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Author: Hagop Kamalian

CivilNet: From Presidential Candidate’s Claims to Supposed Acquisition of ArmNews: This Week In Fake News

Hagop Kamalian
CIVILNET.AM

10 Feb, 2022 03:02

By Hovhannes Nazareyan

This is part of the weekly series by #CivilNetCheck – an initiative that will look at the week’s fake news and dubious claims – circulating in Armenia (and about Armenia).

Presidential Candidate Wrong on Corruption Report

On February 3, Vahagn Khachaturyan, Minister of High-Tech Industry and the ruling party’s presidential candidate, made baseless claims on the legality of demonstrations and Transparency International’s reports on corruption. (President Armen Sarkissian had resigned from the post on January 23 and the country’s National Assembly is due to elect a new president in the coming weeks).

Khachaturyan told journalists that Transparency International, an international anti-corruption organization based in Berlin, had, for years, singled out Armenia as having “systemic corruption” and described Armenia’s corruption level as “state capture.” This is defined by the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) as a timeframe “when the ruling elite and/or powerful businessmen manipulate policy formation and influence the emerging rules of the game (including laws and economic regulations) to their own advantage.”

Khachaturyan noted that under the current government, assessments of “systematic corruption” and “state capture” have been removed from the organization’s reports. However, #CivilNetCheck found that Khachaturyan’s claims are dubious. Transparency International has never singled out Armenia as having systemic corruption. The organization’s Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), an annual ranking of countries based on how corrupt their public sectors are perceived to be, countries with a score below 50 are considered to have “systemic corruption”. Since the current methodology was put in place in 2012, Armenia has always scored below 50. From 2018 to 2020, after the Velvet Revolution, Armenia’s score climbed significantly, from 35 to 49, but still remained below 50.

Khachaturyan also claimed that the protests against the spike in car insurance prices a few days earlier were “most likely illegal.” On January 31, several protesters demonstrating against the price hike were arrested in Yerevan’s Republic Square. Khachaturyan was referring to the legal requirement to get permits for demonstrations beforehand. However, this requirement does not apply to small demonstrations consisting of less than 100 participants, or demonstrations that are “urgent and spontaneous.” The January 31 demonstration had several dozen participants and, thus, was excepted from the requirement to get a permit. So, unlike his claim, the protests were completely legal.

Ruben Vardanyan Hasn’t Acquired ArmNews

In January, several Armenian outlets claimed that Ruben Vardanyan, a Russian-Armenian billionaire and philanthropist, had acquired shares in ArmNews, a TV channel with nationwide coverage. However, Vardanyan denied this in an interview with CivilNet. Furthermore, there have been no changes in the declaration of real owners of ArmNews. Its current shareholders are four former parliament deputies from then-ruling Republican Party: Arman Saghatelyan, Samvel Farmanyan, Mihran Hakobyan, and Karen Bekaryan.

Ruben Vardanyan is seen as being behind or affiliated with the A Country to Live In Party founded in August 2021 by Mane Tandilyan and Mesrop Arakelyan, two former Ministers of Labor and Social Affairs of Armenia. Tandilyan is the incumbent Minister of Social Affairs of Artsakh. Although Vardanyan has denied that he’s behind the party, he participated in their campaign in the local elections in December 2021.

The alleged acquisition of ArmNews is speculated to become Vardanyan’s media base for his prospective political career in Armenia, which he has hinted at previously.

Turkey-Armenia Flights Didn’t Begin in 2003

On February 2, the first Yerevan-Istanbul and Istanbul-Yerevan flights took place for the first time since 2019.

#CivilNetCheck wrote a few weeks ago that despite claims to the contrary, the first Yerevan-Istanbul flights did not take place in the 2000s, but much earlier. This week a more detailed historical review of Yerevan-Istanbul flights was published by CivilNet. The first Yerevan-Istanbul flights actually occurred, according to Armenia’s Civil Aviation Committee, in the late 1980s. In 1993, after Armenian forces captured Kelbajar (Karvachar), Turkey closed its airspace for Armenia, but these flights resumed in 1995. By then, Armenian Airlines had irregular weekly flights to Istanbul.

With the ongoing attempt to normalize relations with Turkey, Yerevan-Istanbul flights are often used by politicians, especially in parliament, to attack each other and score points. Earlier Vagharshak Hakobyan, a parliament deputy from the ruling Civil Contract Party, had claimed that the first Yerevan-Istanbul flights had taken place in 2003, during Robert Kocharyan’s presidency. Hakobyan was likely referring to the first flight by a Turkish airline. It took place in October 2003 and was organized by Tower Travel, a Turkish company owned by the Turkish-Armenian businessman Dikran Altun.

