Author: Kajoyan Gevork

RUSSIAN SOLDIER IN ARMENIA DETAINED IN MASS KILLING OF LOCAL FAMILY

Russia Today
Jan 12 2015

A Russian soldier suspected of killing six members of in the same
family in Armenia and wounding a seventh, an infant boy, has been
detained on the Turkish border. The serviceman from Russia’s 102
Military Base went AWOL with his weapons Monday morning.

Six family members, including a two-year-old girl, were shot dead in
Armenia’s second-largest city of Gyumri on Monday at about midday. The
family’s only survivor, a six-month-old boy, was operated on for
gunshot wounds in the chest and is currently in a stable yet serious
condition, Interfax reported.

A criminal case has been launched, and serviceman Valery Permyakov,
from a Russian military base in Gyumri, is suspected of the murders, as
boots bearing his name were found in the house of the murdered family.

“In the house of the slain Avetisyan family, investigators found
military boots, marked on the inside with the name Valery Permyakov,
who serves at a Russian military base. The murder was committed with an
AK-74,” Sona Truzyan, an official at Armenia’s Investigative Committee,
told Interfax.

Earlier on Monday, at 6 am it was discovered that an armed serviceman
was absent from his post, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a
statement, adding that a search for the man was under way.

Investigators believe that the killings most likely arose in connection
with a crime of passion, RIA Novosti reported.

The Russian Embassy in Armenia has expressed its condolences, saying
in a statement that the two countries are working together on the
case. Russian officials are providing all the necessary assistance to
solve the crime as soon as possible, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey
Lavrov told his Armenian counterpart, Eduard Nalbandyan.

ONLY 9 PERCENT OF TURKS SAY ARMENIAN KILLINGS GENOCIDE: POLL

The Daily Star, Lebanon
Jan 13 2015

Agence France Presse

ANKARA: Less than 10 percent of Turks believe their government should
recognize the mass killings of Armenians in World War I as genocide,
according to a survey published Tuesday.

On the 100th anniversary of the tragedy this year, the poll revealed
that only 9.1 percent of those questioned believe Ankara should
apologize for the deaths during Ottoman rule in 1915 and describe
them as genocide.

Another 9.1 percent were in favour of an apology without admitting
to genocide.

Turkey rejects calls to recognize the killings as genocide, saying
up to 500,000 Armenians died in fighting and of starvation after
Armenians sided with invading Russian troops. It claims a comparable
number of Turks were also killed.

Last year, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan offered an unprecedented
expression of condolence for the massacres when he was prime minister
but this did little to satisfy Armenians, who want the deaths of an
estimated 1.5 million people recognized as genocide.

The survey, which was carried out between November and December by
the Istanbul-based Center for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies
(EDAM), was based on responses from 1,508 people.

It also found that over 23 percent believe that not all those who
perished in 1915 were Armenians and that the government should express
its regret for all the Ottoman citizens – not just Armenians – who
lost their lives.

Twelve percent said the government should express its regret for the
Armenians who lost their lives in 1915 but not apologize. Twenty-one
percent preferred Turkey take no action on the Armenian genocide
claims, the survey found.

Turkey and Armenia in 2009 signed protocols to normalize ties, but
they have still not been ratified by the national parliaments.

KIM KARDASHIAN GOES BACK TO ARMENIA: WILL REALITY STAR’S HOME COUNTRY BE WELCOMING?

International Business Times, UK
Jan 13 2015

By Toyin Owoseje

Kim Kardashian is returning to her roots.

The reality star is planning a trip back to her native Armenia and
her sisters Kourtney and Khloe are coming along, according to E! News.

Visiting their late father Robert Kardashian’s ancestral homeland is
just one of the many things Kanye West’s wife wants to tick off her
bucket list, a source revealed.

Robert’s great-grandparents were Armenian immigrants from an area of
Turkey that was once part of the Russian Empire, which was overthrown
by the short-lived liberal February Revolution in 1917. Armenia is
located in the north of Western Asia.

“They are all so excited! They want to learn about their heritage,”
the insider said.

Although the specifics of the trip have not been ironed out, Kardashian
reportedly hopes to take her rapper husband and daughter North West
with her, while Kourtney will be travelling with her kids Mason,
Penelope and Reign.

“People ask all the time if I am from there and unfortunately I have
never been to Armenia, but it’s my dream to go there for sure!”

Kardashian previously said.

“My great-grandfather was Armenian and my great-grandmother
Turkish-Armenian. My mother is English, so I am half Armenian, but
I was raised with a huge Armenian influence, always hearing stories
of Armenia, eating Armenian food and celebrating Armenian holidays.

Kardashian said she hoped to one day pay homage to her father, who
passed away in 2003 after battling cancer.

