Author: Kajoyan Gevork

CALIF. ASSEMBLY UNANIMOUSLY APPROVES GENOCIDE CURRICULUM BILL

Wednesday, January 29th, 2014

Assemblymember Adrin Nazarian speaks on AB 659

SACRAMENTO– Despite heavy opposition by pro-Turkey lobbying groups,
the California State Assembly voted unanimously, today, to pass
Assemblymember Adrin Nazarian’s bill, AB 659, encouraging schools to
use oral histories when teaching about the Armenian Genocide. AB 659
will now move on to State Senate for consideration.

“The unanimous passage of AB 659 sends a strong message that
California officials cannot be bought or bullied into denying truth and
justice. The ANCA WR commends Assemblymembers Nazarian and Achadjian
for spearheading through this important genocide education legislation
and looks forward to working with them in garnering similar support
in the State Senate,” stated Elen Asatryan, Executive Director of
the ANCA-WR.

“AB 659 has enjoyed overwhelming support from my colleagues in
the Assembly,” commented Assemblymember Nazarian, following the
vote. “I look forward to continuing to work with the ANCA-WR to
garner support from our counterparts in the Senate. The personal
testimonies of Genocide survivors will give educators a powerful tool
to engage students in the subject matter in ways they have never been
taught before. If we expect to stop the genocides of the future,
it is important that we strengthen the teaching mechanisms on past
genocides,” he continued.

Joining Nazarian as co-authors AB 659 were State Senator Mark Wyland
(R) and Assemblymembers Katcho Achadjian (R), Steve Fox (D), Mike Gatto
(D), Scott Wilk (R), and Cheryl Brown (D). Other members of the State
Assembly who spoke in support of the measure during the floor session
today were Assemblymembers Tim Donnelly (R) and Diane Harkey (R).

Assemblymember Achadjian, principal co-author on AB 659, worked closely
with his Republican colleagues to secure broad bipartisan support
for the measure, noted, “I am proud to be a principal co-author of
AB 659. Part of ensuring a better world for our children includes
educating them about the past. We must take the initiative to recognize
such tragic acts of violence in order to prevent such events from
happening again. It encourages teachers to educate our students on
the Armenian Genocide.”

Earlier this month, AB 659 was unanimously adopted by the State
Assembly Education and Appropriations Committees. Education Committee
Chairwoman Joan Buchanan explained, “It is important for California
students to understand and learn from the lessons of history, including
the atrocities of genocide around the world. I am proud to support
AB 659, which encourages schools to include the Armenian genocide in
our history courses.”

In the weeks leading up to State Assembly consideration of the
measure, the ANCA Western Region worked closely with legislators to
ensure they learned of the Armenian American community’s enthusiastic
support for the measure. “Grassroots efforts are critical for the
success of such legislation, particularly in light of the increasingly
aggressive lobbying campaigns which are being mounted by Turkey and
Azerbaijan. In these times, it is especially important to activate our
grassroots, because while we may be outspent by our adversaries, active
participation by our community makes a difference,” added Asatryan.

Once adopted by the State Senate and signed into law by the Governor,
AB 659 would encourage the incorporation of oral testimony and teacher
training, such that the Genocide may be more comprehensively taught
in California’s public schools.

The Genocide Education Project (GenEd), a non-profit organization
based in San Francisco which has developed model resources for high
school teachers regarding the Armenian Genocides, hailed the measure.

“With the proper materials and training, teachers can incorporate
the Armenian Genocide into their social studies curriculum in a
meaningful way,” said Roxanne Makasdjian of The Genocide Education
Project. “This resolution reminds education administrators across the
state of California’s commitment to the inclusion of the Armenian
Genocide as an essential part of its courses on world history,
genocide, and human rights.”

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.

