Ali Rza (all of Azadliq) and
Tapdiq Ferhadoglu (Turan) were beaten by police on 27 May while
covering a meeting of the Popular Front Party in front of the
parliament building in Baku.
Parviz Peshmili (Politika) Natig Zeynalov (Radio Free Europe / Radio
Liberty) and Nijat Daglar and Tahir Tagiyev (both of Khurriyet) were
beaten and insulted by police during a protest by opposition parties in
front of parliament on 3 June.
Mushfig Hajiyev, cameraman with the independent TV station ANS, was
attacked on 18 July by Lazim Mirzoyev, a government official in the
village of Karmachatag (in Nakichevan), who tried to seize his camera.
ANS reporter Natella Mahmudova, Kamala Surkhaygizi (Radio Free Europe /
Radio Liberty) and Malahat Nasibova (Turan), who were there with
Hajiyev to report on clashes with the Armenian army, were also set upon
and chased out of the village. Mirzoyev said he had been ordered to
keep the journalists away from the village.
Nasibova, Mahmudova and Hajiyev were beaten and insulted by police and
government officials in the village of Sadarak (Nakichevan) on 3
September while seeking information about complaints by inhabitants
against the behaviour of the local authorities. They were called spies
and traitors and ordered out of the village.
A dozen journalists and several members of the Popular Front Party were
beaten by police, including deputy police chief Yashar Aliev, as they
gathered in front of Baku police headquarters on 8 September while
opposition presidential election candidate Fuad Mustafayev was being
questioned there. Film taken by Internews was seized. Among the
journalists involved were Khalig Bakhadur (Azadliq), Azer Rashidoglu
and Metin Yasharoglu (Zerkalo), Hadija Ismailova (the daily Ekho), Rey
Kerimoglu (the paper Milli Yol), Mirjavad Ragimli (Space TV), Sukhur
Abdullayev (the daily Bu Gyun), Manaf Guliev (Internews cameraman) and
Hagani Safaroglu (Avropa). The Committee to Protect Journalists of
Azerbaijan (RUH) filed a complaint against deputy police chief Aliev on
4 December.
Irada Nureddingyzy (the opposition daily Milliyet), Nigyar Almangyzy
(the daily Express), Samira Zamanly (Khurriyet), Taptig Farhadoglu
(Turan) and Zaur Rasulzade (of the Russian-language daily Novoye
Vremya) were clubbed and stoned by police and civilians at a meeting
held by two opposition presidential candidates that police were trying
to disperse in Masaly (south of Baku) on 21 September. Zamanly was
knocked out by one of the stones.
Thugs beat people attending a meeting on 2 October held by presidential
candidates Etibar Mamedov and Ali Kerimli in the Saatli region (200 km
west of Baku) with wooden and metal objects. Among the victims were
Aflatun Guliev (editor) and Ali Orudjev (reporter) of Milliyet.
Guliev’s nose and several teeth were broken.
Fierce clashes with security forces erupted on the evening of election
day, 15 October, as thousands of people demonstrated outside the Baku
offices of the opposition party Musavat and continued the next day on
the city’s Azadliq Square. The RUH said at least 54 journalists had
been attacked over the two days. They included :
Sahil Kerimli (Lider TV), attacked by a crowd in Baku on 15 October ;
Kenul Salimgizi, Safar Humbatov, Murshud Hasanov and Salim Azizoglu
(all of Yeni Musavat), roughed up at polling station 25 in Baku and
Fahraddin Hajibeyli (Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty), beaten by
polling station officials in Agdam (350 km from Baku).
On 16 October, at least 26 journalists were beaten up by security
forces in Azadliq Square. They included : Ilkin Guliev, Zafar Guliev
(who received head injuries) and Emin Huseynov (a brain injury), all of
Turan ; Alexander Klimchuk (of the Georgian daily Tribuna) ; Sabina
Iskenderli and Fuad Hasanguliyev (who was hospitalised with head
inujuries), both of the Interfax-Azerbaijan news agency ; Agil Jamal
and Hayal Babayev (Azadliq) ; Azer Hasret, secretary-general of the
journalists’ organisation JuHi ; Shirhan Agayev (the daily Prognoz) ;
Sarkarda Sarkhanoglu, Tebriz Sadayoglu, Nabi Alishev, Adil Huseynov and
Tahir Aliyaroglu (all of Khurriyet). The last three were hospitalised
with head injuries ; Kenul Velieva, Metanet Muslimgizi and Nijat
Daglar, who was hospitalised with serious injuries ; Vasim Mamedov (the
daily Baki Khaber), hospitalised with head injuries ; Eynulla Umudov
and Etibar Savalan (the paper Galanjak Gun) ; Elza Abishova
(hospitalised), Mansura Sattarova, Lala Musa Gizi, Afgan Gafarov and
Kenan Rovshanoglu (all of the daily Cumhurriyet). The interior ministry
launched an enquiry into possible police brutality. But the authorities
said right away that most of the journalists were not covering the
protests but participating in them as opposition activists.
Harassment and obstruction
Several journalists and human rights activists staged a hunger-strike
from 22 to 28 January 2003 to protest against legalistic harassment of
the opposition daily Yeni Musavat and draw world attention to press
freedom violations in the country. Editor Rauf Arifoglu pointed to the
13 prosecutions of the paper by the authorities in just a few months
and to the threats made to its journalists. Participants included
Yadigar Mamedli (president of the Democratic League of Journalists),
Mehman Aliev (head of the Turan news agency), Ganimat Zakhidov
(president of the Azad Soz Journalists’ Union), Azer Hasret
(secretary-general of the Azerbaijan Journalists’ Confederation), Zahid
Gazanfaroglu (Yeni Musavat), Zohrab Ismayil (publisher of the
opposition daily Azadliq), Asif Marazli (editor of the weekly
Tazadlar), Mohammed Arsoy (member of the Azad Soz Journalists’ Union)
and Sanan Hasanoglu (editor of the diaspora magazine Compatriot).