“My father would be so proud that we talk about our Armenian
heritage! My dad used to always tell us to never remove the -ian from
our last name like some Armenians that came to the US.

“He was so proud to be Armenian and his biggest regret was not sending
us to Armenian school! I am so proud to be Armenian and so happy that
I can identify with my Armenian fans!”

While Kardashian is keen to embrace her heritage, the traditional
conservative Armenian community may not be so welcoming.

Her recent nude #breaktheinternet stunt, baby born out of wedlock,
hip-hop partner and infamous sex tape are just a few reasons why some
fellow Armenians just can’t warm to her.

“Because of cultural and traditional issues, they do not want to
accept that she is an Armenian,” BBC monitoring journalist Armen
Shahbazian said.

“They always compare the Armenian French singer Charles Aznavour, who
they are proud of, with Kim Kardashian, who is seen in a more negative
light. They don’t want her to represent their country,” he says.

TERRORIST ROCKET ATTACK AGAINST UMM AL-MA’OUNAT CHURCH IN ALEPPO CITY

Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), Syria
January 10, 2015 Saturday

Aleppo, SANA – Terrorists targeted with a rocket shell “Umm
al-Ma’ounat” church in al-Tellal neighborhood in Aleppo city Friday
night.

The shell fell on the roof of the church, causing huge material damage
to the church’s dome but no casualties were reported.

The Armenian Catholic Archbishop of Aleppo, Boutros Marayati, told SANA
that these terrorist practices will not affect our stances or shake
our confidence in our country, adding that everyone will continue to
pray for restoring peace to Syria.

He called upon terrorists to refrain from committing sabotage acts and
criminal offences which seek destabilize the security in the country.

On December 2014, the church, built in 1831, was targeted by a
terrorist attack with mortar shells.

Over the last two weeks, the Syriac Orthodox Archdiocese and the
diocese of Armenian Catholics in Aleppo were also targeted with mortar
and rocket shells which caused material damage.

R.

Raslan/ Barry

LDS CHARITIES IN IRAQ: ‘SHARING YOUR PAIN’

Deseret Morning News (Salt Lake City)
January 11, 2015 Sunday

By Sarah Jane Weaver, LDS Church News

HOWESK, IRAQ

Kohar Mardiros was going blind.

She needed surgery to save the sight in one eye; she was combating
an infection in the other.

But her village, located just outside of Duhok in the Kurdistan region
of northern Iraq, had limited medical resources.

“I was afraid I would lose my sight,” she recounted.

Her family and community pooled money – and found outside resources to
assist them. She received the laser surgery that would save her vision.

Mayor Murad Wartanian says in Howesk residents take care of each
other – and others in need.

That’s why when the Islamic State of Syria and Iraq targeted many
living in the region last August, they literally opened their homes
to some of the thousands of internally displaced people in need.

Howesk is home to 115 families, most Armenian Catholic, in Northern
Iraq. In August, another 82 families – some Catholic, some Yezidi –
moved into the community. Many were able to find space in the homes
of local families, others moved in to the school or community center.

War and internal tensions and divisions continue to polarize Iraq where
more than 1 million people have fled their homes. LDS Charities – the
humanitarian arm of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints –
is partnering with the local government and other organizations to
help those impacted by the crisis.

In addition to assisting with medical needs – including the surgical
instruments and equipment at the Duhok Eye Hospital – LDS Charities
has provided food, milk, clothing, bedding, sanitary products and
blankets to those in Howesk.

The internally displaced people “were forced to leave everything
behind,” said Mayor Wartanian. “We received them as our brothers and
sisters. We share our bread with them.”

Mayor Wartanian said each family who took refuge in the village had a
unique story to tell. Most lost all their money, cellphones and even
their wedding rings.

But they could not turn those in need away. “History records
everything,” he said. “We would love that our names would be mentioned
in the history in a good way.”

Most in the village had also once been refugees. Howesk was built in
1928. For decades, residents made a living in agriculture. However,
the village was destroyed during Saddam Hussein’s reign in Iraq –
leaving many homeless. About a decade ago it was rebuilt.

Mayor Wartanian said his grandparents – and the grandparents of many
others in the village – built the community and would want them to
look after modern refugees.

Cold weather has made helping the internally displaced people even
more important. “Our winter is very cold, a very perishing weather.

Sometimes it snows here in the village,” he said.

He is very appreciative of the support from LDS Charities.

“There is an old saying that says, ‘One hand does not clap alone.’ So
a human needs his human brother. He needs him in everything. … He
needs him for guidance.”

When organizations from far away countries – like LDS Charities –
offer help, it “cuts the distance” between foreign lands, he said.

“You feel like you are not alone, you have your human brother who
is sharing your pain, sharing with you your circumstances and is
serving you.”

LETTRE DU PASTEUR LEONIAN SUITE AU MEUTRE DU JEUNE MICKAEL

Marseille

“Je suis horrifie par un tel acte.

