Le Silence Coupable Des Amis De La Turquie

LE SILENCE COUPABLE DES AMIS DE LA TURQUIE

REVUE DE PRESSE

Depuis presque dix mois, la Turquie est secouee par deux lames
de fond. Ce fut d’abord le phenomène Gezi en mai-juin 2013. Une
contestation citoyenne contre la radicalisation de “l’islam modere”
(un libelle invente par les medias occidentaux et qui ne veut rien
dire), vers un “fascisme vert”, comme l’affirme le journaliste Erol
Ozkoray . Un parti, l’AKP, qui après avoir gagne trois elections
en promettant la prosperite et la justice, conformement a son nom,
est devenu au fil des ans, de plus en plus repressif sous la houlette
d’un Erdogan de plus en plus autoritaire.

Vint ensuite le scandale de la corruption generalisee impliquant le
gouvernement au plus haut niveau sur fond d’une lutte impitoyable entre
Erdogan et Gulen, anciens allies devenus adversaires. La repression
sans precedent qui s’en suivit avec le limogeage de milliers de
fonctionnaires dans la justice et la police, une epuration digne
d’un regime totalitaire, s’est ajoutee aux arrestations arbitraires
de contestataires et meme de journalistes et avocats. Tout ceci dans
un pays qui frappe a la porte de l’UE.

Pourtant des signes precurseurs avaient attire l’attention des
observateurs de la Turquie. Quelques exemples :

Dans son article “Le bras de fer se poursuit en Turquie”, Laure
Marchand ecrivait : “Indice que la crise est serieuse, le Prix Nobel de
litterature Orhan Pamuk est sorti du silence qu’il a coutume d’observer
au sujet de la vie politique turque. “Je suis inquiet pour mon pays
(…), il n’y a pas de signe a venir d’une solution pacifique”,
a-t-il declare”.

Murat Somer, professeur a l’Universite Koc, soulignait quant a lui
” …en depit du developpement socio-economique, la societe turque
ne devient pas plus ouverte a la diversite, au pluralisme et a
l’egalite” .

Selon l’extrait d’une depeche de l’AFP, repris dans Le Figaro du
20/04/2010 : “Le Groupe d’Etats contre la Corruption (GRECO) du Conseil
de l’Europe a demande mardi une revision approfondie de la legislation
turque qui ne designe pas assez clairement les actes constitutifs de
corruption. Elle critique aussi, dans un rapport publie a Strasbourg,
un contrôle très insuffisant du financement des partis politiques.”

Ariane Bonzon, sur Slate.fr, dans son article “R. T. Erdogan a-t-il
un jour cru a une Turquie europeenne ?” ecrivait : “Que s’est-il passe
? Le contraste entre l’homme de 2002 et celui de 2013 est flagrant.

Faut-il en etre surpris ? Ou au contraire y voir la preuve, comme
ses plus irreductibles opposants, du “double agenda” d’Erdogan et de
l’AKP ? Lesquels, une fois liberes de la tutelle militaire grâce au
soutien de l’UE, auraient ainsi eu les coudees franches pour mettre
en branle le projet cache d’une politique neo-ottomane, eloignee des
valeurs laïques, democratiques et occidentales.”

Tout recemment “l’initiative “orwellienne” d’Erdogan pour brider
l’Internet est un verrou supplementaire pour faire taire les
intellectuels et les journalistes”, ecrit Ozkoray qui doit passer
devant un tribunal pour avoir publie un livre sur les evenements du
parc Gezi. C’est en realite un appel au secours de la part de cet
intellectuel francophone. Trouvera-t-il un echo ?