LE GENOCIDE ARMENIEN RESTE UN SUJET SENSIBLE

L’Union- France
27 janv. 2014

Le lundi 27 janvier 2014, première journee de sa visite d’Etat en
Turquie, le president e la Republique francaise Francois Hollande, a
exhorte la Turquie a faire son “travail de memoire” sur les massacres
de centaines de milliers d’Armeniens par l’empire ottoman en 1915. “Le
travail de memoire est toujours douloureux, mais doit etre fait”,
a-t-il declare lors d’une conference de presse avec son homologue turc,
Abdullah Gul. La Turquie refuse de qualifier les evenements de 1915 de
“genocide”.

Interroge sur une eventuelle nouvelle loi francaise reprimant la
negation du genocide, le chef de l’Etat a assure que la France “fera
le droit et rien que le droit”.

Les relations franco-turques ont ete emaillees par plusieurs
crises depuis l’adoption en 2001 par le Parlement francais d’une loi
reconnaissant le genocide armenien, suivie de tentatives legislatives
avortees pour en reprimer la negation. La dernière, adoptee en
decembre 2011 par le Parlement avec le soutien de Nicolas Sarkozy,
a ete invalidee en fevrier 2012 par le Conseil constitutionnel. Après
son arrivee a l’Elysee, Francois Hollande avait confirme son engagement
a penaliser la negation du genocide armenien.

“Il ne faut pas faire revivre aux generations futures les souffrances
vecues il y a cent ans”, a declare Abdullah Gul, avant d’ajouter :
“Il faut laisser cette affaire aux historiens”. La Turquie reconnaît le
“massacre” de plusieurs centaines de milliers d’Armeniens en 1915-1916
dans les territoires alors administres par l’Empire ottoman, mais
recuse le terme de genocide. Les Armeniens avancent, le chiffre de
1,5 million de morts et soutiennent qu’il y a bien eu genocide.

YEREVAN PRESS CLUB WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

JANUARY 24-30, 2014

HIGHLIGHTS:

YPC WEEKLY NEWSLETTER CHANGES FORMAT

MEDIA ETHICS OBSERVATORY CONSIDERED THE COMPLAINT OF AUDIO-VISUAL REPORTERS
ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT AGAINST ATV

A JOURNALISTIC TRICK TAKES A REPORTER TO NATIONAL SECURITY SERVICE

CRIMINAL CASE AGAINST ARMENIA TODAY’S COORDINATOR SENT TO COURT

ANOTHER STUDY OF THE COMMITTEE TO PROTECT FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION ABOUT
INFORMATION TRANSPARENCY OF STATE AGENCIES

YPC WEEKLY NEWSLETTER CHANGES FORMAT

Dear readers,

This is the last 576th issue of Yerevan Press Club Weekly Newsletter in the
current format. In fact, this issue stands out from all the others,
published since December 2000, by this feature only.

The cessation the YPC Weekly Newsletter issuance in this format that has
been used for 13 years is conditioned by the changes in the package of our
organization’s information products.

>From now on you can find news on the developments in the Armenian media on
the YPC website and on the website of EaP
Media Freedom Watch which YPC
contributes to jointly with colleagues from five other Eastern Partnership
countries.

Elina POGHOSBEKIAN
YPC Weekly Newsletter Editor

MEDIA ETHICS OBSERVATORY CONSIDERED THE COMPLAINT OF AUDIO-VISUAL REPORTERS
ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT AGAINST ATV

On January 25, the Media Ethics
Observatory (MEO) considered the complaint of Arzuman Harutyunian, President
of Audio-Visual Reporters Association, on “Affectionate Torture” program
(from “Half-Open Windows” cycle), broadcast by ATV TV channel on December 9,
2013.

The program told the story of the creation and collapse of a family, also
touching upon trafficking. The President of Audio-Visual Reporters
Association believes that when covering this topic the authors of the
program violated both legal and professional ethical norms: in particular,
they publicized private information about the victims of trafficking. On
December 19, Arzuman Harutyunian sent a letter to the administration of the
TV channel with a thorough description of all the violations that had taken
place in the program. A reply, dated January 14 and signed by ATV General
Director Vahagn Khachatrian, noted that the TV company disagreed with the
comments made by Association and was planning to broadcast “Affectionate
Torture”-2.