CivilNet: Armenia yet to make a decision regarding participation in Turkish diplomatic forum

Hagop Kamalian
CIVILNET.AM

02 Feb, 2022 10:02

  • Armenia is yet to make a final decision regarding participation in a diplomatic forum in Turkey, says Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan.
  • Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk discusses restoring regional railway networks with his Armenian counterpart.
  • Chairman of the Central Bank of Armenia explains strategy to tackle rising inflation rate.

Credits: Ruptly

Relations should not be established without Armenia refusing Genocide recognition demand, says Turkey party leader

Hagop Kamalian
  News.am  
Armenia – Jan 31 2022
12:00, 31.01.2022

The chairman of the True Path Party (DYP) of Turkey has made a statement in connection with Armenian-Turkish relations.

Cetin Ozacikgoz noted that Turkey is getting ready to normalize relations with Armenia, Anadolu Gazete reported.

But he insisted that establishing relations with Armenia without the latter refusing from demand for the recognition of the Armenian Genocide is against Turkish patriotism, and the Turkish Foreign Ministry should discuss this matter well.

Azerbaijani press: Baku, Tehran to construct new bridge over Astarachay [PHOTO]

Hagop Kamalian
25 January 2022 17:56 (UTC+04:00)
648

By Ayya Lmahamad

Baku and Tehran have signed a protocol on the construction of a new bridge over the Astarachay River on the Azerbaijani-Iranian border, Trend has reported.

The document was signed by Azerbaijani Deputy Minister of Digital Development and Transport Rahman Hummatov and Iranian Deputy Minister of Roads and Urban Development Kheirollah Khademi.

Azerbaijani Deputy Prime Minister Shahin Mustafayev stated that the construction of a new road bridge will be completed by the end of the year.

"Today the laying of the foundation of the bridge will take place, which will be built and put into operation in a short time, namely by the end of this year," he said.

Cooperation in liberated lands reconstruction

Moreover, Iranian Roads and Urban Development Minister Rostam Ghasemi noted that Iran, within the framework of cooperation with Azerbaijan, will contribute to the reconstruction of the country's liberated territories.

"I am confident that relations between the people of our countries will continue to develop. Iran is interested in strengthening ties with neighboring countries, in particular with friendly Azerbaijan," he said.

In this context, Mustafayev also stated that Iranian companies are planning to be involved in the restoration of Azerbaijani liberated lands.

Industrial parks

Mustafayev added that the branch of the Iranian Tractor Manufacturing Plant based in Tabriz city may become a resident of the Araz Valley Economic Zone industrial park in Azerbaijan.

He added that bilateral cooperation in the transport field opens up new opportunities for Azerbaijan.

"We have launched a new format of cooperation in the new geopolitical realities created after the Azerbaijani territories’ liberation. The Azerbaijani government, despite that our territories were completely destroyed, is pursuing a policy of peace and development of relations with all neighbors," he said.

During the meeting, it was noted the next meeting of the Iranian-Azerbaijani intergovernmental commission is planned to be held in early March this year.

After liberating its lands from Armenian occupation in the 44-day war in 2020, Azerbaijan regained control over a 132-km section of the Azerbaijan-Iran border. The re-establishment of control over the state border opened up new prospects for deeper cooperation between the two countries.

It should be noted that Azerbaijan and Iran's trade turnover in 2020 was $339.1 million. In the first 11 months of 2021, this figure was $390.4 million.

First Ombudsperson: No document on Armenia recognition of Azerbaijan’s Soviet borders

Hagop Kamalian
  News.am  
Armenia – Jan 29 2022
First Ombudsperson: No document on Armenia recognition of Azerbaijan's Soviet borders
17:00, 29.01.2022

Author: Mariam Levina

This year marks the 30th anniversary of a number of significant events in the history of independent Armenia. Despite the small time distance by historical standards, not everyone now has a correct idea of the events of those years. The respective facts and documents were discussed in the below interview to Armenian News-NEWS.am by the First Ombudsperson of Armenia, human rights activist Larisa Alaverdyan.

How did the internationalization of the Nagorno-Karabakh [(Artsakh)] conflict begin?

2022 is a special year in the history of independent Armenia. It was in 1992 that Armenia became a member of the European Conference on Security and Cooperation, which later became the OSCE. Thus began Armenia's entry into the international community. Although the process of sovereignty and independence began in 1990, Armenia, like other former USSR republics—except the Baltic states—was not yet a member of the international community, was not a member of the UN, was not a member of the OSCE, as well as was not a participant in or member of other international intergovernmental organizations.

The only thing that happened before 1992 was in the end of December 1991, when Armenia, along with several other former Soviet republics, began the process of joining the CIS, which was founded in early December by Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine. It should be noted that Azerbaijan (represented by A. Mutalibov), which was present at the meeting of the leaders of the countries participating in the meeting in Almaty, did not join the CIS. (It happened in September 1993, after the military coup, when the popularly elected President A. Aliyev (Elchibey) was overthrown and H. Aliyev seized power). The Baltic states were not included in the CIS; they were recognized by the members of the international community back in September 1991.