Baku city authorities shut down on 28 January a newsstand run by the
Gaya distribution firm in front of the university which sold opposition
papers unavailable at the government newsstands. They said it was for
reasons of “urban improvement,” but a nearby state newsstand remained
in place.
A court in Yasamal (Baku) fined Elmar Husseynov, founder and editor of
the weekly Monitor, 4,600 euros on 4 April (under articles 147.2 and
148 of the criminal code) for libelling and insulting the honour and
dignity of Hasan Zeynalov, head of the Baku office of the autonomous
republic of Nakhichevan, in an article called “The Godfather” (in its
second issue of 2003) which compared the inhabitants of the republic
with Sicilians. Zeynalov also sued in a civil court, which awarded him
19,000 euros in damages on 25 February and ordered a denial to be
published. The editor was amnestied on 12 May for the criminal
conviction.
The independent weekly Bizim Yol was extensively harassed after it was
founded in March. Police seized copies on 20 April from four vendors in
Nizami (Baku) who were taken to a police station and questioned before
being freed. Editor Mohammed Arsoy said the seizure was because the
previous number contained a cartoon of President Aliev astride a donkey
with his son Ilham holding its tail. More copies were confiscated in
Baku the next day. All printers refused to print the paper on 11 May,
on the orders of the authorities. On 17 May, three unidentified men
stopped a van carrying 4,000 copies, threatened and insulted the driver
and took away all the papers. The magazine was forced to close after
six issues, but its journalists launched a new paper, Milli Yol, in
June. Its offices were vandalised on 10 August and computer equipment
damaged. In September and October, assistant editor Shahin Agabeyli was
summoned and reprimanded several times by the deputy prosecutor-general
for printing cartoons of government ministers. Presidential candidate
and member of parliament Gudrat Hasanguliyev threatened its journalists
in early October with reprisals if the paper continued to insult him.
The independent printers Chap Evi refused to print the paper from 15
October.
The head of Baku’s metro railway system, Tagi Ahmedov, said on 21 April
that the quarterly newspaper distribution agreements with the firms
Said and Mars-3 would only be renewed if they stopped handling
opposition papers such as Azadliq, Yeni Musavat, Khurriyet and
Milliyet. He said they printed inaccurate news about President Aliev’s
health. The firms refused to comply and in mid-May, distribution
resumed as normal.
The prosecutor-general’s office accused opposition papers Yeni Musavat,
Khurriyet, Azadliq and Milliyet on 6 May of breaking the media laws by
printing reports about President Aliev that violated journalistic
ethics.
The president’s brother Jalal told parliament on 13 May, after stories
appeared about the president’s health, that journalists who criticised
the head of state should be stripped of their accreditation to cover
parlialment.
At least 25 newspaper street-vendors were arrested in Baku on 16 and 17
May and thousands of copies of Azadliq, Yeni Musavat, Milliyet and
Monitor seized on the orders of city police chief Maharram Aliev.
A Baku court sentenced Yashar Agazade (reporter) and Rovshan Kebirli
(publisher) of the weekly Mukhalifat to five months in prison on 21 May
for libelling President Aliev’s brother Jalal in a 14 April article
saying he headed a gang that monopolised the country’s grain market.
They were both pardoned immediately.
Columnist Rauf Mirkadyrov, of the Russian-language daily Zerkalo, was
fined 82,500 manats (15 euros) on 7 July for being drunk and trying to
hit Baku mayor Hajikala Abutalibov. The journalist said he had simply
asked the mayor who was in charge of work done on a city building and
had then been set upon by police.
Justice minister Fikret Mamadov accused the media on 26 July of trying
to destabilise the country before the 15 October presidential election
and said he would act against those that defied the ban on undermining
the president’s “honour and dignity.” The warning was repeated the same
day by prosecutor-general Zakir Garalov. The day before, interior
minister Ramil Usubov had accused opposition media of printing
libellous and insulting material. A few days earlier, Yeni Musavat and
other opposition papers had written about the illness of the president,
who was hospitalised in Turkey on 8 July.
Elnur Sadigov, a correspondent for Azadliq, said on 27 August he had
been expelled from the state university in the northwestern town of
Ganja, where he was a student, because he had been detained for a week
in May for writing critical articles.
On the day of the 15 October presidential election, three journalists
were barred from polling stations – Firudin Guliyev (Garbin Sesi) by
police in Shemakha (120 km from Baku), Vidadi Bayramov (Khurriyet), who
was insulted in Salyan (140 km from Baku), and Abbasali Rustamli
(Azadliq) in Sabail (Baku).
The same day, seven journalists were insulted by polling officials.
They were Aslan Abdullayev (Molla Nasreddin), by the polling station
chief in Ujar (200 km from Baku) ; Matanat Alieva (Impuls), at station
22 in Nasimi (Baku) ; Eynulla Garayev (Fedai), in Ujar ; Medina Aliyev
(freelance), at station 38 in Baku ; Tahir Pasha (head of the
Association of Military Journalists) and Mubariz Jafarli and Mahir
Mamedli (both of Yeni Musavat), at station 15 in Sabail (Baku).
During the week after protest demonstrations on 15 and 16 October,
journalists from opposition papers Azadliq, Yeni Musavat, Khurriyet,
Baki Khaber and Yeni Zaman/Novoye Vremya were barred from parliament.
Tens of thousands of copies of Yeni Musavat, Azadliq, Khurriyet and
Baki Khaber were seized from newsstands in Baku and in the provinces on
17 and 18 October.
Two days after the election, on 17 October, the state printers refused
to print Azadliq, Yeni Musavat, Baki Khaber, Khurriyet and Yeni
Zaman/Novoye Vremya. Yeni Musavat business manager Azer Ahyan said the
firm said its workers had refused to handle the papers because they
were pro-opposition and that anyway the newspapers owed too much money.
However, the firm continued to print other (pro-government) papers also
in debt to the firm.
The five opposition papers failed to appear between 14 and 20 November
when Chap Evi, the only privately-owned printers that agreed to print
them, ran out of paper. The editors accused the authorities of creating
an artificial newsprint shortage by doubling the price of it.
