Author: Kajoyan Gevork

HAYKAKAN ZHAMANAK: BALAYAN’S LETTER TO PUTIN OATH OF ALLEGIANCE TO RF

‘Haykakan Zhamanak’ carries an article by deputy of the Armenian
parliament Nikol Pashinian who discusses the letter of Zori Balayan
to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In the opinion of the article’s author, the letter pursues several
purposes, one of which is taking an oath of allegiance to Russia after
Armenia’s well-known games with Europe. According to N. Pashinian,
the latter shows that the Armenian authorities lack will to have an
independent state.

HRAPARAK: ROSNEFT COMPANY REJECTS NAIRI DEAL

‘Hraparak’ paper writes citing its sources that Chairman of Rosneft
Company Board Igor Sechin and Chairman of Gazprom OJSC Board Alexey
Miller were expected to visit Armenia on October 16. The management
of ArmRosGazprom Company was even going to hold a reception, but the
guests didn’t arrive.

According to the paper’s sources close to Russian financial circles,
the reason is that the Russian side recently forbade the deal of
transferring Nairit Plant to Russia’s largest oil company.

“The Nairit problem continues to overshadow the working days of
Armenian prime minister. $70 million that Rhinoville Property Limited –
the owner of 90% of Nairit shares – received from CIS Interstate Bank
by pledging Nairit Plant as security increased to $205-300 million
in 2006, according to various estimates. The Armenian government is
regularly reminded to repay that debt,” the paper notes, adding that
the problem was also raised during the last visit of the Armenian prime
minister to Moscow and his meeting with First Deputy Prime Minister
Igor Shuvalov, but its solution was again postponed indefinitely.

VICTOR KRIVOPUSKOV ABOUT CUSTOMS UNION, RUSSIA’S LOYALTY AND SELLING WEAPONS TO AZERBAIJAN

October 17 2013

Victor Krivopuskov, head of Rossotrudnichestvo Office in Armenia,
at a press conference today, said that he “as a resident of Yerevan,
and why not, as an Armenian” has seen and felt the severity of those
days when everyone was waiting for this important event, referring
to Armenia’s joining the Customs Union. In this respect, “Aravot”
inquired from Mr. Krivopuskov as to how everybody was looking forward
to the event, if no one was aware of it, very few people were assuming
about Armenia’s joining the Customs Union before September 3, it was
a shock for many people, Mr. Krivopuskov answered, “In a few days,
I am completing my mission in Armenia and returning to Moscow. But
I would like to say that there was a shock, yes, but who had the
shock, the officials, to those who were thinking about their own
well-being, were oriented to other values. And, I know very well about
the orientation of the wide society of Armenia and especially the
ordinary people. It is a science of sociological facts, and social
surveys have shown that approximately 60 % of Armenians supports
going in that direction. It is clear that if a referendum is held,
the result would have been different. I am sure that, in that case,
the number of those welcoming the orientation of Armenia towards
Russia would have made much greater percentage. Ordinary people
and the majority of public mind in Armenia, of course, were happy
with this choice of RA authorities, because we are united not only
spiritually, in contrast to the values that are preached in the West,
but also in terms of economic development. The words will not make you
feel full, will they? And it’s all natural. Where are the priorities,
the achievements, the directions, which were developed in Armenia by
the European Union?

Where was the EU in these 25 years? Why do not they set up an
enterprise here? No, well, to be honest, there are some things, but
they are not significant for the economy of Armenia. Who will feed
the country free? The country must work, produce, and sell. Let us
remember that in the Soviet period, Armenia was receiving 80 trains
of products every day, but also 80 trains of high-tech products were
sent from Yerevan to all the countries of the world, mostly, to USSR
Republics. And, now, where are these trains going…? Certainly,
today, we cannot talk about trains, to put it mildly, but even those
sporadic wagons that came out of Yerevan, where are they going, to
Russia, or CIS countries? The volume of economic relations of Armenia,
the enterprises predicting Armenia’s future are totally and fully
dependent on Russia on equal basis. And, where is the European Union?”

Then, continuing to criticize the European Union, he noted that
Armenian enters into the Customs Union without any preconditions and
as an equal partner, “You know what, I consider myself a Yerevan
resident, no, why do I consider, I’m just a Yerevan resident, and
like everyone is going to a store every day, I am socializing with
people every day and I am very well aware of the informational and
ideological pressures that the EU was making, it was putting forward
thousands of preconditions to Armenia, if you do this, you will have
this, if you do not do this, you will not have this and so on and
so forth. Moreover, not only me but also no one in the society knows
what was there in those Association papers. No one was aware of what
was going to be. So, it is absolutely clear that Armenia’s decision
to join the Customs Union, and later on to the Eurasian Union, was
quite realistic and tangible.” To the question of “Aravot” that you
constantly are trying to convince how good and how correct it was for
Armenia to join the Customs Union, and what it gives to you, Russia,
just a regular score, Mr. Krivopuskov was a little offended. “I’m
sorry…. You know what, we have never abandoned our friends and
colleagues. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, we are not only
together, side by side… We, together, keep the Armenian-Turkish
border, we ensure the safety of our people. In our relationships, we
have never been guided by a commercial point of view. You know what,
we have never built our relationships with our friends as such, even
though, today, pragmatics is also important.” “You say that you are not
building relationships with your friends from the commercial aspect,
but when Russia sold the offensive weapons of $1 billion to Azerbaijan,
it explained only by business,” in response to our reversibility,
Mr. Krivopuskov answered, “He who is not blind will see, who is not
deaf will hear… I definitely do not want to comment on the sale of
these weapons, but there are alternatives that should be properly
assessed. I do not think that the billion smashed the thoughts of
the Armenian elite, especially the minds of ordinary people. Russia
and Armenia, together, are in CSTO, we are strongly connected to each
other with a variety of military-technical agreements, partnership. I
think these words are enough to say that Armenia’s joining the Customs
Union was realistic. And as for the fact of selling the weapon, I do
not think that it had any effect on the Armenian-Russian relations.”

Melania BARSEGHYAN

Read more at:

ARTSAKH TO BE ONE OF THE FASTEST GROWING COUNTRIES IN ECONOMY: BAKO SAHAKYAN

18:57, 17 October, 2013

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 17, ARMENPRESS. The Belgian news website “La Libre”
has touched upon the President of the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh
Bako Sahakyan’s visit to Brussels. The president Bako Sahakyan is
considered to be one of those politicians whose official visit to
Brussels is not very expected. The issue of the Republic of Nagorno
Karabakh is one of the “frozen antagonisms” of the post-Soviet era,
the settlement of which is still undetermined.

Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Transnistria have recognized the
independence of the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh.

As reports Armenpress, “La Libre” has had a conversation with
Bako Sahakyan who has introduced the “new” Artsakh to the Belgian
Agency. “We attach great importance to the issues of the development
of the country . Artsakh is one of the richest countries in the world
in natural resources with the fastest growing economy.

The economic growth of the country is higher than 10 percent,”
underscored the President.

The general aim of the President of the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh
Bako Sahakyan to visit Brussels has been the involvement of the
foreign investors.

The president has participated in the ceremony of the organization
“European friends of Armenia” which took place in the Chamber of the
Armenian-Belgian Commerce.

ARMENIA’S ECONOMY MORE LIBERAL THAN EU COUNTRIES’ ECONOMIES

YEREVAN, October 17. /ARKA/. Armenia’s economy is more liberal than
EU countries’ economies, Beatriz Paglieri, the head of the Argentine
Economy Ministry’s Foreign Trade Secretariat, said Thursday in Yerevan
at the first Armenian-Argentine Business Forum.

“The Armenian economy is more liberal than the EU economies, which
create obstacles for exports and cooperation with Argentina,” she said.

Paglieri said that Argentina faces some difficulties in exporting
its goods to EU countries, the United States and Japan because of
the imposed restrictions, including customs regime.

Garegin Melkonyan, Armenian deputy economy minister, on his side,
said that Armenia’s tax and customs laws are flexible enough, and
there is favorable environment for investment ion he country.

“We have high opportunities for entering Russia’s market, and
cooperation with the European Union gives us room for exports,
since there are certain preferential export regimes for more than
300 varieties of Armenian goods,” he said adding that membership in
the Customs Union will is very promising for Armenia.

Voicing satisfaction at the developed laws, trade relations between
Armenia and Argentina are quite weak because of countries locations
and few business ties.

The first Armenian-Argentine Business Forum was launched today and
will be wrapped up on Saturday.

Representatives of pharmaceutical, textile and meat-producing companies
as well as other businesses gathered in Yerevan for this forum.

The event is organized by Armenian Development Agency and Argentina’s
Embassy in Yerevan.

The National Statistical Service of Armenia says Argentina was the
biggest investor in the real sector of Armenia’s economy in the
first half of this year. Its investments here totaled $76.1 million
in Jan-June 2013 after growing 10.4 times, compared with the same
period a year before.

Argentina’s direct investments in Armenia have grown 67.2% to $8.2
million.

Argentine investments are intended for development of air transport
($72.3 million) and for construction of houses ($565,000), and
$3.3 million has been invested in plant-growing and cattle-breeding
businesses, hunting and related services. —-0—

– See more at:

SOME $76 MILLION ARGENTINEAN INVESTMENTS INJECTED INTO ARMENIA’S ECONOMY THIS YEAR; DEPUTY ECONOMY MINISTER

YEREVAN, October 17. / ARKA /. Some $76 million of Argentinean
investments have been injected into Armenia’s economy this year,
according to a deputy Armenian economy minister Gagregin Melkonyan,
who spoke at the opening of the first Armenian-Argentinean business
forum in Yerevan.

The investments have been channeled primarily into transport, banking
and agricultural sectors. The major investor is an Argentinean-Armenian
businessman Eduardo Eurnekyan.

Eduardo Eurnekian is the owner of Corporation America company that
runs Armenia’s international airport Zvartnots. He is also the
largest shareholder in Conversebank and also finances a string of
major agricultural projects.

The first three-day Armenian- Argentinean business forum has kicked off
today in Yerevan and will run through October 19. Argentinean business
people representing pharmaceuticals, textile and meat businesses have
arrived in Armenia to take part in it. The event was initiated by the
Armenian Development Agency (ADA) in cooperation with the embassy of
Argentina in Armenia.

According to the National Statistical Service of Armenia, Argentina
was the largest foreign investor in the Armenian real economy sector
in the first half of this year ($76 million), more than a ten times
increase from the year before. Moreover, FDI from Argentina increased
by 67.2 % to $8.2 million

The bulk of investments ($ 72.3 million) went to air transport,
$565,000 to construction and $3.3 million to crop production and
cattle breeding. -0-

– See more at:

CHARLES AZNAVOUR MEETS WITH ARMENIAN-FRENCH CONFERENCE PARTICIPANTS

October 17, 2013 | 13:55

YEREVAN. – With his presence, world-renowned French-Armenian singer
Charles Aznavour honored the participants in the conference of the
Armenian-French Decentralized Cooperation.

To note, the conference has kicked off in Valence, France.

Aznavour-who is also Armenia’s Ambassador to Switzerland, permanent
delegate to the United Nations at Geneva, a National Hero of Armenia,
and a songwriter, actor, and public activist-attended a reception,
informs the Armenian capital city Yerevan Municipality Information
and Public Relations Department.

The conference organizers thanked the famous French Armenian for
attending the reception, and assured that such gesture by Aznavour
is yet another telling proof that Armenian-French friendship is on
firm grounds.

In turn the world-renowned Armenian likewise thanked for the extended
invitation, and wished successes and new accomplishments to the
conference participants and organizers.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

FORUM 18 NEWS SERVICE, Oslo, Norway

The right to believe, to worship and witness
The right to change one’s belief or religion
The right to join together and express one’s belief

===============================================
Thursday 17 October 2013
ARMENIA: “IMPRISONED CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTORS SHOULD BE IMMEDIATELY AND
UNCONDITIONALLY RELEASED”

Armenian Jehovah’s Witnesses have welcomed the release from jail of nine
conscientious objectors to military service. The men all had less than six
months of their sentences to run. However, 20 prisoners of conscience
remain in jail. “Our position is that the 20 imprisoned conscientious
objectors should be immediately and unconditionally released”, they told
Forum 18 News Service. The government has now introduced alternative
civilian service and set up an Alternative Service Committee to decide on
applications for alternative service. It is due to hold its first full
meeting to consider 65 applications – from Jehovah’s Witnesses and others –
in the week of 21 to 25 October. Yet Jehovah’s Witnesses state that 97 of
their young men, including the 20 prisoners of conscience, have applied to
have their cases considered. Questions also remain over how the Committee
will make decisions. Stepan Danielyan of Collaboration for Democracy notes
that only during the November call-up will it be clear whether the new
system will allow individuals to choose which type of service to do in
accordance with their conscience.

ARMENIA: “IMPRISONED CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTORS SHOULD BE IMMEDIATELY AND
UNCONDITIONALLY RELEASED”

By Felix Corley, Forum 18 News Service

Armenia’s Jehovah’s Witness community has welcomed as “positive” the
release from prison of nine conscientious objectors to military service in
a prisoner amnesty. “The families of the imprisoned men were overjoyed to
welcome their loved ones home,” Jehovah’s Witnesses told Forum 18 News
Service from Yerevan on 9 October. The men all had less than six months of
their sentences to run. However, the Jehovah’s Witness are disappointed
that, although their terms have been reduced by six months, a further 20
prisoners of conscience remain in prison. “Our position is that the 20
imprisoned conscientious objectors should be immediately and
unconditionally released.”

Stepan Danielyan of Collaboration for Democracy – which has long campaigned
against the imprisonment of conscientious objectors – agrees. “It is not
right that the 20 are still imprisoned,” he told Forum 18 from Yerevan on
16 October. “They should be freed and allowed to perform alternative
service.”

Two of the Deputy Justice Ministers involved in the issue were unavailable
each time Forum 18 called. Officials told Forum 18 that Grigor Muradyan was
out of Armenia, while Ruben Melikyan each time Forum 18 called on 16 and 17
October.

The government has now introduced alternative civilian service and set up
an Alternative Service Committee to decide on individual alternative
service applications (see F18News 6 June 2013
). It is due to hold
its first full meeting to consider 65 applications – from Jehovah’s
Witnesses and others – in the week of 21 to 25 October, two officials told
Forum 18. Yet Jehovah’s Witnesses state that 97 of their young men have
applied to have their cases considered by the Committee (see below).

Free prisoners of conscience now

Human rights defenders and Jehovah’s Witnesses insist all imprisoned
conscientious objectors should have been freed long ago and that the
remaining 20 prisoners of conscience should be freed immediately. Armenia
committed itself on joining the Council of Europe to introduce a civilian,
non-military alternative service by January 2004, it failed to do so. It
also pledged to release all those imprisoned for refusing military service
in the interim, but continued with a policy of imprisonment. For this it
has been strongly criticised by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council
of Europe (PACE) and the United Nations Human Rights Committee (see F18News
20 September 2012 ).

In addition, in July 2011 the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in
Strasbourg ruled in the case of former conscientious objector prisoner
Vahan Bayatyan (Application No. 23459/03) that the right to conscientious
objection is protected by Article 9 (“Freedom of thought, conscience and
religion”) of the European Convention (see commentary by Derek Brett of
Conscience and Peace Tax International at F18News 26 July 2011
).

The ECtHR also handed down two similar judgments against Armenia – in cases
brought by Hayk Bukharatyan (Application No. 37819/03) and Ashot Tsaturyan
(Application No. 37821/03) – in January 2012 (see F18News 1 February 2012
).

In November 2012, the ECtHR – in its fourth decision against Armenia in
conscientious objector cases – found in the case of Khachatryan and Others
(Application No. 23978/06) that Armenia had violated the rights of 17
Jehovah’s Witness conscientious objectors (see F18News 3 December 2012
).

Jehovah’s Witnesses state that 29 of their young men have been convicted
since the Bayatyan judgment, and a further 33 cases are pending with
investigators or the courts. All were punished or investigated under
Criminal Code Article 327, Part 1, which punishes evasion of the call-up to
military or alternative service. The maximum sentence under this article
was increased to three years’ imprisonment in December 2005.

Nine prisoners of conscience freed, 20 still jailed

Nine imprisoned conscientious objectors were freed on 8 and 9 October after
they were included in a prisoner amnesty. The amnesty, to mark the 22nd
anniversary of Armenia’s independence from the Soviet Union, was proposed
by President Serj Sarkisyan and approved by parliament on 3 October, the
parliamentary website noted the same day.

The longest-serving of the nine amnestied prisoners, Aharon Mushegyan, had
been given a three-year sentence in November 2010. The other eight were all
imprisoned in 2011, serving sentences of 30 or 36 months. Three of the nine
amnestied prisoners had less than 10 days left to serve at the time of
their release, Jehovah’s Witnesses told Forum 18.

Jehovah’s Witnesses remain concerned about the 20 current prisoners.
“Unfortunately, the amnesty only reduced their sentences by six months,”
Jehovah’s Witnesses told Forum 18.

Criminal cases continue

Three Jehovah’s Witness conscientious objectors were sentenced under
Criminal Code Article 327, Part 1 in 2013. Samvel Abrahamyan received a
30-month sentence on 29 January. Narek Grigoryan, was sentenced to 24
months’ imprisonment on 25 February. Vahagn Paronikyan received a 24-month
sentence on 4 March. However, the three young men were not imprisoned
pending their appeals. Grigoryan’s appeal is due to be heard at Armenia’s
Criminal Appeal Court in Yerevan on 21 October.

A total of 27 other criminal cases under Article 327, Part 1 are being
investigated. Six more are already in the courts, though no verdict has yet
been reached in any of the trials.

All 36 of these individuals have applied for the new alternative civilian
service, Jehovah’s Witnesses told Forum 18. However, the criminal cases
against them have not been dropped. “We have not received any information
about what they are planning to do with them,” Jehovah’s Witnesses told
Forum 18.

Forum 18 was unable to reach Gevorg Kostanyan, Armenia’s Military
Prosecutor, on 17 October.

Civilian institutions

Armenia has long imprisoned those young men unwilling to perform military
service or the alternative service under military control. All forms of
military service were and are unacceptable to Jehovah’s Witness young men
and to at least one member of the Molokan community. Hundreds of Jehovah’s
Witnesses and one Molokan were imprisoned, with prison sentences of up to
three years.

The Justice Ministry finally drafted amendments to the 2003 Alternative
Service Law and to the 2003 Law on Implementing the Criminal Code to
introduce for the first time a genuinely civilian alternative. They were
approved by parliament and signed into law by President Sarkisyan in May.
They came into force on 8 June (see F18News 6 June 2013
).

Under a 25 July government decision, 11 institutions were identified as
places where alternative civilian service would be carried out including
nursing homes, children’s homes and psychiatric clinics. The 11
institutions are controlled by a number of ministries: the Labour and
Social Affairs Ministry, the Health Ministry and the Emergency Situations
Ministry. A separate list identified tasks the alternative service workers
would carry out, including hospital orderly, laundry worker, kitchen
worker, ground staff or emergency rescuer’s assistant.

“We’re not against these institutions,” Jehovah’s Witnesses told Forum 18.
“They are civilian.”

Alternative Service Committee

Under another 25 July government decision, the government appointed the
members of the seven-strong Alternative Service Committee to review
applications for alternative civilian service. Chairing the Committee is
Vache Terteryan, First Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration. Its
other members come from various ministries and agencies, including the
Defence Ministry, Health Ministry, the Police and Vardan Astsatryan of the
government’s Department for Ethnic Minorities and Religious Affairs. The
Defence Ministry’s representative on the Committee is Deputy Minister Ara
Nazaryan, who is a civilian and not a military officer.

Applications

A total of 97 Jehovah’s Witness young men have made individual applications
to the Committee for alternative civilian service.

Among the 97 applicants are all 20 current conscientious objector
prisoners, who applied for transfer to alternative civilian service by the
1 August deadline in accordance with the terms of the amendments. They did
so “under protest” to be released from jail, Jehovah’s Witnesses complained
to Forum 18. “We are at a loss to understand why their applications for
alternative service have not yet been processed and they have not been
freed.”

Any young man transferring from prison to the new alternative civilian
service would have the length of time they have been imprisoned deducted
from their alternative service, Jehovah’s Witnesses told Forum 18.

How will Alternative Service Committee operate?

Human rights defenders have expressed some concern over the role of Defence
Ministry officials in the Alternative Service Committee, and vagueness over
the way it is supposed to operate (see F18News 6 June 2013
). Forum 18 was unable
to reach Deputy Defence Minister Nazaryan on 17 October.

Alternative Service Committee chair Terteryan was unavailable when Forum 18
called on 17 October. But a colleague from his Territorial Administration
Ministry, Artur Sogomonyan, head of the Municipal Administration
Department, told Forum 18 that the Committee meeting in the week of 21 to
25 October will consider all 65 applications it has received. He said these
are not only from Jehovah’s Witnesses but others too, though he would not
identify the background of these other applicants.

It is unclear how the figure of 65 applications that Sogomonyan quoted
matches the 97 applications Jehovah’s Witness state have been made from
their community, or where other applications – numbering at least 32 – may
be in the application process.

Astsatryan of the Department for Ethnic Minorities and Religious Affairs
told Forum 18 on 17 October that the Alternative Service Committee has held
preliminary meetings, but that the meeting in the week of 21 to 25 October
will be the first full meeting and will consider the applications for
alternative service received.

Asked if the Committee will approve applications from individuals who base
their objections on non-religious reasons of conscience, Sogomonyan of the
Territorial Administration Ministry responded: “Each case will be decided
individually.”

Astsatryan of the Department for Ethnic Minorities and Religious Affairs
was also asked by Forum 18 if the Committee will approve applications from
individuals who base their objections on non-religious reasons of
conscince. He replied that “we will listen and decide on each case. My
approach is that alternative service will be open to religious and
non-religious applicants.”

Yet how the Alternative Service Committee will assess individuals and
decide which applicants can proceed to alternative civilian service remains
unclear, according to Danielyan of Collaboration for Democracy (see F18News
6 June 2013 ).

“I asked about the procedures it will adopt, but no one could tell me,”
Danielyan told Forum 18. “This is the most important question – will
alternative service be for all who apply? Or just for religious objectors?
What will happen to the other applicants?” He added that officials fear
many people might apply for the alternative, rather than for military
service.

Danielyan believes only during the November call-up will it be clear
whether the new system is functioning in a way that allows individuals to
make a free choice over which type of service to do in accordance with
their conscience.

Length of alternative service

Human rights defenders have criticised the length of the alternative
civilian service – three years compared to two years’ military service (see
F18News 6 June 2013 ).

However, Jehovah’s Witnesses state that the longer alternative service is
not the “main concern” for them. “Alternative service is longer, but for us
the main concern is that alternative civilian service is not under military
control,” they told Forum 18. “It seems this has now been met.” (END)

More coverage of freedom of thought, conscience and belief in Armenia and

the unrecognised entity of Nagorno-Karabakh is at

A personal commentary, by Derek Brett of Conscience and Peace Tax
International, on conscientious objection to military service and
international law in the light of the European Court of Human Rights’ July
2011 Bayatyan judgment is at
.

A compilation of Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe
(OSCE) freedom of religion or belief commitments can be found at
.

A printer-friendly map of Armenia is available at
.

All Forum 18 News Service material may be referred to, quoted from, or
republished in full, if Forum 18 is credited as the
source.” />Armenia’s Jehovah’s Witness community has welcomed as “positive”
the release from prison of nine conscientious objectors to military service
in a prisoner amnesty. “The families of the imprisoned men were overjoyed
to welcome their loved ones home,” Jehovah’s Witnesses told Forum 18 News
Service from Yerevan on 9 October. The men all had less than six months of
their sentences to run. However, the Jehovah’s Witness are disappointed
that, although their terms have been reduced by six months, a further 20
prisoners of conscience remain in prison. “Our position is that the 20
imprisoned conscientious objectors should be immediately and
unconditionally released.”

Stepan Danielyan of Collaboration for Democracy – which has long campaigned
against the imprisonment of conscientious objectors – agrees. “It is not
right that the 20 are still imprisoned,” he told Forum 18 from Yerevan on
16 October. “They should be freed and allowed to perform alternative
service.”

Two of the Deputy Justice Ministers involved in the issue were unavailable
each time Forum 18 called. Officials told Forum 18 that Grigor Muradyan was
out of Armenia, while Ruben Melikyan each time Forum 18 called on 16 and 17
October.

The government has now introduced alternative civilian service and set up
an Alternative Service Committee to decide on individual alternative
service applications (see F18News 6 June 2013
). It is due to hold
its first full meeting to consider 65 applications – from Jehovah’s
Witnesses and others – in the week of 21 to 25 October, two officials told
Forum 18. Yet Jehovah’s Witnesses state that 97 of their young men have
applied to have their cases considered by the Committee (see below).

Free prisoners of conscience now

Human rights defenders and Jehovah’s Witnesses insist all imprisoned
conscientious objectors should have been freed long ago and that the
remaining 20 prisoners of conscience should be freed immediately. Armenia
committed itself on joining the Council of Europe to introduce a civilian,
non-military alternative service by January 2004, it failed to do so. It
also pledged to release all those imprisoned for refusing military service
in the interim, but continued with a policy of imprisonment. For this it
has been strongly criticised by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council
of Europe (PACE) and the United Nations Human Rights Committee (see F18News
20 September 2012 ).

In addition, in July 2011 the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in
Strasbourg ruled in the case of former conscientious objector prisoner
Vahan Bayatyan (Application No. 23459/03) that the right to conscientious
objection is protected by Article 9 (“Freedom of thought, conscience and
religion”) of the European Convention (see commentary by Derek Brett of
Conscience and Peace Tax International at F18News 26 July 2011
).

The ECtHR also handed down two similar judgments against Armenia – in cases
brought by Hayk Bukharatyan (Application No. 37819/03) and Ashot Tsaturyan
(Application No. 37821/03) – in January 2012 (see F18News 1 February 2012
).

In November 2012, the ECtHR – in its fourth decision against Armenia in
conscientious objector cases – found in the case of Khachatryan and Others
(Application No. 23978/06) that Armenia had violated the rights of 17
Jehovah’s Witness conscientious objectors (see F18News 3 December 2012
).

Jehovah’s Witnesses state that 29 of their young men have been convicted
since the Bayatyan judgment, and a further 33 cases are pending with
investigators or the courts. All were punished or investigated under
Criminal Code Article 327, Part 1, which punishes evasion of the call-up to
military or alternative service. The maximum sentence under this article
was increased to three years’ imprisonment in December 2005.

Nine prisoners of conscience freed, 20 still jailed

Nine imprisoned conscientious objectors were freed on 8 and 9 October after
they were included in a prisoner amnesty. The amnesty, to mark the 22nd
anniversary of Armenia’s independence from the Soviet Union, was proposed
by President Serj Sarkisyan and approved by parliament on 3 October, the
parliamentary website noted the same day.

The longest-serving of the nine amnestied prisoners, Aharon Mushegyan, had
been given a three-year sentence in November 2010. The other eight were all
imprisoned in 2011, serving sentences of 30 or 36 months. Three of the nine
amnestied prisoners had less than 10 days left to serve at the time of
their release, Jehovah’s Witnesses told Forum 18.

Jehovah’s Witnesses remain concerned about the 20 current prisoners.
“Unfortunately, the amnesty only reduced their sentences by six months,”
Jehovah’s Witnesses told Forum 18.

Criminal cases continue

Three Jehovah’s Witness conscientious objectors were sentenced under
Criminal Code Article 327, Part 1 in 2013. Samvel Abrahamyan received a
30-month sentence on 29 January. Narek Grigoryan, was sentenced to 24
months’ imprisonment on 25 February. Vahagn Paronikyan received a 24-month
sentence on 4 March. However, the three young men were not imprisoned
pending their appeals. Grigoryan’s appeal is due to be heard at Armenia’s
Criminal Appeal Court in Yerevan on 21 October.

A total of 27 other criminal cases under Article 327, Part 1 are being
investigated. Six more are already in the courts, though no verdict has yet
been reached in any of the trials.

All 36 of these individuals have applied for the new alternative civilian
service, Jehovah’s Witnesses told Forum 18. However, the criminal cases
against them have not been dropped. “We have not received any information
about what they are planning to do with them,” Jehovah’s Witnesses told
Forum 18.

Forum 18 was unable to reach Gevorg Kostanyan, Armenia’s Military
Prosecutor, on 17 October.

Civilian institutions

Armenia has long imprisoned those young men unwilling to perform military
service or the alternative service under military control. All forms of
military service were and are unacceptable to Jehovah’s Witness young men
and to at least one member of the Molokan community. Hundreds of Jehovah’s
Witnesses and one Molokan were imprisoned, with prison sentences of up to
three years.

The Justice Ministry finally drafted amendments to the 2003 Alternative
Service Law and to the 2003 Law on Implementing the Criminal Code to
introduce for the first time a genuinely civilian alternative. They were
approved by parliament and signed into law by President Sarkisyan in May.
They came into force on 8 June (see F18News 6 June 2013
).

Under a 25 July government decision, 11 institutions were identified as
places where alternative civilian service would be carried out including
nursing homes, children’s homes and psychiatric clinics. The 11
institutions are controlled by a number of ministries: the Labour and
Social Affairs Ministry, the Health Ministry and the Emergency Situations
Ministry. A separate list identified tasks the alternative service workers
would carry out, including hospital orderly, laundry worker, kitchen
worker, ground staff or emergency rescuer’s assistant.

“We’re not against these institutions,” Jehovah’s Witnesses told Forum 18.
“They are civilian.”

Alternative Service Committee

Under another 25 July government decision, the government appointed the
members of the seven-strong Alternative Service Committee to review
applications for alternative civilian service. Chairing the Committee is
Vache Terteryan, First Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration. Its
other members come from various ministries and agencies, including the
Defence Ministry, Health Ministry, the Police and Vardan Astsatryan of the
government’s Department for Ethnic Minorities and Religious Affairs. The
Defence Ministry’s representative on the Committee is Deputy Minister Ara
Nazaryan, who is a civilian and not a military officer.

Applications

A total of 97 Jehovah’s Witness young men have made individual applications
to the Committee for alternative civilian service.

Among the 97 applicants are all 20 current conscientious objector
prisoners, who applied for transfer to alternative civilian service by the
1 August deadline in accordance with the terms of the amendments. They did
so “under protest” to be released from jail, Jehovah’s Witnesses complained
to Forum 18. “We are at a loss to understand why their applications for
alternative service have not yet been processed and they have not been
freed.”

Any young man transferring from prison to the new alternative civilian
service would have the length of time they have been imprisoned deducted
from their alternative service, Jehovah’s Witnesses told Forum 18.

How will Alternative Service Committee operate?

Human rights defenders have expressed some concern over the role of Defence
Ministry officials in the Alternative Service Committee, and vagueness over
the way it is supposed to operate (see F18News 6 June 2013
). Forum 18 was unable
to reach Deputy Defence Minister Nazaryan on 17 October.

Alternative Service Committee chair Terteryan was unavailable when Forum 18
called on 17 October. But a colleague from his Territorial Administration
Ministry, Artur Sogomonyan, head of the Municipal Administration
Department, told Forum 18 that the Committee meeting in the week of 21 to
25 October will consider all 65 applications it has received. He said these
are not only from Jehovah’s Witnesses but others too, though he would not
identify the background of these other applicants.

It is unclear how the figure of 65 applications that Sogomonyan quoted
matches the 97 applications Jehovah’s Witness state have been made from
their community, or where other applications – numbering at least 32 – may
be in the application process.

Astsatryan of the Department for Ethnic Minorities and Religious Affairs
told Forum 18 on 17 October that the Alternative Service Committee has held
preliminary meetings, but that the meeting in the week of 21 to 25 October
will be the first full meeting and will consider the applications for
alternative service received.

Asked if the Committee will approve applications from individuals who base
their objections on non-religious reasons of conscience, Sogomonyan of the
Territorial Administration Ministry responded: “Each case will be decided
individually.”

Astsatryan of the Department for Ethnic Minorities and Religious Affairs
was also asked by Forum 18 if the Committee will approve applications from
individuals who base their objections on non-religious reasons of
conscince. He replied that “we will listen and decide on each case. My
approach is that alternative service will be open to religious and
non-religious applicants.”

Yet how the Alternative Service Committee will assess individuals and
decide which applicants can proceed to alternative civilian service remains
unclear, according to Danielyan of Collaboration for Democracy (see F18News
6 June 2013 ).

“I asked about the procedures it will adopt, but no one could tell me,”
Danielyan told Forum 18. “This is the most important question – will
alternative service be for all who apply? Or just for religious objectors?
What will happen to the other applicants?” He added that officials fear
many people might apply for the alternative, rather than for military
service.

Danielyan believes only during the November call-up will it be clear
whether the new system is functioning in a way that allows individuals to
make a free choice over which type of service to do in accordance with
their conscience.

Length of alternative service

Human rights defenders have criticised the length of the alternative
civilian service – three years compared to two years’ military service (see
F18News 6 June 2013 ).

However, Jehovah’s Witnesses state that the longer alternative service is
not the “main concern” for them. “Alternative service is longer, but for us
the main concern is that alternative civilian service is not under military
control,” they told Forum 18. “It seems this has now been met.” (END)

More coverage of freedom of thought, conscience and belief in Armenia and
the unrecognised entity of Nagorno-Karabakh is at

A personal commentary, by Derek Brett of Conscience and Peace Tax
International, on conscientious objection to military service and
international law in the light of the European Court of Human Rights’ July
2011 Bayatyan judgment is at
.

A compilation of Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe
(OSCE) freedom of religion or belief commitments can be found at
.

A printer-friendly map of Armenia is available at
.

All Forum 18 News Service material may be referred to, quoted from, or
republished in full, if Forum 18 is credited as the
source.

© Forum 18 News Service. All rights reserved. ISSN 1504-2855.

YEREVAN PRESS CLUB WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

OCTOBER 11-17, 2013

HIGHLIGHTS:

COURT REJECTS ONE OF BUSINESSMAN KHACHIK KHACHATRIAN’S LAWSUITS VS.
“ZHOGHOVURD” DAILY

JOURNALISTIC COMMUNITY DISCUSSES THE POSSIBILITY OF ESTABLISHING AN
ALTERNATIVE TV

FORBES’ SECOND ATTEMPT IN ARMENIA

ARMENIAN PRESS DAY

COURT REJECTS ONE OF BUSINESSMAN KHACHIK KHACHATRIAN’S LAWSUITS VS.
“ZHOGHOVURD” DAILY

On October 14, General Jurisdiction Court of Kentron and Nork-Marash
Administrative Districts of Yerevan rejected the lawsuit filed by
businessman Khachik Khachatrian, owner of a major holding “X-Group”, and
his enterprise “Yerevan Poultry” company versus the founder of the
“Zhoghovurd” daily, “Editorial Office of ‘Zhoghovurd’ Newspaper” LLC, and
the daily’s correspondent Sona Grigorian. As we have reported, the
plaintiffs litigated an article
“Famous Oligarch
Fined for Selling Expired Eggs” (“Zhoghovurd”, December 11, 2012), demanding
the respondents to publish refutation and to compensate the damage, caused
by libel and insult, by 3 million AMD (about $7,300). The hearings of this
case started on March 22, 2013.

The lawsuit was rejected on the ground that the facts of libel or insult
were not proven in the course of the trial.

It should be mentioned that the same General Jurisdiction Court is also
processing another lawsuit, filed by Khachik Khachatrian versus the founder
of the “Zhoghovurd” and Sona Grigorian. The matter of the dispute in this
lawsuit is the article
“‘Zhoghovurd’ Daily
Demands Public Apology from Khachik Khachatrian” (“Zhoghovurd”, December 22,
2012). The businessman demanded to oblige the plaintiffs to refute the
information, discrediting his honor, dignity and business reputation, as
well as to pay him compensation equal to 3,200,000 AMD (about $ 7,600) of
which 3 million AMD for the damage caused by libel and insult, and 200,000
AMD for attorney’s fees. The hearings of this case started on March 20,
2013, and are still in progress.

It should also be added that in the above-mentioned December 22, 2012 piece
“Zhoghovurd” reported on the businessman’s obscene comment addressed at Sona
Grigorian: in a telephone conversation Khachik Khachatrian called the young
journalist a “prostitute” in response to “her question not quite desirable
for him”, and advised her to publish that word, too. The newspaper, in its
turn, filed a lawsuit with the General Jurisdiction Court of the Ajapnyak
and Davitashen Administrative Districts of Yerevan versus Khachik
Khachatrian, demanding the latter’s public apology. On April 29, 2013, the
Court dismissed the lawsuit on the ground that the comment could not be
qualified as insult, unless it was public (see details in YPC Weekly
Newsletter, April 26 – May 2, 2013
). The “Zhoghovurd” contested
this ruling at higher instance courts; however, both the RA Civil Court of
Appeal and the RA Court of Cassation rejected the appeal.

In the September 6 article, entitled
“‘Zhoghovurd’ Goes to
the RA Constitutional Court Trailing Eggs”, the daily declared about its
intention to appeal to the RA Constitutional Court so that “henceforth, it
won’t cross the mind of any businessman, oligarch or official to insult a
journalist and remain unpunished”. It should be noted that the Armenian
legislation does not provide for the protection of citizens, including
journalists, from non-public insults: the law establishes liability only for
public defamatory statements. Experts believe that the responsibility for
non-public insult should be legally regulated (see details in YPC Weekly
Newsletter, September 6-12, 2013
).

In a conversation with YPC the “Zhoghovurd” Editor-in-Chief Taguhi Tovmasian
said that the newspaper intended to go to the Constitutional Court to
clarify the compliance of some provisions in the RA Civil Code with the Main
Law.

JOURNALISTIC COMMUNITY DISCUSSES THE POSSIBILITY OF ESTABLISHING AN
ALTERNATIVE TV

On October 10, in Yerevan the journalistic community discussed the
possibility of establishing an alternative public satellite TV channel in
Armenia. The Concept of a Genuinely Public TV Company, developed by Levon
Barseghian, Board Chairman of “Asparez” Journalists’ Club, in cooperation
with an initiative group, was presented at the meeting attended by about 60
media experts and representatives of media and journalistic organizations.
The Concept states that the project aims to create a “non-commercial
satellite TV company, public in essence, and independent of any political
force and the authorities”.

FORBES’ SECOND ATTEMPT IN ARMENIA

On October 16, Aravot.am
published a press release, according to which the Armenian version of the
famous business magazine Forbes would soon start to be published in Armenia.
In a statement, signed by Forbes Armenia, it is mentioned that the latter
was granted a license for publication. The representative of Forbes Armenia
is “Media Partners” company which plans to have 12 issues of the magazine
during the year and to launch the business portal The press
release states that Gagik Yeghiazarian is the publisher and Editor-in-Chief
of Forbes Armenia, and Shushan Harutyunian will act as the Editor-in-Chief
of As the Forbes Armenia informed YPC, the first issue of the
magazine was scheduled to come out in November 2013.

On December 15, 2006 Yerevan already witnessed the presentation of the first
issue of the Armenian-language Forbes magazine (see YPC Weekly Newsletter,
December 15-21, 2006 ). However,
there was no follow-up issuance. At the end of December the magazine
Editor-in-Chief Petros Ghazarian (Director of “Kentron” TV at that time,
currently the author and anchor of a popular TV program “Urvagits” on the
same channel) resigned, accounting his action for the excessively
politicized response to the magazine. Early in January 2007 the press
circulated rumors that the publishers of the Armenian Forbes made an illegal
use of the title, having no agreement with the US owners of the brand.
Elizabeth Petrosian, Director of “Faces” LLC (the founder and publisher of
the Armenian Forbes), mentioned in a conversation with YPC that negotiations
with the American party on a number of issues were underway and promised to
invite a press conference shortly afterwards to clarify the situation (see
YPC Weekly Newsletter, January 8-11, 2007
). No clarifications followed;
the question of probable piracy hung in the air and was forgotten over time.

Now, six years later, another attempt has been undertaken for the Forbes to
enter the Armenian market, but the published information suggests that this
attempt has been undertaken by other entities. The outcome of the second
attempt will rather become known in November.

ARMENIAN PRESS DAY

On October 16, the Armenian Press Day was celebrated. The professional
holiday was established by a governmental decree in 2004 replacing the Day
of the Press Worker. The new holiday was scheduled to celebrate the issuance
of the first Armenian periodical – the newspaper “Azdarar” – in the Indian
town of Madras on October 16, 1794 (see YPC Weekly Newsletter, October 8-14,
2004 ).

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]

Subscription for the Newsletter is free. To subscribe or unsubscribe from
this mailing list, please send a message to: [email protected]

Editor of YPC Newsletter – Elina POGHOSBEKIAN
____________________________________________
Yerevan Press Club
9B, Ghazar Parpetsi str.
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:

POLICE CAPTURE AZERBAIJANI SUSPECTED OF MOSCOW MURDER

15 October 2013 Last updated at 14:20 GMT

Yegor Shcherbakov was stabbed to death on Thursday

Russian police have captured an Azerbaijani man suspected of murdering
a young Russian, whose death led to riots targeting migrants in Moscow.

Police backed by special forces detained Orkhan Zeynalov in Kolomna,
120km (75 miles) from the Russian capital, the interior ministry said.

Yegor Shcherbakov, 25, was stabbed in front of his girlfriend on
Thursday.

Ill-feeling has risen towards Moscow’s Muslim migrants, thousands of
whom gathered for street prayers on Tuesday.

The tension came just as Russia was being commended for tackling
racism.

Some local residents voiced strong opinions against migrants in
their communities

“Substantial efforts have been made to react firmly to the escalation
of racist violence in Russia, and there has been a decline in the
number of racist attacks,” according to a summary of the report by the
Council of Europe (CoE), the continent’s main human rights watchdog.

The Council of Europe stressed that its report, released on Tuesday,
was compiled in June, long before violence erupted in Moscow at
the weekend.

Muslims celebrated the Islamic feast of Eid al-Adha in Moscow on
Tuesday.

The sight of so many Muslim men praying in the road has caused unease
among many Muscovites.

While Muslims from Tatarstan and other parts of Russia have a long
history in Moscow, their numbers have been swollen by non-Russian
migrant workers in recent decades.

Police stood by during the prayers but the mass gathering seems to
have passed off peacefully.

On Sunday, in response to Shcherbakov’s murder, protesters shouting
Russian nationalist slogans attacked businesses in Biryulyovo which
employed migrant workers from the Caucasus and Central Asia.

Riot police arrested hundreds of protesters while at least 1,200
people were detained in a follow-up raid on suspected illegal migrants
in Biryulyovo.

District police chief Gennady Kaverin has been sacked. No details
were given.

An estimated 103,000 Muslims attended mass street prayers outside a
mosque in Moscow on Tuesday to celebrate the Islamic feast of Eid
al-Adha, police told Russian media. The prayers apparently passed
off without incident.

Such huge gatherings have become a tradition in recent years in a
city with few mosques and a large, often transient, Muslim population.

‘Insult’

Mr Zeylanov’s arrest came just hours after police released his name
and warned the public not to approach him on sight.

No details of his detention were given other than that he was being
brought back to Moscow by helicopter.

Earlier, Moscow police chief Anatoly Yakunin said police had discussed
the case by phone with their colleagues in Azerbaijan, a former
Soviet republic in the southern Caucasus which has a visa-free travel
agreement with Russia.

Police were reportedly alerted to Mr Zeylanov as the suspect after
his flatmates in Moscow recognised him from CCTV images released by
the media.

He is said to have worked for his uncle as a driver at a vegetable
market. Eight of his relatives were arrested in Moscow as police
mounted a search for the fugitive, who vanished on Monday night,
the Russian tabloid Life News reports.

Yegor Shcherbakov was buried on Saturday. He was stabbed after
an altercation with his attacker, who had reportedly insulted his
girlfriend, Ksenia Popova.

Writing on social media, Ms Popova said neither she nor her late
boyfriend’s relatives supported the violent protests over his murder.

Describing her grief after his funeral, she wrote: “Today I kissed
you for the last time. Your lips were very cold…

“How painful and terrible to see you in that dark coffin… You never
did like suits…”

Nationalism fears

Some 380 people were detained during the rioting on Sunday, when
protesters stormed a shopping centre, smashing windows, and then
overran a wholesale vegetable market searching for migrant workers.

Chants of “Russia for the Russians” and “White Power” could be heard.

Most of those detained were released with a caution but around 70
face court appearances for administrative offences and three have
been charged with public disorder, Interfax reports.

The BBC’s Steve Rosenberg reports that the subsequent arrest of
more than 1,200 migrant workers at the market shows how worried the
authorities are.

They clearly want to convince Muscovites they take the grievances of
local residents seriously and will crack down hard on illegal migrant
workers but dramatic police raids will do little to ease the tension
that is growing in parts of the Russian capital between ethnic Russians
and people from the Caucasus region and some former Soviet republics,
our correspondent says.

In its report, the CoE also expresses concern that radical nationalism
is on the rise in Russia, and there is a high incidence of racist
violence, directed predominantly against persons of “non-Slav
appearance”.

Violations of migrants’ basic rights occur “on a massive scale”
in the country, it said.

According to the Russian news website lenta.ru, about 10 million
migrants, most of them from the poorest republics of the ex-USSR,
are working illegally in Russia (population 143 million), with a
further three million employed legally.