In January 1992, Armenia and Azerbaijan invited the OSCE Mission to the region, which visited Armenia, Azerbaijan, and the NKR [(Nagorno-Karabakh Republic)] in February. The history of the formation of the CSCE deserves special attention. Few remember that the organization was established on the initiative of the Soviet Union. It was the Soviet Union and the other countries of the Warsaw Pact that offered to sign such an agreement in the early [19]70s, whose participants will be both Western and Eastern European countries, as well as Canada and the United States; that is, the two opposing camps (socialist and capitalist) of the time, as they thought the Cold War was over.

During the two years (1973-1975), as a result of discussions, the Helsinki Final Act (HFA) was formulated and adopted, which played a significant role in the institutional development of the CSCE. The HFA's goal was to unite—30 years after the end of World War II—the borders and territories of the states that then resolved the existing, if not disputes, then the "unevenness," and consolidate the easing of international tensions.

When we talk about the CSCE (OSCE since 1995) and the UN, it is necessary to distinguish the positions of these organizations on the principle/right of peoples to self-determination. In the UN documents, the self-determination of peoples is a RIGHT, whereas in the HFA it is interpreted as one of the ten PRINCIPLES which will play its unique role in the future, proceeding from the political interests of the OSCE members. Looking ahead, we note that the OSCE Lisbon Summit (December 1996) proposed three principles for the settlement of the "Karabakh conflict," previously agreed with the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan, according to which Nagorno-Karabakh (not NKR) can self-determine as part of Azerbaijan, not to be independent of it as it already existed. And all that was "substantiated" by the "principle of territorial integrity."

 In all those years, the Azerbaijani leader, claiming that "the principle of territorial integrity is more important to the international community than the principle of the right of peoples to self-determination," referred to that resolution which was not adopted. It was not accepted due to the disagreement of Armenia, which used its veto power (this was not due to a change of position, but to the tense situation in the country, which was connected with the well-known fact of "illegitimacy of the election" of the first president for the second term, "destabilization of the situation, and the authorities’ threatening to suppress the discontent"). Armenia's refusal caused understandable bewilderment by all other OSCE members and the leadership, as in all previous years the Armenian leadership, led by L. Ter-Petrosyan, put forward such a model for "resolving" the agreed conflict with Azerbaijan. And from that position, as it became clear from the subsequent events, neither the first president nor the leadership of the ANM [(Armenian National Movement party)] has ever retreated.

Going back to 1992, it should be reminded that in response to the application of Armenia and Azerbaijan to the Council of Ministers of to the CSCE in late January 1992, it was decided to send a special mission to the region, which was instructed to study the issue on the ground and submit a report on the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh. The mission report was presented on February 28, 1992, and on the same day the Committee of High-Level Officials of the CSCE adopted a decision in which twice—in points 1 and 2—it is spoken about "the conflict in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of the Republic of Azerbaijan." Thus appeared the wording according to which the national liberation movement of the Armenians against genocidal Azerbaijan was described as a conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, or in Soviet terminology, a "conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh."

All the attempts of the NKR leadership, as well as many analysts, to prove to the international community that the essence of the complete distortion of what is happening in the region directly threatens the right of the Armenian population to live and create in their historically uninterrupted settlements, as well as the impeccable international legal basis for NKR independence from Azerbaijan as the only way to avoid genocide met with this wording that reflected Yerevan's position but contradicted reality, which clearly ignored national interests and threatened the security of the Armenian state, nation, as well as of the region.

Thus, the internationalization of the Karabakh conflict started from a completely distorted point of view; that is, at the suggestion of the Armenian leadership, the CSCE considered everything taking place in the region on the eve of the former Soviet republics to join the UN as a conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia, which "claimed" the territory of another independent (in a few days) state.

At that time I was an analyst at the Special Commission on Artsakh of the Supreme Council of Armenia, and that document also appeared in our commission. On that occasion, I spoke on the radio. At the suggestion of the Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia, I prepared a text that reflected on the main risks of that wording and the complete contradiction of the realities, both legal and factual. All the members of the commission were also convinced that such a beginning completely distorts the essence of what is happening and predetermines the status of the NKR, whereas it should have been the subject of discussion within the CSCE. Moreover, there was hope that, unlike the Gorbachev Moscow, the international organization would assess the impeccability of the international legal and domestic legitimacy of the formation of the NKR.

However, the first president of the RA [(Republic of Armenia)] did not agree—from the lips of infamous G. Libaridian—with that, and therefore the above-mentioned absolutely biased opinion and position, which, apparently, has long been rooted in the ANM leadership, became the beginning of the so-called internationalization of the Karabakh conflict, catastrophically distorting the essence of the issue.