Tax inspectors turned up unannounced at the offices of Milliyet on 22
October and seized four computers, as well as photos and
tape-recordings. They filmed the premises and said they were looking
for firearms. The computers were returned two days later.
Member of parliament Omaliya Panakhova told a press conference on 27
October that journalists who criticised the government “should be
killed.”
A close aide of the prosecutor-general warned Turan editor Mehman Aliev
on 28 October for reporting that elections board members who refused to
sign false voting tallies had come under official pressure.
Reporters Without Borders defends imprisoned journalists and press
freedom throughout the world, as well as the right to inform the public
and to be informed, in accordance with Article 19 of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights. Reporters Without Borders has nine
national sections (in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Spain,
Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom), representatives in
Abidjan, Bangkok, Istanbul, Montreal, Moscow, New York, Tokyo and
Washington and more than a hundred correspondents worldwide.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Buffett’s gem of a strategy
Observer – Europe

FT
Published: May 3 2004
Warren Buffett has finally revealed the secret of his investing
success. It is not all about drinking Cherry Coke and eating See’s
Candies.
Concluding a record gathering of shareholders at Berkshire Hathaway’s
annual meeting in Omaha, the famously frugal billionaire was asked how
he justified the expense of entertaining all 19,500 acolytes. Easy, he
said: get them to shop in my stores.
The upscale Borsheim’s Fine Jewelry store and the Nebraska Furniture
Mart enjoyed record sales weekends thanks to the thousands of
shareholders flushwith Berkshire-generated cash who attended and opted
to, er, reinvest their profits. Borsheim’s sales on Friday were 85 per
cent higher than on any other day in its history.
Although known for his humility, Buffett did allow himself a moment to
gloat: “The meeting was probably cheaper per shareholder than any
other meeting in the world.”
Smart moves
What is the secret of success for top DaimlerChrysler executives?
Wolfgang Bernhard, 43, the aggressive Chrysler manager, is probably
wondering after last week’s antics at the US-German car group.
While Jürgen Schrempp held on to his position as chief executive
despite all those problems over Japan’s Mitsubishi Motors, Hyundai and
the threat to his “Welt AG” (world company) strategy, Bernhard found
himself on the way out.
He had been given the job as head of Mercedes Cars. Now he has had to
hand back the keys, and is expected to leave the group.
Why? Like Schrempp, Bernhard did not lack boldness. But he did upset
lots of people, not least the trade unions and Jürgen Hubbert, the
departing headof Mercedes who now gets to look after the lions of the
autobahn for a little longer.
The word is that the job will go to Andreas Renschler, head of
Daimler’s Smart car division, who has been spending time recently
drawing up businessplans for Mitsubishi Motors.
Maybe Bernhard simply lacked that extra shiny car polish required of
DaimlerChrysler leaders. After all, Hilmar Kopper, the former Deutsche
Bankboss who heads DaimlerChrysler’s supervisory board, was quoted in
the German media at the weekend as saying “the Welt AG, it never
existed”. Thus the problems never did either?
Gadaffi’s victory
Reformed revolutionary leader Muammer Gadaffi isn’t the only Libyan
coming in from the cold. Just days after the colonel began a landmark
visit to Europe that ended 15 years of isolation, his 30-year-old son
Saadi made his debut on Sunday in Serie A, Italy’s top-flight football
division.
The younger Gadaffi, who appeared as a substitute for Perugia against
Juventus, has found that a career in Italian football is no more
predictable than his father’s “mad-dog” diplomacy.
After signing for Perugia last year, he played in a few pre-season
friendlies but was never picked for an official match. Contract
problems, a back injury and the slightly unusual fact that he was a
member of the Juventus board of directors all conspired to keep him
off the pitch.
Helpfully, he gave up his job at Juventus, but last October tested
positive for drugs and received a three-month ban.
Everything’s going right for the Gadaffis at the moment – Perugia won
1-0, boosting their fight against relegation.
Starter’s orders
Anyone needing a reminder of how varied Europe is, even before
Saturday’s enlargement, need look no further than plans for two big
sporting events onthe Continent. While Greece is still struggling to
finalise arrangements for the Olympics in a few months, Germany is
pushing ahead with the fine print of plans for the football world cup,
due to open in. . . two years.
German planners say there will be two opening ceremonies, one in
Munich just before the opening game (date for your diary: June 9,
2006), and one in Berlin the day before. The latter will have no
lesser stars than David Bowie and Paul McCartney to draw in the
crowds.
The only thing not going to plan are the national team’s preparations.
Romania beat them 5-1 last week.
Egged on
Several Fabergé eggs, part of Russia’s crown jewels, have been
repatriated. Now the jewellers are following them.
Avakian, the Armenian-born, London-based jeweller, has opened two
stores in Moscow to cater to the burgeoning ranks of the nouveau riche
such as Viktor Vekselberg, the oligarch who bought the eggs from the
US Forbes family.
Avakian marked his store openings last week in typically lavish style
by hiring Moscow’s Novaya Opera Theatre to première the lost suite of
Balanchine’s last ballet, Jewelleries.
Russia’s greatest choreographer, now dead, had always intended that
his sapphire variation should crown his last work to complete the
theme pieces on diamonds, rubies and emeralds.
Self-effacingly, Avakian took to the stage at the end to present prima
ballerina Irma Neoradze with a 34-carat sapphire ring as a token of
thanks.
In the autumn comes the party for friends, and more importantly,
clients, who include actresses Gina Lollobrigida, Catherine Deneuve
and Ursula Andress.
Prêt-à-lire
Observer hears Tom Ford’s reign as Gucci’s creative director will soon
be immortalised in a coffee table book.
Women’s Wear Daily says a “major tome” is due out some time later this
year. Details are still being finalised, but are said to include
contributions by publishing and fashion heavyweights Anna Wintour,
editor of US Vogue, and Graydon Carter, editor of Vanity Fair.