En France, nous n’avons pas beaucoup entendu, les chantres de “la
Turquie en Europe” qui ne perdent pas une occasion pour faire la
promotion d’une Turquie moderne, laïque et democratique, sur les
ondes ou dans les colonnes des magazines, en culpabilisant au passage
l’UE qui repousserait ce “grand pays”. Ils se taisent bizarrement
quand il s’agit de mettre en lumière les carences de la Turquie dans
les domaines des droits de l’homme, du respect des minorites et de
la liberte d’expression. Pourtant certains de ces journalistes font
partie de l’Institut de Bosphore, une officine de lobbying installee a
Paris et qui affiche sur son site une commission scientifique comptant
parmi ses membres des personnalites comme A. Juppe, M. Rocard, J.F.

Cope, P. Moscovici, C. Tasca, T. Mariani, H. Haenel, E. Guigou.

Ont-ils aborde pendant les colloques sur les rives de Bosphore ces
sujets qui fâchent ? A moins que cette commission de “scientifiques”
n’en a que le nom et se contente d’agir comme un groupe de pression
auprès des decideurs… Quand on voit les noms des sponsors de cet
Institut et les membres appartenant aux sphères economiques ; Axa,
Total, TUSIAD, ADP, L’Oreal, Havas, GDF-Suez… le doute est permis.

Jan Varoujan.

?utm_hp_ref=france

lundi 17 fevrier 2014, Stephane (c)armenews.com

http://www.huffingtonpost.fr/jan-varoujan/silence-amis-turquie_b_4761356.html

Movses Hakobyan: Azerbaijan’s sabotages and provocations will be reb

Movses Hakobyan: Azerbaijan’s sabotages and provocations will be rebuffed

by Ashot Safaryan

ARMINFO
Saturday, February 15, 17:40

Azerbaijan’s sabotages and provocations will be rebuffed, NKR Defense
Army Commander, Lt. General Movses Hakobyan told ArmInfo.

“The goal of the enemy is obvious: to damage our troops, destabilize
the situation on the line of contact and get information on the
location of our troops by means of sabotages. However, we give an
adequate response to the actions of the enemy,” Hakobyan said. He
could not say why the Azerbaijani party breaches ceasefire even in the
period of “the Olympic ceasefire.”

To recall, the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs called on the parties to
observe ceasefire in the course of the Sochi Olympics.

Accumulative pension system to be introduced in Artsakh as well

Zhoghovurd: Accumulative pension system to be introduced in Artsakh as well

11:43 15/02/2014 » DAILY PRESS

The compulsory accumulative pension system will be introduced in
Artsakh, too, Zhoghovurd writes. The issue will be discussed in NKR
parliament next week but it is not on the main agenda yet.

The new pension system is expected to be introduced in 2015. According
to deputy chairwoman of the Standing Committee on Labor and Social
Affairs of NKR parliament Arevik Petrosyan, if a wave of popular
discontent with the new system starts rising, the authorities will not
act against the will of the people.

Source: Panorama.am

ANCA: Hawaii Legislators Reject Azerbaijani Resolutions

Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region
104 North Belmont Street, Suite 200
Glendale, California 91206
Phone: 818.500.1918
[email protected]

PRESS RELEASE February 12, 2014
Contact: Elen Asatryan
Tel: 818-500-1918
Cell: 818-523-8389

HAWAII LEGISLATORS REJECT AZERBAIJANI RESOLUTIONS
Key Committee Blocks Baku’s Bid to Secure Adoption of Anti-Armenian Measures

“Today was a win for not only us Armenians, but for others who are in
the minority. For the people, by the people – this is the way our
legislative process should work. Let the truth prevail.” – Ani
Martirosian

HONOLULU, HI – The Hawaii legislature publicly debated and then
rejected a pair of Azerbaijan-initiated anti-Armenian measures,
dealing a high-profile setback to Baku’s well-funded effort to enlist
U.S. state legislatures in its increasingly aggressive campaign
against Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh, reported the Armenian National
Committee of America – Western Region (ANCA-WR).