The current [Armenian] authorities regularly reprimand the second president of "withdrawing Karabakh" from the negotiation process. How justified are such allegations? And to what extent are the statements about the recognition of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity by Armenia justified?

 It is a completely different story. Recently, many have begun to use "oral folk art" even in matters that require serious discussion and require minimal familiarity with real events and documents. There is a definite time: the beginning of April 1997, when L. Ter-Petrosyan was still president when the last meeting took place around one [negotiating] table with the participation of NKR representatives. All the other "opinions" are idle talk, aiming to mislead the general public of the country and all Armenians.

The logic of pulling Karabakh out direct trilateral contacts (but not from the negotiation process) came from the initial position of the ANM, or rather the party leadership, and contradicted the people's movement the roots of which were the Karabakh movement. One of the most important consequences of the Karabakh movement becoming the ANM was the transformation of the NKAO into a constitutional demand to reunite Armenia against corruption, a movement against democracy, totalitarianism, which soon turned into a struggle to leave the USSR. Such movements took place in 1989 in all (except Central Asia) Union republics. Already in September of the same year, the ANM party leaders and the non-governmental organizations created by them voiced the idea that an end would be put to ethnic discrimination in democratic republics, as a result of which the demand for the NKAO to leave Azerbaijan would lose its meaning. This artificial "idea" became the unchanging basic thesis of the ANM team that came to power in August 1990 and personally of the first president.

Let us also turn to Armenia's commitments under other ratified documents, indicating its entry into the CSCE, the UN and later other international organizations. There is not a single document that mentions Soviet borders. There is not and cannot be such a document recognizing any state within its declared borders. Modern international law understands recognition as a bilateral political act that is not tied to designated borders. And the periodic voicing of a statement of recognition, allegedly by the UN, is both illiteracy and gross manipulation, since the UN does not have the function of recognizing a state, it accepts (or does not accept) it as a member of the organization.

For three decades now, gross manipulation has been going on both on the part of Azerbaijan and certain political circles of Armenia, which find themselves in power and implement plans that directly contradict international law in its correct sense outside the political conjuncture and are ultimately directed against Armenia and all Armenians. Finally, if we are talking about existing borders at the end of 1991, it should be emphasized that the NKR was not part of Azerbaijan, and in this sense, all attempts to prove that Azerbaijan has any rights over the NKR only emphasize the depth of the crisis in modern international relations. Thus, everyone should be well aware that there is no such document in which Armenia recognized the Soviet borders of Azerbaijan.

Minority and Refugee Rights in Turkey: 2021 in Review

Hagop Kamalian
Jan 26 2022
By

 SCF

 -

Minorities and refugees in Turkey continued to suffer from rights violations, hate speech and attacks throughout the year. President, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and his key ally, leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Devlet Bahçeli, continued to use a divisive ultranationalist rhetoric throughout the year especially against the Kurds, contributing to the rise of hate crimes.

The government has made little effort to address the religious freedom issues including granting minority religious communities’ legal personality and permission to hold board member elections; recognizing Alevi houses of worship (cemevleri); and reopening the Theological School of Halki, a Patriarchate of the Eastern Orthodox Church seminary.

Turkey is home to a total of 4,038,857 refugees from around the world, according to the latest figures provided by Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu. Attitudes about refugees fleeing the long conflict in Syria have gradually hardened in the country, where they used to be welcomed with open arms, sympathy and compassion, as the number of newcomers has swelled over the past decade.

Anti-immigrant sentiment reached a boiling point, fueled by Turkey’s economic woes. With unemployment high and the price of food and housing skyrocketing, many Turks turned their frustration toward the refugees in the country, particularly the 3.7 million who fled the civil war in Syria.

The prospect of a new influx of refugees following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan served to reinforce the unreceptive public mood. Videos purporting to show young Afghan men being smuggled into Turkey from Iran caused public outrage and led to calls for the government to safeguard the country’s borders.

Here is some of the most important news from 2021 in the field of minority and refugee rights:

Kurds continued to face discrimination and hate speech

Seven members of a Kurdish family were killed in July in central Turkey by armed assailants who tried to burn their house down in what rights activists said was a racist attack. More..

In August armed groups set up checkpoints in different parts of Antalya province amid rumors that wildfires ravaging the region were started by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). A group of people reportedly stopped a car and beat a man apparently because he was Kurdish. More..

A Kurdish family from northern Iraq’s Erbil province was attacked in an apparent hate crime while they were visiting Turkey’s southern Mersin province in May. More..

In July a group of seasonal workers were attacked in Afyon province and a Kurdish family was attacked in Konya. More..

Restrictions on use of the Kurdish language

Kurdish was not included among the six languages that are supported by KADES, a smartphone app designed by the Turkish National Police for use by women to ask for help in cases of domestic violence. More..

Disapproval of the use of Kurdish was high on the agenda in August, with a popular TV host criticizing her guest for speaking Kurdish on live television and a prison administration investigating several prisoners for singing in Kurdish. More..

Kurdish singer Mem Ararat said in a statement in December that a concert of his that was scheduled to take place at Ankara’s Neşet Ertaş Culture Center was cancelled by the authorities because it included Kurdish songs. More..

The pressure on Kurds in Turkey to not speak their own language is a reflection of a general intolerance towards the Kurdish population, said Birca Belek Language and Culture Association Co-chair Mirza Roni. More..

Government vehicles hit 57 pedestrians in 4 years, killing 16 and injuring 41

A total of 16 pedestrians, including nine children and a disabled person, have died after being hit by government vehicles since 2018. The killing of civilians by armored vehicles is common in Turkey’s Southeast, where there is a heavy military presence due to ongoing clashes between the Turkish military and the outlawed PKK. More..

In November a police officer was given a reduced sentence of four years, five months and 10 days for the death of Şahin Öner, 18, after he hit him with an armored vehicle, due to “good conduct” displayed during the hearings, despite the fact that the defendant never appeared in court. More..

Kurdish inmate who claimed prison guards beat and sexually harassed her found dead in her cell

Garibe Gezer, an inmate who alleged that she was beaten and sexually harassed by prison guards in Kocaeli’s Kandıra Prison, was found dead in her cell in December. More..

 

 

Gendarmerie commander responsible for burning down Kurdish village, killing 9, Turkish court said

Bülent Karaoğlu, a former gendarmerie officer, was responsible for the burning down of the southeastern Turkish village of Altınova (Vartinis) in 1993, which caused the death of nine people, including seven children, the first chamber of Turkey’s Supreme Court of Appeals said in May. More..

Former Turkish minister was planning attack on Alevi house of worship, mob boss claimed

A Turkish crime boss who had been making scandalous allegations about the relationship between state actors and the mafia claimed in June that former Turkish interior minister and police chief Mehmet Ağar was planning an attack on a cemevi, an Alevi house of worship. More..

US religious freedom commission said situation of Turkey’s Alevi community getting worse under Erdoğan leadership

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) pointed out that discrimination against the Alevi community in Turkey was rampant and pervasive and that the situation under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was only getting worse, in a message issued in July on the occasion of the 28th anniversary of the Sivas Massacre. More..

Alevi houses marked with red paint sparked fear among residents

A number of Alevi residences were marked with red paint in Turkey’s northwestern Yalova province, bringing back memories of violence against the community in the past after their houses were similarly marked. More..

 

In possible sign of official discrimination, villages were identified as Alevi on Turkish Health Ministry map

The Turkish Ministry of Health was allegedly using a map of northern Tokat province on which Alevi villages appeared to be clearly marked, a patient’s relative revealed, leading to the fear of official discrimination against Alevi patients. More..

Armenian cultural heritage faced destruction

An Armenian church dating to 1603 in the western province of Kütahya that was on the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism’s preservation list was demolished in January after it was acquired by a private party. More..

In March an old Armenian cemetery was destroyed during construction in Ankara’s Ulus district as part of gentrification project, and human remains were found at the site. More..

An old Armenian cemetery in Turkey’s eastern province of Van was destroyed by bulldozers in August and bones were scattered across the field, sparking outrage among the Armenian community and opposition politicians. More..

An Armenian Protestant church in Diyarbakır province was leased to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism for a period of 10 years to serve as a public library. More..

The Surp Yerrortutyun (Holy Trinity) Armenian church in central Turkey’s Akşehir district will serve as the “World’s Masters of Humor Art House” as part of a project to found a “humor village” in the hometown of famous 13th century Turkish satirist Nasreddin Hoca. More..

Far-right MP attacked Armenian lawmaker, threatening genocide

A far-right independent member of the Turkish Parliament threatened Turkish-Armenian lawmaker Garo Paylan with facing the same fate as his ancestors amid debates over the recognition of the mass killings of Armenians at the hands of the Ottoman Empire as genocide by the US administration. More..

US religious freedom commission recommended placing Turkey on special watch list for severe violations

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) recommended that the State Department place Turkey on its special watch list based on the Turkish government’s perpetration or toleration of severe violations of religious freedom, in its annual report released in April. More..

Pro-gov’t daily targeted Turkish journalist in antisemitic attack

The pro-government Takvim daily in March launched an antisemitic attack against Karel Valansi, a Turkish journalist and foreign policy analyst, in a report critical of İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu. The report, headlined “[İmamoğlu] shows animosity to a Turk but great politeness to a Jew,” said İmamoğlu “showed too much respect to a Jewish journalist working in Turkey.” More..

Last traces of Ankara’s Jews in peril

The Jewish heritage of Turkey’s capital city of Ankara, which dates back to the 2nd century BC, was faced with destruction as the abandoned homes of the city’s Jews, who at one point numbered around 5,000, were identified as a site for urban renewal. More..

Assyrian, Chaldean associations called on Turkish authorities to investigate disappearance of villagers

Chaldean and Assyrian associations in Europe, the United States, Australia and Iraq sent a joint letter to Turkey’s justice and interior ministers in February demanding a thorough investigation into the disappearance of Chaldean villager Hurmüz Diril and the murder of his wife Şimoni Diril. More..

Assyrian priest given jail sentence on terror charges

A Turkish court in April handed down a 25-month prison sentence to an Assyrian priest in southeastern Turkey on charges of aiding the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). More..

Roma conscript died under suspicious circumstances following hate speech by his commander

Caner Sarmaşık, 20, a conscript who was being targeted for being Roma, allegedly died by suicide while on guard duty on April 29. According to his family Sarmaşık told them during a phone call a week before his death that he was being targeted with hate speech by his commander for being Roma. More..

Turkish university cancelled World Greek Language Day events due to xenophobic pushback

The faculty of languages, history and geography of Turkey’s Ankara University in February announced that it had canceled plans to mark World Greek Language Day on February 9 after being targeted by pro-government newspapers and receiving condemnation and pushback on social media. More..

Syrian refugees continued to suffer from hate speech, discrimination and attacks

In August a group of locals attacked houses, workplaces and cars owned by Syrians in Ankara’s Altındağ district, chanting anti-Syrian slogans. More..

Three Syrian men were killed in an alleged hate crime in Turkey’s İzmir province in November.  A Turk poured gasoline over the Syrians while they were asleep and set them on fire. The man later admitted to having committed the hate crime. More..

A Syrian refugee family living in Turkey’s Gaziantep province was attacked in their home on March 28 in an apparent hate crime. More..

A Somali restaurant in Ankara’s central Kızılay district was attacked in April following anti-migrant reporting by the Sözcü daily. More..

A large number of Syrian residents of İzmir’s Cumhuriyet neighborhood left their homes after tensions increased following the alleged murder of 17-year-old Batuhan Barlak by a 20-year-old Syrian refugee in September. More..

Refugees in Turkey’s northwestern city of Bolu said they have been confronted with more hate crimes since the city council approved a discriminatory proposal imposing exorbitant fees on foreigners to access public services in the city. More..

A group of streetcleaners assaulted a Syrian man who was collecting trash in Antalya province, crushing his motorcycle and setting it on fire. More..

A refugee who had been living in İstanbul with her children for four months was beaten up and threatened by neighbors and insulted at the police station. More..

Eleven Syrian refugees who were detained in October after sharing videos on social media showing them eating bananas in an effort to condemn racism and discrimination in Turkey faced deportation. More..

In a landmark decision in December, a Turkish court handed down a prison sentence of 25 years to a police officer who shot a young Syrian refugee to death in 2020. More..

Prosecutor declined to pursue case against gendarmes who allegedly threw refugees into Evros River

The Edirne Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office in December declined to pursue a case against gendarmes who allegedly threw refugees into a river after they were pushed back by Greece, without taking the testimony of all the witnesses and the accused. More..

Human Rights Watch accused Turkish soldiers of beating and pushing Afghan asylum seekers back to Iran

Turkish authorities are summarily pushing Afghan asylum seekers crossing into the country from Iran back to Iran, denying them the right to seek asylum, in violation of international law, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in an October statement. More..

Turkish far-right group beat Afghan man and shared video on social media

A new Turkish far-right group in December shared a video on social media showing one of their members beating an Afghan refugee in an apparent hate crime. More..

 

2 refugees severely beaten by security officers in Turkish repatriation center

Two refugees, one Syrian and the other Palestinian, were severely beaten by security officers at a repatriation center in Turkey’s western İzmir province on May 11. More..

Hate speech against refugees increased on Turkish social media as a new wave of Afghan migrants arrived

Hate speech against refugees on Turkish social media increased in July, with a new wave of refugee arrivals in Turkey starting as the Taliban increased the territory it controlled in Afghanistan amid a US troop withdrawal. More..

Turkey was ranked 48th among 49 countries on LGBT rights in rainbow index

Turkey was ranked 48th among 49 countries as regards the human rights of LGBT people, according to the 2021 Rainbow Europe Map published by the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA)-Europe. More..

Targeted by Erdoğan, Turkey’s LGBT community faced ‘tsunami of hate’

Turkey’s President Erdoğan in February unleashed a torrent of attacks against what he called “the LGBT youth,” which came as sudden student protests began to rattle his 18-year rule. Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu reported the arrest of “four LGBT freaks” over the display, condemning the “degenerates” in Twitter posts that got flagged for “hateful conduct”. More..

3 transexual women attacked in one week as violence against LGBT+ community increased in Turkey

The LGBT+ community in Turkey witnessed multiple acts of violence against its members in March with at least three transexual women suffering injuries or death. More..

Karmir Shouka residents block Azerbaijani convoy’s way

Hagop Kamalian
  News.am  
Armenia – Jan 25 2022
Karmir Shouka residents block Azerbaijani convoy's way
17:32, 25.01.2022

Today, on January 25, the residents of the Karmir Shouka in the Martuni region of Artsakh closed the main road of the village for some time in order to stop the line of Azerbaijani cars, the Artsakh NA Deputy Metakse Hakobyan told NEWS.am.

As Hakobyan said, the residents demanded that the Azerbaijanis inform them in advance when they were going to cross the road in convoy.

In addition, residents complain that Azerbaijanis regularly seize animals and do not return them.

Azerbaijani side regularly resorts to provocations, often shots are fired in the direction of the village, insults are uttered against the residents.

The deputy said that the residents also formed a detachment for the self-defense of the village.

We were informed that the road had already been opened by the residents and a convoy of Azerbaijani cars accompanied by Russian peacekeepers had passed.

Armenian food is always a special occasion at Old Gyumri in Glendale

Hagop Kamalian
Los Angeles Daily News
Jan 22 2022




By MERRILL SHINDLER | [email protected] |
PUBLISHED:  at 12:57 p.m. | UPDATED:  at 12:58 p.m.

It is not impossible to eat by yourself at Old Gyumri, an Armenian restaurant in Glendale unlike any other, but it definitely would be difficult. That’s because the portions are, as a rule, massive — big even for a twosome. They’re made for four or more.

Thanks to the unique physicality of the place, large parties are found everywhere. In the semi-private spaces that fill the entry room, where picket fence-like doors block the visibility of the groups within. And most notably on the unexpected, sprawling patio in the back — where large parties, many of 20 or more, consume staggering portions of extraordinary Armenian cooking. In, to repeat myself, a space like none other.

Old Gyumri is named for the second largest city in Armenia. (The largest is Yerevan on the Hrazdan River, which is one of the oldest cities in the world; it’s been around for more than 2,800 years!) Old Gyumri the restaurant feels as if it could be about that old, or at least ancient in Glendale terms, a curious fortress-like building with, of all things, a metal stagecoach on the roof. A metal stagecoach drawn by two metal horses, tarnished with what seems like, from below, rust; it’s the darndest thing. But then, so are those picket fences inside the dining room. And the oversized white curtains that provide complete privacy on the outdoor patio. Dining areas that come with…couches! Where am I?

Old Gyumri, an Armenian special occasion restaurant in Glendale, has plenty of dining space for large groups. (Photo by Merrill Shindler)

The staff at Old Gyumri is affable, though far as I could tell, not a lot of English is spoken. And since my knowledge of the Armenian language is little to none, communication had its moments. And Old Gyumri is such a destination for large groups of Armenian locals celebrating special events, there was a certain amount of surprise to have a non-Armenian show up for dinner. I didn’t feel like an outsider. But I definitely felt like visitor to another world, maybe even a stranger in a strange land. More than any of the many Armenian restaurants in Glendale, Old Gyumri is a door into another reality.

The common language here, of course, is culinary. Many of the dishes are very familiar to those of us who like to eat around. Hummus, tabbouleh, borscht, a quartet of kabobs, baby back ribs, beef stroganoff — superb versions, served, as I said, in heroic portions to be shared with the hungry multitude. The hummus is a wonder, and more garlicky than most, which is not a complaint. The tabbouleh salad seemed especially lemony, the kabobs had a notable crispness to them that I appreciated; I love texture as much as taste.

It’s easy enough to select nothing but dishes we know well — look, chicken soup! lentil soup! Greek salad! — but the challenge for me is to go for dishes that ring no bells, at what may well be the least Americanized Armenian restaurant in town. There are few restaurants offering ghavurma (beef fried in butter, then sliced like a terrine and served cold surrounded by a layer of congealed butter).

There’s also a dish called plech — a wonderful name, and a wonderful dish, though it was a bit of a disappointment to find it was just barbecued potatoes. And what a surprise to discover that ajika, the Armenian equivalent of salsa, can actually be found bottled at, of all places, Trader Joe’s. I do love living in a multi-ethnic city — though sometimes the reach of that multi-ethnicity can stagger. Can…and does.

Along with the chicken soup, the lentil soup and the borscht (heavy with cabbage, in the style of the region), there’s a deeply green sorrel based soup called aveluk; sorrel is indigenous to Armenia. It’s THE Armenian herb. There’s also a lamb and garbanzo soup called piti. And a yogurt and barley soup, served hot or cold, called spas.

More notable, the soups are big enough to be main dishes. As are the red beet salad, the eggplant salad, and the Russian minced meat salad with sour cream and mayo called stolichni. Which is both fun to eat, and to say.