Ford is also contemplating life in the movie business – he has signed
with Hollywood super-agent Bryan Lourd at Creative Artists
Agency. He’s in danger of becoming a one-man-brand.
[email protected]
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

California Courier Online, May 6, 2004
1 – Commentary
By Harut Sassounian
California Courier Publisher
**************************************************************************
2 – George and Beatrice Casparian
Celebrate 60th Wedding Anniversary
3 – Larry Zarian Honored
For Service by GAR
4 – San Diego ANC & UC San Diego
Students Host Genocide Conference
5 – Poochigian Presents Bill to Exempt
NY Life Settlement from State Taxes
6 – Karabagh Landmines Expert
To Lecture May 15 in Glendale
7 – UAF’s 128th Airlift Delivers
$3.3 Million of Aid to Armenia
************************************************************************
1 – Commentary
American Jewish Leader Pledges
Support for Genocide Recognition
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
The Armenian-American community has had a long-running dispute with several
Jewish-American organizations for their on-going support of Turkey’s denial
of the Armenian Genocide.
Some Jewish-American groups have even gone so far as to actively lobby
against the passage of a congressional resolution on the Armenian Genocide.
They have also sided with Turkey and Azerbaijan against Armenia on several
other issues.
It is understandable that Armenia and Israel would have different strategic
interests vis-à-vis Turkey and Azerbaijan, and consequently,
Jewish-American and Armenian-American groups may find themselves, from time
to time, on the opposite sides of some issues. Nevertheless, Armenians
worldwide have been highly offended by the insensitivity shown by the
Israeli government and some Jewish-American groups with regard to the
denial of the Armenian Genocide. One would have thought that Jews, of all
people, having been victims of genocide themselves, would be on the
forefront of the battle against genocide denial.
In fact, because of this shared genocidal experience, hundreds of Jewish
scholars, writers, historians, genocide and Holocaust experts, members of
US Congress, American-Jewish organizations, and even some Israeli
government officials have affirmed the facts of the Armenian Genocide and
strongly condemned all attempts to deny it. More than a dozen
Jewish-American groups, in recent months, have joined the coalition in
support of a congressional resolution that cites the 15th anniversary of
the implementation of the Genocide Convention by the US government. The
resolution mentions the Holocaust as well as the Armenian, Cambodian and
Rwandan genocides. The few American-Jewish groups that still oppose the
reaffirmation of the Armenian Genocide by the US Congress do not represent
the mainstream of the Jewish-American community.
This handful of Jewish groups would eventually realize that notwithstanding
their support for Israel’s strategic interests, they could not in good
conscience continue being accomplices in the denial of another genocide.
Doing so would lessen their own humanity and tarnish the enormous
sacrifices made by the victims of the Holocaust!
We are therefore pleased that a high-ranking official of the American
Jewish Committee (AJC), for the first time, has made statements in support
of the affirmation of the Armenian Genocide during an Armenian Assembly of
America reception in Washington, D.C., on April 17. Dottie Bennett, the AJC
National Council Chair who was recently appointed as a member of the
governing body of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.,
spoke of the close moral ties between the Armenian and Jewish communities
based on their mutual respect for human rights, ethics and justice,
according to a press release issued by the Armenian Assembly.
More significantly, Bennett was quoted as saying: “We have a lot in common
and I am sure we will continue working together on many issues, including
the Armenian Genocide which must be recognized for what it was – Genocide….
At the AJC, we will work to make the Armenian Genocide recognition happen –
this long overdue recognition. We have new opportunities to push the
Genocide recognition agenda forward.”
These are strong and welcome words from the AJC National Council Chair. One
of the first opportunities to exhibit such mutual support would be for the
AJC to join the coalition of over 100 civil and human rights organizations
in support of the pending congressional resolution on the Genocide
Convention.
UK Finally Responds to Armenian Complaints
After ignoring the hundreds of protest letters and e-mails it received from
around the world regarding the denial of the Armenian Genocide by the
British Ambassador to Armenia, the British government finally deigned to
respond to one such letter.
The Union of Armenians of Switzerland (UAS) sent a letter to Jack Straw,
the Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom, on March 30, 2004, expressing
their “shock” at the statements made by British Ambassador. The UAS
castigated the British government’s “reluctance for political reasons to
recognize the Armenian genocide… out of economic miscalculation and
political expediency.”
The UAS also stated that the British Ambassador “succeeded in stirring up
feelings deeply rooted in the psyche of Armenians all over the world. Now
one wonders how she can serve as an ambassador in a country whose people
feel hurt by her. The least that should be done is for her to apologize.
Or, a significant diplomatic step could be taken to somehow appease the
huge wave of sentiments – a mixture of dismay, sorrow and anger – amongst
Armenians in Armenia and elsewhere in the world. A standstill would not
help settle the situation.”
Sean Rooney, the desk officer responsible for Armenia and Azerbaijan at the
Foreign & Commonwealth Office, in a letter dated April 21, told the UAS
that he was responding to “some widely reported recent comments our
Ambassador to Armenia, Thorda Abbott-Watt, made to an Armenian journalist
about the events of 1915-16…. These comments have generated numerous
responses from Armenian individuals and organizations, both to her and to
the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Your views, and those of others who
have been in touch with us on this matter, have been noted.”
Mr. Rooney, as expected, defended the denialist position of Her Majesty’s
Government and Amb. Abbott-Watt. He wrote: “Our Ambassador was responding
to a question about HMG’s position on the terrible tragedy that befell the
Armenian people during the First World War. Quite rightly, and as we would
expect, she answered with a statement of that position which is well-known
and long established. We are aware that this issue is particularly
sensitive in Armenia, and it is a matter of regret to our Ambassador if her
answer caused offense. However, she could not have done other than answer
honestly the question that was put to her and in doing so she was correctly
representing her Government’s views, and has our support.”
As I had previously stated and judging by the condescending tone and
content of Mr. Rooney’s letter, Amb. Abbott-Watt is not the real culprit in
this controversy. She is merely repeating the denialist position of the
British government. Her misfortune is that she has to face the Armenians on
a daily basis after causing such serious offense, while her bosses can
issue such shameless statements from the relative safety of the British
Isles.