Nous nous remettions a peine des evènements dramatiques qui ont
frappe la presse,la police et la communaute juive de France il y a
moins d’une semaine.

Nous etions loin de penser qu’au lendemain de ce sursaut republicain
des consciences d’hier, nous allions vivre une telle atrocite a
Marseille et de plus est au sein de notre jeunesse armenienne qui
nous est si chère.

Certes l’instant est grave. Les commemorations du 100ième anniversaire
qui viennent de debuter nous habitent et des souvenirs douloureux
remontent a la surface de notre memoire et nous troublent au plus
profond de nous meme.

La mort de cet adolescent est indigne et revoltante dans une democratie
telle que la France.

Elle ajoute de la douleur a notre douleur. Cependant, soyons vigilants.

Ne tombons pas dans le piège des amalgames rapides et faciles que
certains voudront attiser et exploiter.

Tout en condamnant fermement cet acte odieux, et en demandant a
l’autorite de l’etat de trouver le ou les coupables afin de les
arreter et de les punir sevèrement, nous devons prendre du recul
et de la hauteur afin de faire preuve de sang froid, de sagesse et
d’apporter notre contribution a une analyse et a un dialogue ouvert
et responsable.

Ne succombons pas a la provocation.

La richesse de Marseille, c’est sa diversite culturelle.

Le parcours d’integration de notre communaute armenienne est
exemplaire. Nous sommes très souvent montres en exemple.

Ne laissons a personne le droit de nous entrainer dans des voies qui
pourraient alterer les acquis de 100 ans de presence et de combat
digne et courageux pour etre des francais d’origine armenienne qui
n’ont pas a rougir de leur double identite.

Mes pensees et mes prières vont vers la famille de ce jeune adolescent
qui est en train de vivre une page effroyable de leur vie.

Que Dieu leur donne la force morale et spirituelle de surmonter cette
douloureuse epreuve.

En tant que responsables religieux, politiques et associatifs de notre
communaute, il nous incombe d’entourer la famille Assatryan, les amis
de Micha, notre jeunesse, de notre soutien et de notre affection,
afin de leur apporter le reconfort, le courage, une ecoute, un cadre
de vie securisant, et de leur donner des raisons de continuer a croire
en des valeurs chretiennes et humanistes.”

Pasteur Gilbert Leonian

mardi 13 janvier 2015, Jean Eckian (c)armenews.com

MURDER OF 16-YEAR OLD FRENCH-ARMENIAN TO BE IN FOCUS OF VALERIE BUAYE

19:04, 13 January, 2015

YEREVAN, 13 JANUARY, ARMENPRESS. The murder of 16-year old
French-Armenian Michel Assadourian will be in the focus of Deputy of
the French National Assembly representing Marseilles Valerie Buaye.

As “ArmenPress” reports, citing Nouvelles d’Armenie, Buaye declared
that she was horrified by the tragic death of the Armenian boy from
Marseilles.

The Armenian National Committee Office of France and the Coordinating
Council of French-Armenians have also condemned the incident and have
emphasized that it was a planned barbarity.

French-Armenian organizations have also expressed their condolences
and support to Michel’s family, friends and relatives.

RUSSIA’S SHOYGU OFFERS CONDOLENCES ON GIUMRY KILLINGS

YEREVAN, January 13. /ARKA/. Russia’s minister of defense Sergey
Shoygu offered his condolences to the relatives and friends of the
family of six killed in Giumry by a Russian conscript on Monday,
the press office of the ministry reported.

According to the police’s report, a family of six, Serezha Avetisyan
(born in 1961), Hasmik Avetisyan (born 1959), Aida Avetisyan (1979),
Armen Avetisyan (1981), Araksia Poghosyan (1990) and two-year old
Hasmik Avetisyan were fatally shot in Giumry on Monday morning.

According to the preliminary information, the suspect is Russian
military base conscript Valery Permyakov. The only who survived is
grandchild Serezha Avetisyan who was operated and is currently in
critical condition in the Austrian children’s hospital in Giumry.

Nothing can justify the horrible violence against innocent civilians,
Shoygu said, according to the report. The report also says the Russian
agencies will provide all the possible support to the relatives of
the killed, in cooperation with the Armenian side.

A Russian ministry of defense commission has been sent to the Russian
military base in Giumry, headed by first deputy minister general
Arkady Bakhin, to look into the killings.

The Russian border guard department in Armenia reported Permyakov was
detained on Tuesday January 13 at 00:15 while trying to cross the
Turkish border. A criminal case is instituted and the major crimes
department of Armenia’s investigative Committee is instructed to
investigate the family killing case. -0–

ARMENIAN IT EXPERT WARNS OF AZERBAIJANI HACKER THREATS

13:53 * 13.01.15

The Azerbaijani hackers may intensify their attacks against Armenian
websites ahead of January 20 anniversary of the Khojalu events,
an Armenian IT specialist has said.

At a news conference on Tuesday, Samvel Martirosyan warned that
it is mostly the websites with low security protection that become
frequent targets of bullying. He particularly referred to the official
websites of the Foreign Ministry and the Armenian president as the
least protected sites.

“All the other websites are very frequently hacked. Very often the
site’s management seem to be unaware of the hacking,” Martirosyan
noted.

Commenting on the media coverage of yesterday’s family murder in
Gyumri, the expert said he finds that the news agencies were the
quickest to react. “If we look from the general perspective, the first
reports on the events were from news agencies; the Russian press did
not provide more detailed news. Only after the reports by the Defense
and Foreign Ministries did the Russian press start writing about it.

Obviously, there was a control,” he added.

ERDOGAN SUR LES PAS DE KADHAFI

REVUE DE PRESSE

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, leader islamiste et president de la Turquie, a
peut-etre un differend avec les Etats-Unis au sujet de Fethullah Gulen
[chef turc d’une puissante confrerie soufie residant aux Etats-Unis
dont Erdogan demande l’extradition]. Il reproche peut-etre aussi aux
Americains leur politique en Syrie et est en desaccord avec eux sur
le sort a reserver a Bachar El-Assad ou sur la facon de traiter avec
Daech (EI, Etat islamique).

Rien que de très normal d’avoir des differends politiques. Ce qui
l’est moins c’est qu’Erdogan les porte sur les terrains culturel et
historique. C’est ce qu’il a fait lors d’une conference organisee a
Istanbul [le 18 novembre], en affirmant que des navigateurs musulmans
avaient decouvert l’Amerique en 1178, trois siècles avant Christophe
Colomb ! A considerer qu’une pure invention vaut une vraie decouverte,
les musulmans seraient dans ce cas superieurs aux Americains.

Ainsi, Erdogan essaie de regler un differend politique avec
les Americains en leur disant qu’ils n’existent qu’a travers les
musulmans. Et, qui sait, celui qui fait exister l’existant peut aussi
le faire disparaître. Erdogan n’innove pas en la matière. Porter les
differends politiques sur les terrains historique et culturel est un
trait caracteristique de la culture politique moyen-orientale.

En Iran, depuis la revolution islamique de 1979, on affirme qu’il
existe une “specificite” qui tiendrait les musulmans a l’ecart de
l’Occident et de ses connaissances. Mais bien avant, les Frères
musulmans, depuis Hassan Al-Banna [leur fondateur, dans les annees
1920], ont ancre dans les esprits l’idee selon laquelle il y aurait
des choses qui s’appliquent la-bas mais pas en terre d’islam, qui
conviennent chez eux mais pas chez nous.

Theories du complot. A partir de cette vision du monde, un nombre
croissant de legendes et de theories du complot se sont repandues pour
“expliquer” comment l’Occident a falsifie l’Histoire et manipule les
concepts afin de denigrer les musulmans et de s’attribuer indûment
tous les merites.

La traduction de textes antisemites europeens a fait le travail de
sape necessaire pour accrediter l’idee que l’Histoire en cacherait
une autre et que les connaissances scientifiques ne serviraient qu’a
voiler la realite. Il s’agit donc de retrouver “ce qu’on nous cache”
et qui serait une sorte de tresor enfoui sous l’accumulation de
mensonges occidentaux.

Quant a la gauche nationaliste arabe, elle a ajoute que l’Occident
etait en plus un pilleur de nos richesses, ce qui a contribue a
accrediter davantage les idees islamistes sur l’Occident et leur a
permis d’etre a la pointe d’une ideologie largement consensuelle.

Evidemment, dans un monde de repression tel qu’il a ete forge par nos
regimes, où la politique relève de l’irrationnel et où l’accès aux
informations est reserve a une elite de happy few, on est receptif
a de telles idees d’illumines qui pleuvent sur nos contrees si arides.

C’est le leader libyen Kadhafi qui en avait fourni l’illustration la
plus ridicule. De temps a autre, il nous gratifiait de decouvertes
linguistiques des plus etonnantes, expliquant que le vrai nom de
Shakespeare etait “Cheikh Zoubair” et que le mot Amerique venait de
“l’Emir Ka”. J’en passe et des meilleures. Le monde avait supporte
ses saillies avec une bonne dose de sarcasmes. Il aura peut-etre
plus de mal a digerer que le president Erdogan, qui se veut le
“reconciliateur de la democratie et de l’islam”, tombe aussi bas.

Hazem Saghieh

Publie le 19 novembre 2014 dans Al-Hayat Londres

mardi 13 janvier 2015, Stephane (c)armenews.com