But then, if you get the soup or the salad as a main, you’ll miss içki-bir, a lamb heart and lung barbecue entrée. The pot roast is jarko. The marinated Cornish hen is topaka. The fried sausage and potatoes, a real country dish, is temur. The pork barbecue is xryashik — possibly the only dish I’ve ever seen that begins with an “X”! Goat meat is tonri gar. Cow’s foot soup is khash.

Most of the folks sitting on the long patio tables seem to order one of the group combos, for five, 10 or 20. The combo for 20 costs $300. That’s $15 a person, for a lot of food. And an amazing evening, that takes you far from Glendale, across the world to Old Gyumri.

Celebrate with the local yogurt drink called tan. It won’t get you drunk. But it tastes like a night in Armenia.

Merrill Shindler is a Los Angeles-based freelance dining critic. Email [email protected].

Old Gyumri

  • Rating: 3 stars
  • Address: 4441 San Fernando Road, Glendale
  • Information: 818-550-0448; www.oldgyumri.com
  • Cuisine: An Armenian special occasion restaurant, with tables and rooms everywhere, all of them for groups that are large and even larger. It’s a journey to another land, in one of the quirkiest spaces in town — what is that stagecoach doing on the roof?
  • When: Lunch and dinner, every day
  • Details: Soft drinks. Reservations are essential — so is going with a group.
  • Prices: About $45 per person
  • Suggested dishes: 21 Appetizers ($3-$30); 4 Sandwiches ($12), 9 Salads ($15-$20), 6 Soups ($15), 29 Entrees ($16-$40)
  • Credit cards: MC, V
  • What the stars mean: 4 (World class! Worth a trip from anywhere!), 3 (Most excellent, even exceptional. Worth a trip from anywhere in Southern California.), 2 (A good place to go for a meal. Worth a trip from anywhere in the neighborhood.) 1 (If you’re hungry, and it’s nearby, but don’t get stuck in traffic going.) 0 (Honestly, not worth writing about.)

Ucom to operate new call center in Vanadzor

Hagop Kamalian

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 18:38,

YEREVAN, JANUARY 21, ARMENPRESS. As of February, Ucom plans to establish a new call center in Vanadzor, thanks to which about 20 vacancies will be created in the city during the current year. Until today, 100 residents of Vanadzor, aged 22-25, have applied for the position for the call center operator. Among the applicants there are lawyers, psychologists, economists, linguists, as well as pedagogues, ARMENPRESS was informed from Ucom.

“When making a decision, it was clear to us that a new call center should be opened in one of the regions. Moreover, we have tried to contribute to the development of the labor market in the regions by offering completely equal working conditions to the Yerevan Call Center. It should be noted, that the Vanadzor applicants are not inferior to the Yerevan applicants in terms of education and professional skills. I am sure that they will make a special contribution to the process of improving the quality of Ucom's service and, of course, they will take it to "դբա լավը" level (which in Lori dialect means "for the better" – edited) “, told Sophie Bondarenko, Acting Director of Customer Service at Ucom. 

The applicants who have passed the interview stage are currently taking in-depth training for a call center employee, studying all the fixed and mobile services provided by the company, the necessary work programs, and so on. 

One of the participants, 23-year-old Martin Martirosyan, a graduate of Yerevan State University's Service Department, said that Ucom first attracted him with its Level Up packages, Mediaroom mobile TV app, and its working style in general: “I have always been interested in Ucom, its services and, when I came across the announcement about the opening of a new call center in Vanadzor, I immediately applied. As an inhabitant of Vanadzor, I prefer to work in my hometown”. 

Another participant, 22-year-old psychologist Ani Khachatryan, decided to apply for this job, as she has always been interested in communicating with the customers, as well as resolving various conflict situations. She said, that she has always observed the work style at Ucom and, in her words, is well aware of the "friendly working atmosphere" in the Company: "The fact that the call center will operate in Vanadzor is very encouraging, because until now we could find such a job only in Yerevan, now Ucom gives us, the residents of Vanadzor, a great opportunity to have a favorite job in our city."

CSTO Secretariat sends plan to end CSTO peacekeeping mission in Kazakhstan to member states

Hagop Kamalian

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 19:59,

YEREVAN, JANUARY 12, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian side informed the CSTO Secretariat that the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev addressed Prime Minister of Armenia and the Chairman of the CSTO Collective Security Council Nikol Pashinyan with a request to terminate the CSTO peacekeeping mission in Kazakhstan from January 13, ARMENPRESS was informed from the CSTO.

According to the CSTO Secretariat, the order of withdrawal of peacekeeping forces will be decided on January 13 during the session of the Council of CSTO Defense Ministers that will be held through a video conference.

Earlier, CSTO Spokesman Vladimir Zaynetdinov told TASS that the withdrawal of peacekeepers from Kazakhstan will begin on January 13 and will last 10 days.