By referring to the Armenian Genocide as “events of 1915-16” and “terrible
tragedy,” Mr. Rooney is repeating the denialist statements of Turkish
officials. We urge the readers to write their complaints to: Mr. Sean
Rooney, Eastern Dept., Foreign & Commonwealth Office, King Charles Street,
London SW1A 2AH, UK; Phone: 011-44-20-7008-3828; Fax: 011-44-20-7008-2164;
E-mail: [email protected].
**************************************************************************
2 – George and Beatrice Casparian
Celebrate 60th Wedding Anniversary
WOODLAND HILLS – The 60th wedding anniversary of George and Beatrice
Casparian was recently held at the Giovanni Ristorante in Woodland Hills.
The Casparians are both native Californians and still reside in the Los
Angeles area. Both were active members of the St. James Parish, serving in
many capacities from officers to chairing fashion shows, working on
publicity for the church, and in other numerous community activities.
Casparian was an original contributor to the California Courier, writing
articles and a columnist of “Faces and Places” for the paper.
The couple worked many years in the family linotype business, Central
Typesetting Co., and George Casparian also worked nights as a Typographer
Designer for the Montebello School District. Beatrice Casparian retired
from Bank of America (VP/Mgrs. Secretary) in 1987, and husband George
retired in 1990.
Since moving to West Hills in 1985, the couple has been active as
volunteers at the Ararat Home of Los Angeles. Beatrice is currently serving
as the Recording Secretary of the Ladies Auxiliary of the Ararat Home.
The Casparians have two sons, George and Deirdre Casparian, and John and
Janis Casparian. George and Beatrice Casparian are not only proud
grandparents, but great grand parents as well.
At the celebration, a 60th anniversary touching poem was written by
daughter-in-law, Deirdre Casparian, summing up the 60 years the couple has
had together.
**************************************************************************
3 – Larry Zarian Honored
For Service by GAR
GLENDALE- Larry Zarian, prominent community leader and former Mayor and
City Councilman of Glendale, was recently honored by the Glendale
Association for the Retarded (GAR) with the Campbell Service Award. The
award is given annually to a person for outstanding dedication, service and
support.
Zarian has served the Association since 1985, first as a member of the
Board of Directors and currently as a Foundation member.
Approximately one-third of the clients are of Armenian descent. The John
Gogian Family Foundation and the Lincy Foundation have supported a special
program for immigrant Armenians. Disabilities include mental retardation,
cerebral palsy and epilepsy.
The organization plans to celebrate its 50th anniversary with special
events throughout the year. Programs offered include GAR Services, a work
training center for 62 adults with developmental disabilities. In addition,
it operates three group homes: Alma House, Hamilton House, and David Gogian
House. A new program, Pastimes, serves older adults.
**************************************************************************
4 – San Diego ANC & UC San Diego
Students Host Genocide Conference
SAN DIEGO CA – The Armenian National Committee of San Diego will be hosting
an academic conference on Genocide and Denial on May 8, at the University
of California, San Diego campus. The event is the first of its kind to be
held at UC San Diego and is cosponsored by the UC San Diego Armenian
Students Association.
The conference, entitled “Western Response to Genocide”, will cover various
topics including the Armenian Genocide, the Jewish Holocaust, the Rwandan
Genocide and others. The intended emphasis of the conference will be how
the Western Culture has dealt with genocide. The conference will address a
number of genocide-related issues, including definition, history, politics,
literature, acknowledgment, prevention, associated trauma (both individual
and collective) and reconciliation and reparations. The conference will
address the many genocides of the 20th century and draw similarities and
identify differences between these crimes against humanity.
A number of panelists will participate in the conference, including:
Laurence Baron, Ph.D., Director of the Lipinsky Institute for Judaice
Studies; Rubina Peroomian, Ph.D., lecturer at the University of California,
Los Angeles; Levon Marashlian, Ph.D., Professor of History and Political
Science at Glendale Community College, Dan Alba, Regional Director of the
Los Angeles Offices of Facing History and Ourselves, and Ardashes
Kassakhian, Executive Director of the Armenian National Committee of
America – Western Region.
The conference will take place at the University of California, San Diego,
Peterson Building and will begin at 10 A.M. Parking for the conference is
free and Armenian style barbecue will be served during the break for $7.
Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters
throughout the United States and affiliated organizations around the world,
the Armenian National Committee San Diego actively advances the concerns of
the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.
**************************************************************************
5 – Poochigian Presents Bill to Exempt
NY Life Settlement from State Taxes
SACRAMENTO – Senator Chuck Poochigian (R-Fresno) has introduced Senate Bill
1689 to exempt Armenian Genocide life insurance settlements from state
taxation and other calculations related to income. The bill passed out of
the Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee last week on a 5-0 vote.
If ultimately approved by the Legislature and signed into law by Governor
Schwarzenegger, recipients of settlement payments would not have their
state income tax, financial aid or unemployment benefits negatively
impacted by their receipt of such settlements. The bill’s language mirrors
exemptions similarly afforded recipients of reparations and other legal
settlements related to the Holocaust.
“Survivors and heirs of victims of the Armenian Genocide have waited many
decades to resolve their claims. Correcting a past wrong should not have
the unintended consequence of financially harming the victims and their
heirs now,” said Senator Poochigian.
Prior to 1915, the New York Life Insurance Company wrote over 2,000
insurance policies to Armenians in the Ottoman Empire. Many of these
policies were written for individuals who became victims of the Armenian
Genocide at the hands of the Ottoman Turks. Heirs of the policies later
sued for the value of the policies. In 2004, New York Life settled with
claimants resulting in a settlement of $20 million. A significant portion
of thesettlement will go to settle claims with heirs of the policies.
Senate Bill 1689 is modeled after Senate Bill 1397 (Brulte) and Assembly
Bill 989 (Chan) which exempted Swiss bank claim settlements and restitution
payment made to victims of the Holocaust.
