Author: Frangulian Shushan

ASYLUM STRUGGLE REPORTER DEPORTED
By David Thomson

This Is Lancashire, UK
April 19 2007

Comment
A FOREIGN journalist who settled in Bury after fleeing her native
Armenia following death threats has lost her fight to remain in the UK.

Gina Khatcharyan, her husband Vahan and five-year-old daughter Elena,
who attended a local primary school, were put on an Armenian-bound
plane by Home Office officials last Friday.

The 30-year-old television reporter had arrived in Britain in 2003
and claimed asylum.

She had apparently witnessed ballot rigging during local elections in
Armenia and received death threats when she informed the authorities.

Fearing for her life and the safety of her husband and daughter,
Gina sought asylum in the UK.

The family lived for some time in Cateaton Street, Bury, before
moving to Salford last year. Her daughter was a pupil at Heap Bridge
Primary school.

Gina was a member of the Bury-based Castaways group which meets
regularly at the town’s Mosses Centre to provide support and social
activities for local refugees and asylum seekers.

Earlier this year, a Castaways Campaign was launched to try to persuade
the Government to grant a family amnesty to asylum seekers and their
children. The last one was granted in October, 2000.

Sue Arnall, who is attached to the campaign, said: "As far as I am
aware, Gina lived in Bury until last July before moving to Salford.

"I have known her for 18 months and she is a very bubbly, lovely
and glamorous person. She would come to our Castaway group to meet
friends."

She had been unaware that Gina was facing deportation. "She never
asked me to get involved in her campaign or to intervene in any way
in her immigration situation.

"But Gina rang one of our Castaways members on Tuesday of last week,
saying she and her family had been picked up during the early hours
of the previous day. Their street in Salford had been cordoned off.

They were then taken to a detention centre.

"I spoke to her on Friday when she was in the holding room at Heathrow
Airport and she was very distressed.

"Fellow journalists had raised money to get a human rights lawyer.

But Gina was refused access to a fax machine."

Prior to boarding the plane last Friday, the National Union of
Journalists had attempted an eleventh-hour intervention but were
unable to prevent the deportation going ahead.

It is understood that the Home Office felt the risks to Gina and her
family were not sufficient to allow her to remain in the UK.

However, there are conflicting reports as to the whereabouts of
the journalist.

Sue believes that Gina landed in Armenia and, despite fears, was not
arrested at the airport and has since gone underground.

But Jenny Lennox, a Manchester-based full time official of the National
Union of Journalists, understands that Gina has been allowed to settle
safely in Russia.

In the meantime, however, Sue says that Gina’s case reinforces the
aims and objectives of the Castaways Campaign in pressing for a family
amnesty for asylum seekers and their children.

She stressed: "There are hundreds of children living here and going
to Bury schools who are in the exact same situation.

"Children must not be used as pawns like this and must be allowed to
remain here."

GOVT TO BAN ARTUR MARGARYAN WEDDING IN KENYA
By Mwnangi Maina, Edwin Mutai

Kenya Times, Kenya
April 19 2007

THE Government yesterday maintained that it would under no
circumstances allow the two deported Armenian brothers back into
the country, as Parliament adjourns this afternoon to debate the
dou’s saga.

Immigration Minister Gideon Konchella said Margaryan and his alleged
brother Artur Sargasyan had not been cleared of criminal charges
levelled against them, and for this reason remained personal non-grata.

He said Margaryan will not be allowed to hold his intended wedding
to Narc activist Mary Wambui’s daughter Winnie Wangui here in Kenya.

This came as Deputy Speaker David Musila issued a communication from
the chair allowing Ndhiwa MP Orwa Ojode to move a motion of adjournment
to debate reasons as to why the Kiruki Commission on the activities
of the exiled Armenians cannot be released."I have considered the
matter and have acceded to the request. I will therefore call on the
Member to move the motion of adjournment at the time of interruption
of business tomorrow," Musila said.

The duo, the Minister on his part said, would only be allowed back if
internal security Minister John Michuki and other relevant authorities
cleared them of all wrong doing and the same was gazetted accordingly.

"The two were deported for being here illegally. They will not
be allowed to enter the country or hold the said wedding here,"
Konchella said.

He was speaking after opening an immigration seminar organised by
the Kenya Association of Manufacturers at a Nairobi hotel.

Margaryan, who is at the centre of media reports of a plot to
assassinate opposition leaders including Baringo Central MP Gideon
Moi, was quoted in one of the local dailies on Tuesday as saying
that nothing would bar him from entering the country to wed the Narc
activist Mary Wambui’s daughter.

"Neither the security minister nor the police commissioner will stop
me form coming to Kenya, ," he was quoted in a telephone conversation
from Sri Lanka.

Armenian Assembly of America
1140 19th Street, NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: 202-393-3434
Fax: 202-638-4904
Email: [email protected]
Web:

PRESS RELEASE
CONTACT: Lena Kaimian
April 18, 2007
Phone: (310) 360-0091
Web:
E-mail: [email protected]

COLORADO CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION UNANIMOUSLY SUPPORTS THE ARMENIAN
GENOCIDE RESOLUTION

Beverly Hills, CA – The Armenian Assembly announced today that the
entire Colorado congressional delegation unanimously supports the House
and Senate Armenian Genocide Resolutions.

Congressman Mark Udall (D) was the first member of the Colorado
congressional delegation to cosponsor this bipartisan resolution,
followed by Representatives Marilyn Musgrave (R), Diana DeGette (D),
Doug Lamborn (R), Ed Perlmutter (D) and John Salazar (D). Also, Thomas
Tancredo (R), pledged to the Assembly that he will sign on as a
cosponsor of H. Res. 106. In addition, Senators Wayne Allard (R) and Ken
Salazar (D) are supporters of the Armenian Genocide Resolution, S. Res.
106.

The Assembly’s Colorado ARAMAC (Armenian American Action Committee)
State Chair Pamela Barsam Brown has been working closely with the
offices of the state’s lawmakers.

“Colorado’s Senators and Representatives have been wonderful in their
tremendous support of reaffirmation of the U.S. record of the Armenian
Genocide,” said Barsam Brown. “We hope other states will follow
Colorado’s example.”

In addition to congressional support, the Armenian Genocide has also
been acknowledged at the state and municipal governmental levels.
Governor Bill Ritter of Colorado and Mayor John Hickenlooper of Denver
have both issued proclamations on the Armenian Genocide.

The Colorado State legislature has also issued a joint resolution
sponsored by State Senators Stephanie Takis and Lois Tochtrop and State
Representative Michael Garcia, stating that “Remembrance of April 24,
2007 and every April 24th hereafter as Colorado Day of Remembrance of
the Armenian Genocide.”

“We greatly appreciate the active support of the entire Colorado
delegation in affirming the incontestable fact of the Armenian
Genocide,” said Assembly Executive Director Bryan Ardouny. “We applaud
the activism and dedication of Pamela Barsam Brown and the Colorado
Armenian community for this achievement.”

The Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based
nationwide organization promoting public understanding and awareness of
Armenian issues. It is a 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt membership organization.
The Armenian Assembly is also a member of the Colorado Coalition for
Genocide Awareness and Action.

###
NR#2007-052

Romania Trade Fair
Junior Achievement of Armenia
Hanrapetutyan 62, spt. #89
Yerevan, Republic of Armenia
Tel: 37410 54-22 39
Fax: 37410
– 54 22 39
Contact: Gayane Vardanyan
Email: [email protected]
Web: www. jaarmenia.org

Junior Achievement of Armenia Students Take Part in
Junior Achievement Trade Fair in Romania

`Belts,’ the student company of Etchmiatzin School Number 4,
represented Armenia’s
Junior Achievement Program at the annual JA-YE European Student Trade Fair
from April 29 to March 1 at the capital of Romania. More than 76 companies
from 30 European countries took part in the extravaganza – the annual
competition that brings together the best of student companies to
display their products. The event also gives the young entrepreneurs
an opportunity to market their goods in a European city. Throughout
the year, the students learn the theory of economics and apply their
knowledge in creating student business companies. To this end, they
conduct marketing research, issue stock to raise capital, manufacture
the product, and develop marketing strategies.

The students of Etchmiatzin School had created a unique product – a
belt made of wooden beads that could also be used as a massage
belt. The product survived a rigorous national competition in Armenia
and was chosen to represent the country internationally.

`We were so proud to
have been chosen to participate in this prestigious event. We had
worked very hard on establishing our business and were very happy to
be rewarded for all of our work,’ said Anoush Meykhanajyan, one of the
student representatives.

Anna Hovhannisyan, the designer of the product added, `I learned a lot
from the experience. It is one thing to watch other people conduct
business; it is another to actively do it. Our trip was so
wonderful. We got to learn much from other student companies and our
experiences in selling our product. We met wonderful people form all
over the world and we made so many friends. We also very much enjoyed
learning about Romania and its culture.’

Armine K. Hovannisian, Executive Director of Junior Achievement of
Armenia, accompanied the students on their five-day trip. `This is the
third year that we are taking part in this very important event. We
were honored that our nation’s diplomatic representatives attended the
trade fair and encouraged our students with their presence. We are
also grateful to Cynthia Tusan, who made it possible for our students
to continue taking part in this important event. I think the
experience is priceless for those involved.’

CHRISTIAN-ISLAMIC DIALOGUE WORLD COMMITTEE VISITS ANTELIAS CATHEDRAL

Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Apr 17 2007

ANTELIAS, APRIL 17, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. His Holiness
Aram I Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia received on April 12
Secretary General of the Christian-Islamic Dialogue World Committee
Yusef Faran. Noyan Tapan was informed about it by the Press Services
of the Great House of Cilicia Catholicosate.

During the meeting the Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia touched
upon the Christian-Islamic and in general interreligious international
conferences organized at the Antelias Cathedral and in other countries
during the previous years. Y. Faran in his turn presented the present
state of the Christian-Islamic dialogue at the international level,
informed about a number of programs to be implemented in future.

4th STAGE OF ADVANCED COURSES OF PERSIAN LANGUAGE COMPLETES

YEREVAN, APRIL 16, NOYAN TAPAN. Students of several Armenian higher
educational institutions, as well as teachers of Persian language
passed retraining in the fourth stage of advanced courses of Persian
language. The advanced courses were held with cooperation of Center
for Culture of Embassy of IRI, a number of Armenian higher educational
institutions and RA Union of Writers. The courses were conducted by
two lecturers who had arrived from Iran.

As it was mentioned at the April 16 event organized at RA Union of
Writers dedicated to the closure of 4th stage of courses, the two
countries and peoples are connected with each other with historic and
cultural sources. It is not accidental that as a result of Hrachya
Acharian’s studies it was found out that there are 1405 words of
Iranian origin in the Armenian language.

The address of RA Minister of Education and Science Levon Mkrtchian
was published at the event. The Minister, in particular, attached
importance to cultural dialogue, as well as expressed readiness to
assist in the issue of ensuring program’s continuation.

IRI Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Armenia Alireza
Haghighian, RA Deputy Minister of Culture and Youth Affairs Gagik
Gyurjian were present at the event.

A1+

CHECHENS YEARN TO RETURN TO MOUNTAINS
[01:35 pm] 14 April, 2007

Deserted villages are mute testimony to a history of deportation and
war.

As the mountain road winds its way past the Chechen mountain village
of Shatoi higher to the small settlement of Tuskharoi, the signs of
habitation get fewer. At one point, you glimpse the breathtaking sight
of two whitewashed houses deep in the heart of a virgin forest.

Tuskharoi lies at the very top of the mountain. Fifteen years ago, a
90-year-old old man named Alauddin lived here next to a family of
Chechen herders, who had left behind good jobs in the Baltic port of
Kaliningrad to resettle in their ancestral village.

When Stalin deported the entire Chechen population from their homeland
in 1944, these mountain villages – the oldest Chechen settlements –
fell into disrepair. When the Chechens were allowed to return from
exile by Nikita Khrushchev in 1957, they were forbidden to resettle in
the highlands. Those who defied the ban and tried to live in their
ancestral villages were forcibly moved down to the plains.

Only in the early Nineties, when Chechnya declared unilateral
independence from Moscow, did people begin to repopulate these old
villages.

In recent years, as war has raged in Chechnya, history has repeated
itself and the highland areas have again become a no-go area,
accessible only to the Russian military. Now a struggle is under way
between locals, the military and the Chechen government to determine
who has the right of access to these ancient beautiful areas.

Chechen experts say the restricted border zone along the frontier with
Georgia should extend only five kilometres into the interior, and must
skirt inhabited areas. So a village like Tuskharoi, 40 kilometres from
the border, should be openly accessible. However, this village of
35-40 households is still deserted and the owners have yet to return
because of a long-running dispute with the military.

Magadin Albastov, who comes from the village but now lives in lowland
Chechnya, told IWPR, "My father and brothers were among those who
rebuilt Tuskharoi in the early Nineties. I lived in my home village
too, earning a living for my family from farming. I am ready to return
to the land of my ancestors at any moment – but the military gives us
no chance to do so.

"We cannot live in an area where the military are located, nor do we
want to. This is a small area high in the mountains where you can’t
build a house at a distance from other people. And the reality of
Chechnya is that it isn’t safe to stay next door to men who are armed
to the teeth."

Ismail Munayev, who heads the Chechen branch of the Russian service
for protecting cultural heritage, said a military barracks had been
built in Tuskharoi without consultation with the local authorities,
and without his consent.

The highland areas are home to Chechnya’s most valuable architectural
heritage. For centuries, inaccessible steep-sided gorges, ravines and
high cliffs have protected hundreds of ancient mountain towers, vaults
and shrines from marauders.

However, these buildings have suffered badly from the years of
conflict, and have also been damaged by the Russian soldiers deployed
in the mountains.

The old buildings are supposed to be cared for by the Argun Museum
Reserve, which covers a large area of the southern and south-eastern
Chechen mountains. But the whole area has been controlled by the
Russian military and border guards for the past several years, after
airborne troops captured it in 2000.

Said Saratov, director of the Argun reserve, said military leaders had
told him that they would now agree to the return of the highland
villagers, but he said the trouble was that the villagers feared
living in proximity to Russian soldiers.

"The mountain villagers themselves don’t want to live in villages and
hamlets side by side with the military; they want the units to be
withdrawn. That’s the disagreement, one that cannot be resolved for
the time being," he said.

It is only within the last year, as fighting has ebbed in Chechnya,
that heritage officials Ismail Munayev and Said Saratov have been
allowed back into the area.

Since then there has been confusion about who owns these lands. In
December, the Chechen government decided to lease more than 3,000
hectares of the Argun reserve’s territory to the military and border
guards. Then in February, the government overturned its own decision.

"Besides, the Argun Museum Reserve has [Russian] federal status," said
Munayev. "And it’s up to the federal authorities to take decisions
regarding reserve lands."

In an attempt to ease tensions, the military has offered compensation
to the residents of Tuskharoi, but some villagers have refused to
accept it, saying they want to be allowed to return home
unconditionally.

"Some mountain villagers did receive compensation for lost property,"
said Shamil Tangiev, head of the Grozny office of the human rights
organisation Memorial. "But since they’d given up hope of returning to
home, they spent the money on day-to-day things."

Some 20 villages in the remote Vedeno and Shatoi regions are still
off-limits to Chechen officials and villagers alike.

"This [off-limits] territory includes the medieval settlements of Khoi
and Makazhoi, where a large number of monuments are concentrated,"
said museum director Saratov. "Even as director of the reserve, I have
been unable to influence the situation, as access to the area has been
blocked, and my ID card means nothing at checkpoints located any
further up than than Kharachoi."

Saratov said he had asked a Russian military commander for a written
permit to pass through checkpoints but had been refused.

Even when the highland villagers do get back home, says
non-governmental activist Yelena Burtina, there is almost nothing for
them there. Most of the houses have been destroyed and there is no
infrastructure in the mountain villages. The villagers have no money
to start farming, and their livestock is under threat from wild
predators, which have proliferated in the absence of human settlement.

The Chechen authorities are beginning to edge closer towards saving
their ancient medieval settlements from destruction, but it will be
many years before they can actually be inhabited.

By Amina Visayeva in Grozny

Amina Visayeva is a correspondent with the Groznensky Rabochy
newspaper. Institute for War and Peace Reporting’s Caucasus Reporting
Service

Safarov’s attorney to file an appeal

ArmRadio.am
13.04.2007 17:20

Azerbaijani murderer Ramil Safarov’s attorneys intend to appeal the verdict
of the Court of Appeal no later than June, Day.az reports.

In attorney Ikram Shirinov’s words, a few days ago he received the verdict
of the Court of Appeal and is currently familiarizing himself with the
document.

`After studying the document I will consult with Ramil Safarov, his family
and the Hungarian attorney and will take the decision on filing an appeal.’

The leader of the Liberal and Progressive Party thinks that election in
Armenia have been turned into farce

Arminfo
2007-04-14 16:14:00

The leader of the Liberal and Progressive Party [LPP] of Armenia,
Onanes Ovannesyan, said at the press-conference in Azdak discussion
club that election in Armenia as well as all the rest democratic
institutions have been turned into farce.

While commenting on the course of the election campaign, he called
that passive as the society does not trust in the results of the
elections and does not think that something may be changed by means of
the elections. He also added that the power parties break the Election
Code almost every day over their election campaign delivering money
and collecting passports of voters. As for the LPP, Ovannesyan thinks
that about 40% of voters support its programme but 95% of them prefer
not to take part in the election as they do not trust in their
justice. Anyway, the forthcoming parliamentary and presidential
elections will become crucial for the country as according to their
results it will become clear if Armenia is developing the way of
democracy or will continue . At the same time one cannot say that the
society feels apathy to what is taking place. The society which does
not trust in the authorities, the opposition or its own future may
start setting "its own justice" in its own way and this is very
dangerous and unpredictable, the leader of the LPP concluded.

To recall, the LPP decided not to take part in the forthcoming
parliamentary election but Ovanes Ovannesyan nominated his candidacy
in the 5th election district of Yerevan.

EUROPEAN MPS CONCERNED ABOUT ARMENIAN ‘VOTER APATHY’
By Ruzanna Khachatrian

Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
April 13 2007

Visiting parliamentarians from the Council of Europe expressed concern
at what they see as a widespread voter apathy reigning in the run-up
to Armenia’s parliamentary elections as they ended a three-day visit
to Yerevan on Friday.

Preparations for the May 12 vote dominated their meetings with
President Robert Kocharian, other senior government officials and
leaders of the country’s main political groups involved in the election
campaign. The four members of the Council of Europe Parliamentary
(PACE) reaffirmed the significance of its proper conduct for Yerevan’s
membership in the Strasbourg-based organization and broader efforts
at European integration.

"The [PACE] Delegation was heartened by the assurances of the Armenian
authorities, and all political stakeholders it met, that it is their
intention to hold elections that fully meet Council of Europe stands
for democratic elections," they said in a statement released to
local journalists.

The delegation headed by Dutch lawmaker Leo Platvoet was at the
same time worried about continuing inaccuracies in voter lists and
the Armenian authorities’ earlier refusal to introduce the inking of
voters’ fingers, which was advocated by Council of Europe experts and
Armenian opposition politicians. The proposed measure was supposed
to prevent multiple voting for pro-government parties and individual
candidates, a practice that was reportedly commonplaces in the previous
Armenian elections.

"The delegation was concerned over its overall impression of a lack
of popular interest in the election process by the electorate," read
the PACE statement. "Such attitudes of apathy, or even cynicism,
are not conducive to the development of democracy in Armenia."

The last parliamentary elections held in May 2003 were characterized
by a record-low voter turnout. The authorities put it at just over
50 percent, a figure opposition leaders rejected as grossly inflated.

Many Armenians clearly continue feel that election results are
predetermined by the authorities and that their votes would therefore
not make a difference.

The PACE members suggested another explanation for the perceived
apathy: "The delegation was not able, with few notable exceptions,
to discern marked differences between the political platforms of
the contenders. It was left with the impression that the upcoming
elections are regarded by many as a struggle between political elites
and not between concepts and ideas."

The European lawmakers went on to deplore the "exorbitant costs"
of campaign advertisements that have been set by Armenia’s leading
television stations loyal to President Robert Kocharian. They also
strongly condemned Thursday’s explosions outside two Yerevan offices
of the pro-Kocharian Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK).

The PACE urged Armenia to break with its troubled electoral past and
to ensure the freedom and fairness of the upcoming elections, in a
resolution adopted last January. The authorities in Yerevan say they
are doing their best to achieve that goal. They argue, in particular,
that most of the recently enacted amendments to the Armenian Electoral
Code are based on Council of Europe recommendations.

A group of PACE members are expected to monitor the elections
along with about 350 observers to be deployed by the Organization
for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Parliament speaker Tigran
Torosian said on Friday that all but one parties represented in the
outgoing National Assembly have agreed to form an ad hoc working
committee that will promptly examine and address observer concerns
in the weeks leading up to the contest.