On January 21, Arzuman Harutyunian turned to the Media Ethics Observatory.
Regardless of the invitation, the representatives of ATV did not take part
in the session. Considering the complaint, the members of the MEO came to
the conclusion that the program contained violations of both ethical norms
and international conventions on trafficking. (The MEO expert judgment will
be published soon at ).

A JOURNALISTIC TRICK TAKES A REPORTER TO NATIONAL SECURITY SERVICE

On January 30, the RA National Security Service (NSS) sent out a press
release, explaining the reasons of inviting Avetis Babajanian, “168 Zham”
newspaper reporter, to the NSS.

In its January 28-29, 2014 issue, “168 Zham” published an article by Avetis
Babajanian “Chechens Plan a
Terroristic Act in Armenia”, starting out with the following lines: “Our
sources, standing close to authorities, inform that terroristic acts may
target Russian objects in Armenia during the Winter Olympics in Sochi.”

The press release presents the written clarification, provided by Avetis
Babajanian to the security agency, of his expression “our sources, standing
close to authorities, inform that (…)”. “I used this word combination as a
journalistic trick in order to make the story sound more intriguing. With
full responsibility do I note that no source has ever provided me with any
information on the topic presented in the article”, Avetis Babajanian
explained.

Further the NSS press release states: “This explanation makes it clear that
Babajanian’s “article” is a forgery; moreover, it is the result of lack of
serious journalistic approach and basic accountability. It is simply an
unconscious composition of ungrounded suppositions. The journalist did not
bother to think of those who would read his ominous thoughts. By the way,
the editor of the newspaper did not bother either.”

CRIMINAL CASE AGAINST ARMENIA TODAY’S COORDINATOR SENT TO COURT

According to ARMENIA
Today agency, the RA Special
Investigative Service sent the criminal case against
ARMENIA Today coordinator Argishti Kivirian to court. The action was
initiated in connection with the August 24, 2013 incident between the
journalist and police officers. Argishti Kivirian has been charged by
Article 316 of the RA Criminal Code (“Violence against a representative of
the authorities”).

As we have reported, Argishti Kivirian was detained on August 24, 2013,
during the public protests against the construction of a residential
building in the vicinity of 5 Komitas Avenue in Yerevan. According to the
journalist, the law-enforcers beat him in the police car, he was summoned to
the Yerevan Arabkir Police Department with injuries and bruises on his face,
from where the ambulance transferred him to “Erebuni” medical center. On
August 25, the police instituted criminal proceedings against him on charges
of Article 316 of the Criminal Code. In his turn, Argishti Kivirian
addressed the police with a statement about the use of force during his
detention. All materials related to the incident were sent to the Special
Investigative Service that initially accused the journalist by Article 316
as well as Article 333 (“False denunciation”) of the Criminal Code. Later
the investigative body acquitted him of the false denunciation charge and
offered to grant the journalist an amnesty. However, Argishti Kivirian
refused the amnesty and demanded that all the offenders involved in illegal
actions against him should be called to account (see details in YPC Weekly
Newsletter, January 17-23, 2014 ).

ANOTHER STUDY OF THE COMMITTEE TO PROTECT FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION ABOUT
INFORMATION TRANSPARENCY OF STATE AGENCIES

On January 30, the Committee to Protect Freedom of Expression (CPFE)
published the results of its “Access to Official Information and Open
Governance” study. The monitoring of the RA state agency websites has been
implemented for three years, aiming to identify the level of information
transparency of these bodies. At a meeting with journalists the CPFE
presented the data for 2013. This study is published as a separate booklet
(in Armenian, English and Russian) and has also been posted at

When reprinting or using the information above, reference to the Yerevan
Press Club is required.
You are welcome to send any comment and feedback about the Newsletter to:
[email protected]

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this mailing list, please send a message to: [email protected]

Editor of YPC Newsletter – Elina POGHOSBEKIAN
____________________________________________
Yerevan Press Club
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0002, Yerevan, Armenia
Tel.: (+ 374 10) 53 00 67; 53 35 41; 53 76 62
Fax: (+374 10) 53 56 61
E-mail: [email protected]
Web Site:

CAUCASIAN MUSLIMS BOARD ISSUES FATWA ON AZERBAIJANIS LEAVING FOR OTHER COUNTRIES TO FIGHT

Azeri-Press news agency (APA)
January 28, 2014 Tuesday

[ 28 January 2014 12:41 ]

“We are dissatisfied with calling acts of our countrymen, who
joined armed conflicts in other countries, as jihad, their physical
destruction as martyrdom”

Baku. Mubariz Aslanov – APA. The Cadi Council of the Caucasian Muslim
Board has issued a fatwa taking into account cases on abusing sacred
moments such as jihad and martyrdom, as well as dissatisfaction
of religious men with preconceived opinions on this subject in the
several circles of the society.

APA reports that the fatwa has been declared at the event held under
the chairman of Caucasian Muslim Board (CMB) Sheikh-ul-Islam Haji
Allahshukur Pashazadeh.

The fatwa says: “The martyrdom in Islam religious is the highest peak
of struggle for faith, just and homeland. Being killed for homeland is
the greatest honor and dignity. We all owe our lives to the martyrs
of 20th January, Karabakh therefore, we should to immortalize our
martyrs and cite them as example to the next generation. A person who
was killed for land, religious, family, homeland is a martyr. Main
requirement of the Islam religious is self-defense against aggressors.

We are dissatisfied with calling acts of our countrymen, who
joined armed conflicts in other countries, as jihad, their physical
destruction as martyrdom. CMB Cadi Council states that including acts
of these persons in martyrdom is groundless”.

ARMENIAN CITIZEN DETAINED ON AZERBAIJAN’S TERRITORY

Trend, Azerbaijan
Jan 28 2014

Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 28

Trend:

Armenian citizen Khojayan Mamika Tigranovich, 65, has been detained
in Azerbaijan’s Tovuz district, secretary of the State Commission on
Prisoners of War, Hostages and Missing Persons, Shahin Sailov told
Trend on Jan. 28.

He said Khojayan is a civilian. He was arrested this afternoon in the
Alibayli village of the Tovuz district and handed over to Azerbaijan
military.

Earlier, Azerbaijani Defense Ministry reported the detention of a
member of an Armenian sabotage group.

Recently the situation on the contact line of Azerbaijani and Armenian
troops has escalated. In recent days Armenian armed forces violated
the ceasefire over 1000 times.

The ceasefire was violated on the contact line of Azerbaijani and
Armenian troops yesterday and last night from different positions 196
times, according to a message from the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry.

Currently there are an Armenian prisoner of war and an Armenian family
of five members in Azerbaijan, the International Committee of the
Red Cross representative office in Azerbaijan said last week.

There are no Azerbaijani prisoners in Armenia, according to the ICRC
representative office. About 700 persons have been returned from both
sides over the past 21 years with the ICRC mediation.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the U.S. are
currently holding peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s four
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the
surrounding regions.

Translated by E.A.

SPIELBERG URGES WORLD TO “CONFRONT” HISTORY ON HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL DAY

Japan Economic Newswire
January 27, 2014 Monday 11:54 PM GMT

NEW YORK, Jan. 27

NEW YORK, Jan. 27 – Hollywood film director Steven Spielberg spoke
at the United Nations on Monday about the importance of remembering
the horrors of the past such as the Holocaust to prevent large-scale
atrocities from taking root.

At the annual International Holocaust Memorial Day ceremony, the
Oscar award winner praised survivors of Nazi German concentration
camps for their “undamaged optimism” and their ability to transform
“rage and grief into a wellspring of wisdom, progress and justice.”

“The survivors’ powerful determination to contribute to a future
without genocides does not come from leaving the Holocaust behind,
from escaping history,” he said in the General Assembly hall addressing
U.N. officials, diplomats and survivors. “Their determined demand is
that we engage fully with history, that the Holocaust remain with us
in memory.”

Since 2005, the United Nations has marked the day the
Auschwitz-Birkenau camp in Poland was liberated on Jan. 27, 1945 by
paying tribute to the 6 million Jews as well as other victims who
perished in the camps.

Born a year after World War II ended, Spielberg recalled childhood
memories of learning to read numbers from the camp tattoos on the
arms of Hungarian survivors who learned English from his grandmother.

The filmmaker was further influenced by meeting other survivors
while on the set of “Schindler’s List,” the true story of a German
businessman who saved over 1,000 Jews from extermination by having
them work at his factory.

After winning seven Oscars for the film in 1994, the director then
formed the Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation as a way
of permanently recording their testimonies.

Since that time, videographers have captured tales of other survivors
of mass atrocities committed in Armenia, Cambodia, Rwanda, as well as
the Nanjing Massacre, which took place in 1937 when large-scale rapes
and murders were carried out by Japanese troops in China. There are
future plans to incorporate more testimonies from survivors of the
events in Srebrenica in Bosnia and Herzegovia as well as in Sudan.

“We know that repressing memory, willed forgetting, is perhaps the
greatest danger we face as a species,” he said. “Because we’ve been
spared, we know that despair is a choice, and remembering is a choice,
but if we want to remain fully human we have no choice but to confront
and remember the past, to learn, and to act on what we’ve learned.”

FRENCH PRES. BEGINS TWO-DAY VISIT TO TURKEY

Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)
January 27, 2014 Monday

| PARIS, Jan 27 (KUNA) — French President Francois Hollande on Monday
began a two-day “State visit” of Turkey, the first French leader to
visit that country in more than two decades.

Hollande officially begins the visit Monday afternoon after an
invitation by Turkish President Abdullah Gul and it is hoped the
voyage will improve often difficult relations between the two nations.

The French leader will face questions from the Turkish leadership over
France’s strong opposition to Turkish adherence to the European Union.

Hollande’s predecessor Nicolas Sarkozy was one of the staunchest
opponents of Turkish membership of the EU and it was also under the
Sarkozy presidency that the French Parliament voted a law that not
only confirmed accusations of Turkish genocide against the Armenian
people in 1915, but also sought to make it a criminal offence to deny
the historical truth of the genocide.

Turkey rejects the Armenian claim that 1.5 million of its people were
killed by the Turkish army and says the figure is greatly exaggerated.

France’s top court blocked the Armenian Genocide Law, but the affair
led to very strained relations between Paris and Ankara and a freezing
of some ties.

Diplomatic sources said Hollande will be seeking to repair the damaged
ties and he is accompanied by seven ministers and three dozen business
leaders in a bid to promote better political and economic relations.

But Hollande is unlikely to move significantly on the EU issue and
will certainly deflect the question to Brussels, where exploratory
talks on Turkish membership have resumed.

Both nations, which are members of NATO, will also discuss security
issues and the regional situation and Paris and Ankara have close
views on the conflict in Syria and the dramatic consequences for the
region and the need for Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad to step down.

Turkey has taken in large numbers of Syrian refugees and the ongoing
talks on the Syrian conflict in Geneva will provide a backdrop for
Franco-Turkish discussions on Monday.

After initial, separate meetings with Gul and Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on Monday, and the signature of several
bilateral accords, Hollande will head to Istanbul to continue the
visit on Tuesday. The focus on day two will be on economic issues.

The last French President to visit Turkey was Socialist President
Francois Mitterrand in 1982.

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT: OUR ARMY WAS FORMED ON BATTLEFIELD, NOT ON PAPER

Tuesday,January 28

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan presented high state awards to a
number of servicemen and Karabakh war veterans during the ceremony
held today on the occasion of the 22nd anniversary of the Armenian
Army, according to the presidential press service.

In his speech, the president said that the Armenian army became the
first state structure successfully established in the period when
the Armenian people restored their independence after a long interval.

“The formation of the Armenian Armed Forces is the first and greatest
achievement of our country. It is a historical fact and irrefutable
truth.

The other day we witnessed the feat of a soldier who defended the
border of our state and performed his duty at the cost of his life,
defending all that is dear and sacred to us. Today, before our
eyes a new generation continues the best traditions of our army
and officers formed during the Karabakh war, on the battlefield,”
the president stated.

He said that in May 2014 it will be 20 years since the ceasefire
agreement was signed. In his words, in the past two decades our army
and society have lived in the conditions ‘of neither war nor peace’.

“It is an especially complex situation for any army, any soldier and
officer, but during this period our army has carried out its mission
with honor.

Today – on the day of our victorious army – is a great holiday and an
occasion to remember those who organized and carried out the defense of
the borders of Artsakh and Armenia with incredible effort, sometimes
at the cost of their lives. They became an example and a criterion
for future generations – just as their fathers and grandfathers set
an example for them during World War II. We bow our heads in memory
of those who turned the war forced upon us into a glorious liberation
movement,” Serzh Sargsyan said.

He stressed that the Armenian people established the army on the
battlefield and not on paper.

“During the war and the 20-year truce period the Armenian army proved
and continues to prove every day that the enemy’s statements are
worth nothing as the well-trained and conscious Armenian soldier
stands guard on the border. Twenty years are not even a moment for
our history. We will stand as long as needed.

“Since the moment of their formation, the Armed Forces of Armenia and
the Defense Army of the NKR said clearly to the enemy and everyone:
Artsakh’s freedom is above all, we are aware that nobody will present
us with freedom, but we are prepared for a struggle,” the president
said.

He again congratulated those present and the compatriots on Army
Day, saying that the Armenian people face the future with confidence
because they have a reliable defender – the Armenian army.

EXPERT BLOG: SPEECHES OF ALIYEV AND MAMEDYAROV CONTRADICT EACH OTHER

Tuesday,
January
28

When commenting on the recent statements of Azerbaijani Foreign
Minister Elmar Mamedyarov in his interview with the Italian mass media,
expert Tigran Abrahamian indicated one noteworthy detail: Mamedyarov
speaks about regional threats four days after the January 9 session
of the Azerbaijani government, during which President Ilham Aliyev
proudly spoke about the achievements ‘in building the army and the
arsenal of the Azerbaijani army’.

Moreover, in his speech President Aliyev touched upon the change in the
balance of forces in the region, hinting at the correlation of forces
in favor of Azerbaijan and stressing that a ‘realistic approach,’
which ‘should be based on the correlation of real forces and the
growing might of Azerbaijan’, should form a basis for a resolution
of the Karabakh conflict.

“The Azerbaijani army is one of the strongest in the world,” Ilham
Aliyev declared. It turns out that despite its ‘might’, the Azerbaijani
army – ‘one of the strongest in the world and equipped with modern
weapons’ – sees a serious threat in the Defense Army of the Nagorno
Karabakh Republic.

Three main conclusions can be made from this. First, the Azerbaijani
president lies when presenting the Azerbaijani army as one of the
strongest in the world. Secondly, Azerbaijan admits that even under
conditions of the ongoing arms race, Azerbaijan is considerably
inferior to the NKR Defense Army, which creates a serious threat (the
matter has not yet concerned the Armed Forces of Armenia). Thirdly,
the legends about the Azerbaijani army are grossly exaggerated, and
the Azerbaijani army continues to be inferior from the qualitative
and military point of view. Perhaps the most realistic option in
this context is that the balance of forces in the regions has not
been disturbed.

A few words about regional threats. Of course, there are many threats
in the region. The policy implemented by Armenia’s two neighbors –
Azerbaijan and Turkey serves the purpose of creating real external
threats to Armenia and the whole region. The policy of Armenia’s
blockade alone speaks of the insincerity of the Azerbaijani foreign
minister’s speech.

Aysor.am

UKRAINIAN PM RESIGNS

January 28, 2014 | 12:41

Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov has handed in his resignation,
government’s press service said.

In a statement Azarov said his move was an attempt to find peaceful
solution to Ukrainian crisis.

Azarov added that for crearting additional means for finding
a social-political compromise and for peaceful solution to the
crisis he made a personal decision to ask the president to accept
his resignation.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am