In 2000, Sen. Poochigian authored Senate Bill 1915 which enabled victims
and heirs of victims of the Armenian Genocide to access the California
court system to compel insurance companies to pay insurance claims owed to
victims of the Genocide. That bill received the unanimous approval of the
Legislature and
provided the opportunity to pursue contractual claims pertaining to the
recent settlement.
SB 1689 is expected to be heard next in the Senate Appropriations
Committee. No hearing date has been set.
**************************************************************************
6 – Karabagh Landmines
Expert to Lecture
May 15 in Glendale
GLENDALE – The Glendale Public Library will be the site for a May 15, 10:30
a.m., lecture from an expert explosive disposal expert who has been working
in Nagorno Karabagh to clear minefields and unexploded ordnance in the
region.
Kurt Chesko, Program Officer for the HALO Trust, will speak about his
recent visit to Nagorno Karabagh and address the impact that landmines and
unexploded ordnance (UXO) have on the local population. He will share
photographs and give a mine clearance demonstration. All are welcome to
attend.
The HALO Trust is the world’s largest humanitarian landmine clearance
organization and operates a 200-person program in Karabagh, one of the most
heavily mine-affected regions of the world.
Since 2000, HALO’s dedicated Karabaghi staff have destroyed 2,300
antipersonnel landmines, 1,000 antitank mine and over 26,000 items of UXO
since 2000.
Chekso has worked for the HALO Trust since 2001 and has cleared mines in
Afghanistan and Karabagh.
The Library is located at 222 East Harvard St. Glendale.
**************************************************************************
7 – UAF’s 128th Airlift Delivers
$3.3 Million of Aid to Armenia
GLENDALE, CA – The United Armenian Fund’s 128th airlift arrived in Yerevan
on May 1, delivering $3.3 million of humanitarian assistance.
The UAF itself collected $2.9 million of medicines and medical supplies for
this flight, most of which were donated by the Catholic Medical Mission
Board ($2.5 million); Health Partners ($150,000); MAP International
($108,000); and AmeriCares ($103,000).
Other organizations which contributed goods for this airlift were: Dr.
Stephen Kashian of Illinois ($57,000); Armenian Canadian Medical
Association ($52,000); Dr. Viken Garabedian of California ($52,000); Chene
France ($39,000); and Shoebox Sharing ($31,000).
Also contributing to this airlift were: Armenian General Benevolent Union
($17,000); Harut Chantikian of New Jersey ($15,000); Armenian Eyecare
Project ($14,000); Prof. Ernst Leumann of Switzerland ($13,000); and U.S.
Department of Agriculture ($12,000).
Since its inception in 1989, the UAF has sent $383 million of humanitarian
assistance to Armenia on board 128 airlifts and 1,043 sea containers.
The UAF is the collective effort of the Armenian Assembly of America, the
Armenian General Benevolent Union, the Armenian Missionary Association of
America, the Armenian Relief Society, the Diocese of the Armenian Church of
America, the Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America and the
Lincy Foundation.
For more information, contact the UAF office at 1101 North Pacific Avenue,
Suite 301, Glendale, CA 91202 or call (818) 241-8900.
**************************************************************************
The California Courier On-Line is a service provided by the California
Courier. Subscriptions or changes of address should not be transmitted
through this service. Information in that regard should be telephoned
to (818) 409-0949; faxed to: (818) 409-9207, or e-mailed to:
[email protected]. Letters to the editor concerning issues
addressed in the Courier may be e-mailed, provided it is signed by
the author. Phone and/or E-mail address is also required to verify
authorship.
**************************************************************************
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ArmenPress
May 3 2004
KAREKIN II LEAVES FOR PONTIFICAL VISIT TO LATIN AMERICA
ETCHMIADZIN, MAY 3, ARMENPRESS: Armenian Catholicos Karekin II has
left today for the first-ever pontifical visit to South America’s
dioceses of the Armenian Church. The visit will last from May 4 to
May 25. The first leg of his visit will be in Sao Paolo, Brazil. He
will also visit the town of Ozasko that has a strong Armenian
community.
From May 10 to May 12 Karekin II will be visiting Uruguay to give
his blessing to local Armenians. The pontifical visit will end on May
25 in Argentina, where his Holiness will visit Cordoba and Buenos
Aires cities.
During his almost one month-long visit His Holiness will give his
blessing to thousands of Armenians, he will also meet with leaders of
sister Churches, as well as state officials.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

A1 Plus | 15:13:26 | 04-05-2004 | Social |
GENERAL PROSECUTOR TO FIGHT AGAINST CORRUPTION
On March 30, 2004, Armenian General Prosecutor Aghvan Hovsepyan signed a
decree on establishing a Department for Struggle against Corruption. The
Department will have a head and 4 prosecutors.
“Tax and customs systems will be checked to disclose corruption crimes.
There is a political will to prevent corruption”, Hovsepyan says.
According to him, corruption crimes will be precluded in both economic and
legal spheres. The newly-set up Department will cooperate with the Control
Chamber of President.
Mihran Minasyan, Head of Department for Struggle against Corruption, has
phrased the purposes of activity: it turns the department will yet clarify
corruption cases. “The aim of the Department is to synthesize which of
crimes corruption is and to fight against it. It will increase efficiency of
averting corruption”. There are now corruption cases under jurisdiction that
are examined.
By Aghvan Hovsepyan’s word, the journalists will be given to the
information, which won’t run counter to the interests of preliminary
investigation.

Human Rights Watch: Human Rights News
Armenia: Investigate Abuses in Political Crackdown
Hundreds of Opposition Members Detained; Protests Put Down by Police
Violence
(New York, May 4, 2004) – Armenian authorities must investigate abuses
committed in the government’s recent crackdown against the political
opposition, Human Rights Watch today said in a briefing paper that provided
new details on the mass arrest and police violence against opposition
supporters.