“We want to thank Aloha State legislators, long known for their
commitment to tolerance and human rights, for their wisdom in blocking
Baku’s efforts to manipulate Hawaii and take advantage of the good
name of her citizens,” said Executive Director of ANCA Western Region
Elen Asatryan. “Today’s vote sends a powerful signal that Azerbaijan’s
corrupt and undemocratic President Ilham Aliyev – despite all the
millions he’s spending on ‘caviar diplomacy’- doesn’t get a vote here
in America and certainly doesn’t deserve the right to buy influence in
the U.S. government,” added Asatryan.

The Hawaii House of Representatives Committee on Veterans, Military, &
International Affairs, & Culture and the Arts rejected the two
anti-Armenian resolutions during their committee hearing earlier today
at the State Capitol, despite the ardent efforts of Committee Chairman
Mark Takei, who was an author of the bills. Both profoundly biased
and factually flawed measures were reportedly introduced at the
bequest of the Azerbaijani government, a major breach of diplomatic
protocol, confirmed publicly by State Rep. Rida Cabanilla, who was
quoted in “Civil Beat,” a Hawaii publication, as saying that: “The
resolutions came from Elin Suleymanov, Azerbaijan’s ambassador to the
United States.”

“Civil Beat” further reported that Hawaiians looking for the reasoning
behind the introduction of such unlikely resolutions in the State of
Hawaii may look trips taken to Baku last May by Reps. Cabanilla and
Chairman Takai, who joined more than 300 others from the U.S. at the
U.S.-Azerbaijan Convention, courtesy of the Republic of Azerbaijan
which spent nearly $8,000 for the two legislators’ visit.

When he was questioned about the trip last summer, Chairman Takai
said, “There’s nothing in the Legislature now that would directly
benefit Azerbaijan, so it passes the ethics concern.” This contention
was clearly unfounded, as the measures under consideration today
clearly would have, if passed, directly benefited Azerbaijan.

Despite the resources expended on the measure by the Azerbaijani
government, the most persuasive voices of the day belonged to three
members of the local Armenian American community, including: Arpine
Philian Mar, an 82 year-old retiree, Arthur Martirosian, and Ani
Martirosian, an active community leader who was instrumental in
organizing her fellow citizens to speak out on these measures.

Martirosian’s video testimony is available here:

Following the hearing, during which she had delivered a compelling,
comprehensive, and persuasive argument before the Committee, Ani
Martirosian said, “I’d like this to be an example for all Armenians –
and other underrepresented groups – around the world that our voices
do matter. We must stay vigilant to recognize the attempts made to
falsify our history, and we need to then take peaceful and meaningful
action to counter with the truth. Today was a win for not only us
Armenians, but others who are in the minority. For the people, by the
people – this is the way our legislative process should work. Let the
truth prevail.”

They were joined by a self-identified neutral, Dr. Alexander Telnov,
who spoke in a very balanced and forceful way in opposition of the
resolutions. “The spirit of ‘aloha’ that we carry throughout the
world is completely foreign to Azerbaijan,” argued Telnov, who went on
to detail the high levels of corruption within the Aliyev regime.
Noting that the Azerbaijani government spends millions for political
lobbying in the United States, while Armenia spends none, he went on
to query, “Why do you need to spend so much money to prove your point?
That’s because your point is not credible. That’s because the
opinions Azerbaijan is trying to instill in the United States and
other countries are distortions and untruths.”

At the beginning of the hearing, Chairman Takai appeared confident
about the passage of both resolutions. However, after the Committee
members took a break to privately discuss the pending legislation,
Takai conceded that H.R. 13 would be deferred (not passed). The
committee Chairman had unsuccessfully suggested to his fellow
committee members that in light of the fact that Hawaii had adopted an
Armenia-Hawaii friendship resolution in 2012 and an Armenian Genocide
commemoration resolution in 2009, the pro-Azeri resolutions should
also be adopted in order to be impartial. Moments later, the Chairman
announced that they had also decided to defer H.R. 9.

In the days leading up to the Committee hearing, hundreds had
submitted letters and testimony opposing both legislations, including
the ANCA Western Region, whose testimony is available here:

ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian issued an open letter to all
U.S. state legislatures earlier this week urging them to take as stand
against foreign interference in American civic life by corrupt
Azerbaijani dictator Ilham Aliyev. “It is truly a tribute to our
great American democratic tradition that even a regime as flagrantly
corrupt as Ilham Aliyev’s is allowed to operate freely within our open
society, ” explained Hamparian. “But that does not mean that American
citizens need to remain silent in the face of meddling by foreign
leaders who neither respect our rights nor share our values —
especially when they try to export their intolerance to our shores.”

The Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region is the
largest and most influential Armenian American grassroots advocacy
organization in the Western United States. Working in coordination
with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the
Western United States and affiliated organizations around the country,
the ANCA-WR advances the concerns of the Armenian American community
on a broad range of issues.

###

http://youtu.be/tXQv5YZORwE
http://ancawr.org/2014/02/11/anca-wr-submits-testimonies-opposing-h-r-no-9-and-h-r-13/
www.ancawr.org

ANTELIAS: HH Aram I: Armenians reject the recent decision of the ECH

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

“Armenians reject the recent decision of the European Court of Human
Rights (ECHR) on the denial of the Armenian Genocide,” states
His Holiness Aram I

Antelias – On Friday 7 February 2014, His Holiness Aram I met with the
Swiss Ambassador to Lebanon Her Excellency Ruth Flint. During the meeting,
the Catholicos expressed his indignation at the decision of the ECHR on the
Perinçek case of December 2013. His Holiness stated that this ruling not
only questions the truth of the Armenian Genocide; it also sets a precedent
for other genocides. He then expressed his solidarity with the Swiss
Authorities for any measures they might take to help overturn the decision.

Ambassador Flint informed the Catholicos that Swiss embassies all over the
world were receiving letters protesting the ECHR decision.

On this same issue, His Holiness Aram I also contacted the Federation of
Swiss Protestant Churches in Bern, who informed him that they were
addressing the issue to the Federal Minister of Justice, Simonetta
Sammaruga, in writing.
##

http://www.ArmenianOrthodoxChurch.org/
http://armenianorthodoxchurch.org/gallery-2

Montebello Community To Donate Fire Truck To Karabakh

MONTEBELLO COMMUNITY TO DONATE FIRE TRUCK TO KARABAKH

Friday, February 14th, 2014

A fire truck, which the Montebello Fire Department has donated to
the City of Stepanakert

MONTEBELLO–The Armenian Revolutionary Federation “Dro” Chapter will
be hosting their annual Banquet on Saturday, March 22. The Banquet
will be held at the Montebello Armenian Center and will feature a
performance by Karnig Sarkissian.

Chairman of the ARF Dro Chapter, Levon Kirakosian, stated, “We
would like to invite our community members to join the Dro Gomideh
in celebrating the Montebello Armenian community and taking part in
our upcoming initiative. We look forward to welcoming our supporters
to the Montebello Armenian Center on March 22nd.”

Since 2005, the city of Montebello has established a sister city
association with Stepanakert, the capital of Nagorno Karabakh. The city
and its institutions have been committed to creating and strengthening
a partnership between the communities. In recognizing their role as
a sister city to Stepanakert, the Montebello Fire Department donated
a fire truck, valued at $150,000, that is to be sent to Nagorno
Karabakh. This generous donation is a testament to the commitment that
the city of Montebello has invested into this municipal partnership
and its efforts to encourage community development in Stepanakert.

Due to the size and nature of the gift, the transport of the fire
truck to Stepanakert requires greater resources. The truck will need
to be shipped to Poti, Georgia, on a cargo ship, from where it will
be driven to Stepanakert by the city’s fire department. Thus, the Dro
Gomideh is pleased to allocate the proceeds from this year’s banquet
to the transport of this fire truck for the use of the community
in Stepanakert.

Individuals interested in attending are encouraged to contact
Sarkis Nourian for more information or contact the Gomideh at
[email protected]. The Gomideh looks forward to welcoming all to
the Montebello Armenian Center on March 22, 2013.

http://asbarez.com/119619/montebello-community-to-donate-fire-truck-to-karabakh/

Yerevan To Host Major Mining Event In Spring

YEREVAN TO HOST MAJOR MINING EVENT IN SPRING

YEREVAN, February 14. / ARKA /. Armenian Prime Minister Tigran
Sargsyan had a meeting today with head of the World Bank Yerevan Office
Jean-Michel Happi, US, German and British ambassadors to Armenia to
discuss a set of issues on holding a major international conference
on sustainable development of the mining industry in Yerevan in spring.

According to Michel Happi, the conference, organized at the initiative
of the three countries and the WB Yerevan Office is prompted by changes
in the mining industry both in Armenia and in the world. In particular,
Armenia has adopted a new Subsoil Code and a bill on the evaluation
of the impact on the environment and expertise is in the parliament.

Expressing gratitude for the initiative, Sargsyan expressed his
government’s willingness to contribute to the conference as one of
sponsors. According to Sargsyan, the event will help attract private
investment into Armenia’s mining industry. Sargsyan also instructed
several ministries to draw up the conference’s agenda with the
organizers of the event.

According to the ambassadors, the conference will aim to involve
both international companies in the industry and Armenia public
organizations and civil society into the discussions because
that approach would create a filed for dialogue and help identify
opportunities for effective organization of mining production.

They said the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD),
the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Armenian Development
Bank, the OSCE, as well as three major companies operating in the
mining sector and non-governmental organizations in Armenia are
assisting in the organization of the conference.

Some 70 top international experts as well as representatives of
leading companies and public organizations in Armenia are expected
to take part in the event. -0-

– See more at:

http://arka.am/en/news/economy/yerevan_to_host_major_mining_event_in_spring/#sthash.cpNBmaqU.dpuf

OSCE Media Freedom Representative Concerned About Obstruction Of Jou

OSCE MEDIA FREEDOM REPRESENTATIVE CONCERNED ABOUT OBSTRUCTION OF JOURNALISTS’ WORK IN ARMENIA

February 14, 2014 | 21:03

VIENNA. – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatovic
on Friday expressed concern about police obstruction of journalists’
activities while covering a public demonstration in Yerevan on 12
February, OSCE said in a statement.

“Violence against journalists is unacceptable. It is especially
alarming that police officers responsible to assist and protect
journalists used force against them,” MijatoviÄ~G wrote in a letter
to Armenian authorities.

According to reports, Ani Gevorkyan and Sarkis Gevorkyan, journalists
with the Chorrord Ishkhanutyun newspaper and iLur.am news portal
respectively, were assaulted and detained by police, but released
shortly after. While in custody, the officers searched the journalists
and erased all video materials from their cameras.

“I call on the authorities to conduct a thorough and transparent
investigation into the incident and do everything possible to avoid
the police misconduct toward members of the media in the future,”
MijatoviÄ~G wrote.

In December MijatoviÄ~G raised with the authorities the case of
Vardan Minasyan, a journalist with the newspaper Hraparak, who was
reportedly detained and assaulted by police officers while covering
a public demonstration in Yerevan.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

Levon Barseghyan. "All The Talks With These Authorities Are Over."

LEVON BARSEGHYAN. “ALL THE TALKS WITH THESE AUTHORITIES ARE OVER.”

February 14 2014

“Can Vova Gasparyan say of what our militia is thinking about
when hitting a woman? You are hitting the woman in the street, and
detaining her. Do you think that you are working against freedom of
opinion? Sending the next application and reporting against these
authorities regarding the incident makes no sense. All the talks with
these authorities are over, no effective means is still known to me
and our organization of how to bring these dummy militia to order,”
said Levon Barseghyan, Chairman of Board of Asbarez club, referring
to yesterday’s slapping incident to journalist Ani Gevorgyan at the
police department. According to him, over the last 12 years, there
were more than 200 assaults over the journalists, and only 3-4 of
them were half-disclosed. “In other cases, the police was unable to
disclose. And you are talking about reporting. Now, if Ani reports
against the police officer and the police starts examining the case
and the police officer who has hit her says “I swear for my father
that I have not hit her, and the chips were empty, we have returned
them empty. And then write papers, give explanation, all of these
instruments have long been exhausted.” In the opinion of Mr.

Barseghyan, all the police actions towards preventing the awareness
of March 1 rally were not preventive, but promoted to large-scale
awareness. “Maybe it’s special done and they do not like Serzh
Sargsyan and have decided that the notification be large-scale and
community to know about it. Now people are better informed about
what will happen on March 1.” Referring to yesterday’s RPA-ANC youth
incident, to the reaction of RPA MP Karen Avagyan that “from now on
similar displays will be answered adequately,” Mr. Barseghyan said,
“The ideas of remarkable specialists of balloon should have made them
understand that nothing is left without consequence in nature. It
will be compensated for sure. If they find that physical violence
should be exercised against free expression of people’s opinion,
they need to understand that while making this expression they
are also expressing an opinion and if someone does not like this
opinion, it will not be left unanswered and adequate response will
be given to it. But, at this time, he may not manage to call Vova,
or Serzh. We have achieved to a point that the man who considers him
an MP has decided that the physical force should be the answer of
free opinion. This man is unaware that the law is read that if there
is a crime in the expression, they should apply to court, rather than
exerting a physical strength.” In response to our inquiry of whether
they have determined who was the one in civilian clothes slapping
the woman, the police officer Armen Malkhasyan just said, “Such cases
are in the attention of the police, and the investigation is underway.”

Arpine SIMONYAN

Read more at:

http://en.aravot.am/2014/02/14/163825/

CPJ Blasts Azerbaijan Over Trampling Press Freedom, Blacklist

CPJ BLASTS AZERBAIJAN OVER TRAMPLING PRESS FREEDOM, BLACKLIST

February 14, 2014 – 15:12 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – The Committee to Protect Journalists(CPJ) released
its annual Attacks on the Press report, slamming Azerbaijan for
oppressing journalists and blacklisting visitors to the Nagorno
Karabakh Republic.

“As Azerbaijan prepared to assume the 2014 chairmanship of the Council
of Europe–the largest European intergovernmental human rights and
democracy organization–the authoritarian regime of President Ilham
Aliyev shamelessly trampled on press freedom at home. The authorities
continued to stifle critical voices, target free expression on the Web,
and sentence reporters to lengthy prison terms. A local journalist
was barred from leaving the country to pick up his journalism prize
in Norway, while dozens of foreign media personnel were declared
persona non grata in Azerbaijan,” the Committee notes in the report.

“The harassment, including by the government-affiliated press, of
investigative journalist Khadija Ismailova went unpunished. Aliyev
extended criminal defamation laws to the Internet and tightened
funding restrictions for domestic NGOs, including press freedom
organizations, despite a domestic and international outcry. In June,
European Commission President José Manuel Barroso offered Aliyev
public support instead of holding the leader responsible for human
rights and press freedom violations in his country. In October,
the authoritarian leader was re-elected to his third term after
the Central Elections Commission denied registration to opposition
candidate Rustam Ibragimbekov,” the report said.

“After a June travel ban on photojournalist Mehman Huseynov, which
prevented him from accepting an international journalism award
in Norway, Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry issued a list of foreign
nationals–among them 67 journalists and media workers–who are barred
from entering the country,” the report stressed.

On August 2, Azeri Foreign Ministry published the notorious blacklist,
which includes Slovak politician FrantiÅ~_ek MikloÅ~_ko, Argentinean
parliamentarian Jose Arbo, Russian expert Andrey Areshev, Baroness
Caroline Cox, opera star Montserrat Caballé and many other famous
personalities.

http://www.cpj.org/ru/2014/02/-2013-7.php