On Wednesday, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE)
held an urgent debate on Armenia, calling on the government to investigate
abuses and to create “fair conditions for the media,” and warned the
government that if no progress on this by September, the PACE may
“reconsider the credentials of the Armenian delegation.” PACE also called on
the opposition to work within the country’s constitutional framework.
In early April, Armenia’s political opposition united in mass peaceful
protests to force a “referendum of confidence” on President Robert Kocharian
and to call for his resignation. The government responded with mass arrests,
violent dispersals of demonstrations, and raids on opposition party
headquarters. Hundreds were detained, many for up to 15 days, and some were
tortured or ill-treated in custody.
“The Armenian government is repeating the same sorts of abuses that called
into question the legitimacy of last year’s election and sparked the
protests in the first place,” said Rachel Denber, acting executive director
of Human Rights Watch’s Europe and Central Asia division. “The cycle of
repression must end.”
Excessive police force, particularly at a nonviolent opposition rally on the
night of April 12, caused dozens of injuries among demonstrators. The Human
Right Watch briefing paper, based on an investigation in Armenia in
mid-April, documents this violence and other abuses. Human Rights Watch
found that some of the worst injuries at that rally were caused by stun
grenades, which inflicted deep wounds in many protesters. Police also beat
journalists and confiscated their cameras.
The opposition protests derived from the government’s failure to redress the
deeply flawed 2003 presidential election won by Kocharian, the incumbent. At
that time, the authorities detained about 250 opposition activists and
supporters in an attempt to intimidate and disable the opposition in advance
of the vote. The Armenian Constitutional Court subsequently recommended that
the government hold a referendum of confidence. The government rejected the
recommendation, while the opposition insisted that the referendum be held.
In its report on the 2003 presidential election, the Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) found the vote to be “marred by
serious irregularities,” owing to “a lack of sufficient political
determination by the authorities to ensure a fair and honest process.”
“Armenia has to address the underlying causes of the opposition’s
demonstrations,” said Denber. “A first step would be to implement the
recommendations made by the OSCE following the 2003 elections.”
Human Rights Watch also called on the Armenian government to investigate the
excessive use of police force on the night of April 12, and to cease the use
of stun grenades and electric-shock equipment for the control of nonviolent
public demonstrations.
Armenia’s international partners – including the European Union, the United
States government, the OSCE and the Council of Europe – should closely
monitor the situation and condemn any new abuses that occur, Human Rights
Watch said. In particular, the United States and the European Union should
closely monitor any security-related funding, particularly for crowd-control
equipment, to ensure that it does not fuel human rights abuses.
Human Rights Watch urged the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers to
put the ongoing crisis in Armenia on the agenda of its upcoming ministerial
meeting and to call on the Armenian government to take urgent measures to
comply with its obligations as a member of the Council of Europe.
—
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Azer Tag, Azerbaijan State Info Agency
May 4 2004
BSEC ESTIMATED HIGHLY PARTICIPATION OF AZERBAIJAN IN THE
INTERNATIONAL PROJECTS
[May 04, 2004, 14:59:56]
On May 3, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov
has met the general director of the International Black Sea Center of
Researches Yannis Papanikolu.
As was informed to AzerTAj from the press center of the Ministry for
Foreign Affairs, Yannis Papanikolau thanked for hearty welcome and,
representing information on the Center, has noted, that the said
structure has been founded in December 1998 in Athens on the basis of
decision of the sessions which have been carried out in 1995-1996 by
Ministers for Foreign Affairs within the framework of the
Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation. Having
emphasized, that the Center is more known as the coordinator of the
academic cooperation, Yannis Papanikolau informed, that the mentioned
structure carries out a number of actions and projects and in the
activity pays attention to some spheres of cooperation between the
BSEC member-counties, in particular, to scientific – technological
questions. Highly estimating the role of Azerbaijan in the field of
economy and energy carriers, the visitor has noted that Azerbaijan
holds a favorable geographical position for strengthening potential
of external links of member-states.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Elmar Mamedyarov has emphasized that the
Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation is the important
structure for our country not only from the economic point of view,
but also for regional cooperation. The Minister has regarded
achievement on the carried out in 2000 in Kishinev the second session
of Council of Foreign Ministers put arrangements on the introduction
of our country in the International Black Sea Center of Researches as
the important step of wide cooperation. Having emphasized
participation of our country in a number of large economic projects,
including within the framework of projects to the
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan, TRACECA, Minister Elmar Mamedyarov has informed
the visitor that Azerbaijan possesses potential opportunities for
fruitful cooperation within the framework of structure. Having noted
the importance of stability in region for the further cooperation,
the Minister has especially emphasized necessity of settlement of the
Armenian-Azerbaijani, Nagorny Karabakh conflict on the basis of joint
efforts of the international community.
At the meeting some questions, representing mutual interest also have
been discussed.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Washington Times
May 4 2004
Georgian prez blasts ex-Russian general
Tbilisi, , May. 3 (UPI) — A retired Russian general is masterminding
sabotage attacks in former Soviet Georgia, Georgia’s president told
CNN.
Mikhail Saakashvili, president of the remote and mountainous Caucasus
republic told the network that Maj.Gen. Yuri Netkachov had commanded
forces supporting rebel Adzharian secessionist leader Aslan Abashidze
who blew up two bridges Sunday.
“I am certainly addressing the Russian government today to help us,
to spare us and to get rid of some people who fly in and blow up
bridges and stir up trouble,” he told CNN.
Russian paramilitary forces have been active in the Caucasus, aiding
Armenia against Azerbaijan and supporting the Adzharians, traditional
Russian allies, against the Georgian central government in Tbilisi.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Eurasianet Organization
4 May 2004
WATCHDOG GROUPS CRITICAL OF MEDIA CONDITIONS IN CENTRAL ASIA,
CAUCASUS
5/04/04
Two media monitoring groups have singled out Central Asia as having
one of the most hostile working environments for journalists in the
world. Media observers also noted that journalists in the Caucasus
countries of Armenia and Azerbaijan experienced an increasing level
of harassment in recent months.
The Paris-based group Reporters Without Borders (RWB) and the New
York-headquartered Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) both cited
Turkmenistan as Central Asia’s most repressive nation, where the
totalitarian system built by Turkmen leader Saparmarat Niyazov has
stifled free speech. “The regime controlled all written and broadcast
media and also did everything it could to block news from the outside
world by banning foreign newspapers and blocking access to Internet
websites,” Reporters Without Borders said in its 2004 Annual Report,
which was issued May 3 to coincide with World Press Freedom Day.
Meanwhile, CPJ detailed Turkmen government persecution of freelance
journalists working for US government-financed Radio Free Euope/Radio
Liberty, one of the few independent media outlets that operates in
Turkmenistan. “In September 2003, National Security Service agents
detained a RFE/RL stringer in the capital Ashgabat for two days,
threatened him with 20 years in prison for betraying his country, and
injected him multiple times with an unknown substance,” CPJ said in a
May 3 statement. The group added that Turkmen authorities arrested
two RFE/RL freelancers in February 2004 after one was caught
attempting to smuggle 800 copies of his banned novel. The freelancers
are face charges of inciting social, ethnic and religious hatred.
Media watchers say Uzbekistan, which was the scene of militant
attacks in late March, also tightly controls the press. “Censorship
was officially abolished in 2002, but the media was still being
censored in 2003 and no criticism of President Islam Karimov and his
policies was allowed,” the RWB Annual Report said. Uzbek media
coverage of the recent violence in Tashkent and Bukhara underscored
the government’s heavy-handed control of free speech. State-run media
largely avoided coverage of the attacks, while Uzbek officials
castigated those foreign media outlets and independent journalists
who challenged the official view of events. [For additional
information see the Eurasia Insight archive].
In public comments May 2, Britain’s ambassador to Uzbekistan, Craig
Murray, offered a scathing assessment of Uzbekistan’s media
conditions. Murray assailed the government for its censorship
practices, and criticized journalists for being “tame and useless”
and for not working harder to overcome official restrictions.
“It is not that journalists cannot do their job, it is that they will
not do their job. It is time they start it,” Murray said. “Uzbek
journalists are rather parasitical people who do not publish any
truth, don’t seek the truth, don’t try to publish it and really they
are a disgrace to their profession.”
Press conditions are comparatively better in other Central Asian
states. Yet the governments of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan
have all taken action to restrict independent media, RWB said.
In Kazakhstan, President Nursultan Nazarbayev recently drew praise
for refusing to sign a restrictive media bill into law. [For
additional information see the Eurasia Insight archive]. At the same
time, media rights groups remain critical of the Kazakhstani
government for its harassment of prominent opposition journalists, in
particular Sergei Duvanov. [For additional information see the
Eurasia Insight archive].
According to RWB, Kyrgyzstan damaged its reputation for having
Central Asia’s freest media by approving constitutional amendments in
early 2003 that impose “further curbs on press freedom.” The RWB
Annual Report also criticized the Kyrgyz government for forcing Maya
Stolitsa, a leading opposition newspaper, out of business. On the
positive side, the report expressed hope that a new US-financed
printing press would facilitate the publication of independent
newspapers and periodicals. [For background see the Eurasia Insight
archive].
In Tajikistan, President Imomali Rahmonov recently proposed
substantial tax breaks to stimulate print media development. However,
Tajik broadcast outlets, which enjoy far greater audiences than do
newspapers and periodicals, would not be eligible for the tax breaks.
[For additional information see the Eurasia Insight archive]. Despite
Rahmonov’s recent support for press independence, the RWB report said
the Tajik government “continued their extensive harassment of
independent newspapers and refused to issue operating licenses to
privately-owned TV and radio stations.”
The Caucasus has also witnessed a fair share of media harassment.
Observers say politically-related violence in Armenia and Azerbaijan
has prompted authorities in both countries to crack down on its
critics.
Robert Kocharian’s administration in Armenia has come under growing
pressure from his political opponents, who maintain the country’s
presidential and parliamentary elections in 2003 were rigged. [For
background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. In April, authorities
used force to break up opposition protests in Yerevan, with riot
police apparently targeting journalists for beatings. [For additional
information see the Eurasia Insight archive]. On April 30, an ad hoc
group calling itself In Protection of Journalists appealed to the
government to stop harassing media representatives, the Arminfo news
agency reported. “It is not known why violence against journalists is
continuing and does not get authorities’ adequate assessment,” the
group said in a written statement.
Azerbaijan has long presented independent journalists with difficult
working conditions. Since the disputed October 2003 presidential
election, President Ilham Aliyev has maintained considerable pressure
on opposition-allied media outlets. [For additional information see
the Eurasia Insight archive]. “The hoped-for wave of reform after
Ilham Aliev, son of longtime leader Heidar Aliev, became president
… did not come,” the RWB report said. “Opposition media remained
under broad pressure, there was no diversity in broadcasting and the
regime did not fulfill its international commitments.”
Meanwhile, Georgia received a mildly favorable review from RWB, which
noted that the coming to power of President Mikheil Saakashvili’s
administration in January “raised fresh hopes” that the development
of independent media would accelerate.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Reuters, UK
4 May 2004
Armenians rally to demand president resign

YEREVAN, May 4 (Reuters) – About 6,000 Armenians braved heavy rain on
Tuesday to demand the resignation of President Robert Kocharyan in
the latest in a series of mass protests in the capital.
The Armenian opposition, which accuses Kocharyan of rigging last
year’s presidential election, has hoped to emulate the example of
neighbouring Georgia, where protesters overthrew the president last
November in a bloodless revolution.
“We must decide in what country we want to live: in an isolated one,
ruled by force; or in a developed democratic country,” Stepan
Demirchyan, leader of the Justice Party and runner-up in the
elections told the rally in Yerevan.
“The size of this meeting in such weather shows that we support
democracy,” he said, while supporters waved flags and chanted
“Kocharyan resign”.
Kocharyan has dismissed any suggestion that Armenia might follow
Georgia in overthrowing its leader. The authorities used water
cannons to disperse a similar meeting last month.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress