Author: Kalantarian Kevo

SURPRISE REVELATIONS AT GENOCIDE CLAIMANT HEARING
BY GAREN YEGPARIAN

Asbarez
Wednesday, June 13th, 2012

AXA Insurance Company
$2.1 Million available for Genocide victims’ compensation

LOS ANGELES-Another hearing took place in Federal Judge Christina A.
Snyder’s court on Monday, June 11 in the ongoing lawsuit that has
pitted against one another attorneys (Mark Geragos/Brian Kabateck vs.

Vartkes Yeghiayan) who once jointly fought the French insurance
company AXA to secure payment to the heirs of genocide victims who
had bought life insurance policies from that company.

The most important news at this session, based on the attorneys’
presentations to the court, is that Berj Boyajian, another attorney,
has deposited into his account at Pacific Western Bank 17 checks
from the AXA settlement fund totaling over $312,000 that were not
made out to him.

There is a desire to pursue questions arising from this revelation
and the court’s authorization to compel relevant individuals to
answer questions. However, the judge revealed, as required, that her
husband, also an attorney, had represented Boyajian in the past. Before
proceeding, she wants to be certain that she is not in a conflicted
position. A telephone status conference was set for June 26 regarding
this matter.

Parsegh Kartalian was deposed as had been determined at a previous
hearing. He was the administrator who ran the claim evaluation and
distribution process of the millions of dollars that AXA was required
to pay to the rightful recipients of the insurance policies’ payouts.

With respect to Boyajian, he had consulted that attorney, but stated
that the latter had no authority in the distribution process.

The accounting firm that was to have been hired to audit the claims
that were paid out has done much of its work. It is Holthouse, Carlin,
and Van Trigt, LLP. They have found some $2.1 million payables, which
the judge authorized to proceed with. According to documents filed
with the court, this leaves approximately $700,000 in the settlement
fund. All 13,000 claim files have been moved from Geragos’ offices
to Loyola Law School, the neutral location chosen in accordance with
decisions at a previous hearing.

Near the end of his remarks to the court, Roman Silberfeld, Yeghiayan’s
attorney, requested confirmation from the court regarding his response
to inquiries (naming one from Vram Yegparian- see disclosure below)
about the status of those claimants who had been denied. He has
been replying that the whole claims evaluation process is not being
reopened, only discrepancies are being corrected. Geragos stated that
he, too, has been providing the same response to such inquiries.

The next hearing is scheduled for August 27 at 11:45. This was the
fourth hearing scheduled since I last reported on this matter, with
one cancelled. I have attended two of them.

In the interest of full disclosure, my family is an AXA claimant. The
claim was denied. No explanation was given.

TODAY’S ZAMAN: KNESSET’S POLITICAL DEBATE ON 1915 EVENT DOES NOT ALTER FACTS, TURKEY SAYS

Genocide | 14.06.12 | 12:21

Turkish diplomatic sources have emphasized that debate in the
Israeli parliament over whether to recognize the 1915 mass killings
of Armenians by Ottoman Turks as an act of genocide will not affect
Turkey’s stance on the issue, adding that the debate does not alter
the facts.

A Turkish diplomatic source told Today’s Zaman the basic starting point
for Turkey is that the events of 1915, or any other historical event,
should be discussed by historians rather than parliaments.

“Parliaments dealing with this issue do not bring any benefit.

Additionally, this kind of step does not contribute to the process. It
undermines the work of historians and both countries,” said the
official.

The debate was initiated last Tuesday by an Israeli cabinet minister’s
remark that the Jewish state ought to change its policy and recognize
the 1915 mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks as an act of
genocide.

“I think it is definitely fitting that the Israeli government formally
recognize the Holocaust perpetrated against the Armenian people,”
said Gilad Erdan, Israel’s minister of environmental affairs.

Arieh Eldad of the ultranationalist National Union dismissed
accusations that raising the issue now was ill-timed. “A few years ago
people said we couldn’t talk about it because of our good relations
with Turkey. Now people say we can’t talk about it because of our
bad relations with Turkey,” said Eldad, adding that when people are
reluctant to address moral and ethical issues there is always a claim
that the timing of such a discussion is wrong.

Meanwhile, Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin denied the debate was related
to deteriorating ties with Turkey, saying there was no intention to
provoke Turkey. “The Turks will definitely be angry, but there is no
intention to provoke, only to remember,” he told Israel’s Army Radio.

“Those who demand recognition of the massacre are not engaged in
lobbying, they are simply seeking historic justice. The free world
must learn these lessons so it won’t happen again,” said Rivlin.

PARIS : DIASPO’ARTS 2012

Publie le : 14-06-2012

Info Collectif VAN – – “Hommage a Sevan
Demirdjian”. Ainsi est intitulee l’exposition Diaspo’arts 2012
qui se tient jusqu’au 23 juin 2012 sur la Peniche Anako, amarree a
Paris (Bassin de la Villette). La talentueuse graphiste, disparue
prematurement le 26 août 2011, avait cree le logo Diaspo’arts utilise
depuis la première edition et son souvenir plane sur les lieux. Du
mercredi au dimanche, de 15h a 18h, venez decouvrir les artistes
contemporains armeniens : Hratch Arbach, photo-sculpture, Vatche
Dermidjian, peinture, Laurent Nissou “Soon”, peinture,Christiane
Agopian, peinture, Claude Belanger, peinture, Dibasart, peinture,
Marc-Aram Hayrabedian, peinture, Florent Kolandjian, photo, Alexis
Pazoumian, photo, Sharis, photo, Marine Dilanyan et Albert Hagopian,
peinture, Daria Hadichian, peinture. Par ailleurs, un programme
eclectique, a decouvrir ICI, prolonge, en soiree, cette parenthèse
enchantee. La Peniche Anako, un lieu atypique qui fait vivre les
cultures du monde. Mais egalement une peniche originale a louer pour
vos evenements : une facon agreable de soutenir l’equipe Anako qui
s’est lancee dans cette belle aventure.

Les artistes s’expriment ici au micro de Florent Kolandjian – Musique :
Papiers d’Armenies –

Diaspo’arts 2012

Hratch ARBACH, photo-sculpture Christiane AGOPIAN, peinture Claude
BELANGER, peinture Vatche DEMIRDJIAN, peinture DIBASART, peinture
Marc-Aram HAYRABEDIAN, peinture Florent KOLANDJIAN, photo Laurent
NISSOU “SOON”, peinture Alexis PAZOUMIAN, photo SHARIS, photo Marine
DILANYAN et Albert HAGOPIAN, peinture Daria HADICHIAN, peinture

La Peniche Anako est amarree a Paris : Bassin de la Villette, face
au 61, quai de la Seine, 75019, PARIS, Metro : Riquet, Stalingrad
ou Jaurès.

Voir tout le programme sur :

Agenda – Peniche Anako /Juin 2012: Expo Diaspo’arts 3e edition

Retour a la rubrique

UN MINISTRE ISRAELIEN APPELLE A RECONNAITRE LE GENOCIDE DES ARMENIENS
Laetitia

armenews.com
jeudi 14 juin 2012

Un ministre israelien a declare mardi 13 juin 2012 que l’Etat juif
doit changer sa politique et doit reconnaître les massacres de 1915
des Armeniens par les Turcs comme un acte de genocide.

Gilad Erdan, un allie du Premier ministre Benjamin Netanyahu, a repondu
a une motion proposee au Parlement par un membre de l’opposition.

” Je pense qu’il est certainement approprie que le gouvernement
israelien reconnaisse officiellement l’Holocauste perpetre contre le
peuple armenien “, a affirme Erdan, le ministre de l’Environnement.

Israël a longtemps evite de reconnaître les massacres des Armeniens
comme un genocide, par deference a la Turquie. Ses relations avec
la Turquie sont tendues depuis 2010, depuis les meurtres de neuf
militants turcs dans un raid de commando sur un navire pour Gaza. La
Turquie a retire son ambassadeur en Israël après cet incident et a
suspendu la cooperation militaire.

Erdan a declare : ” Nous devrions faire une enquete approfondie
qui analyse les donnees et les faits du genocide des Armeniens
“. Yigal Palmor, le porte-parole du ministère israelien des Affaires
etrangères, a declare que la position officielle d’Israël sur la
tragedie armenienne est aussi une question qui doit etre decidee
par les historiens et ne doit pas etre soumise a une deliberation
politique. ” Ceux qui demandent la reconnaissance du genocide ne sont
pas engages dans le lobbying, mais sont simplement en quete d’une
justice historique “, a declare le porte-parole du Parlement israelien,
Reuven Rivlin, un membre du parti de Netanyahou.

Nino Abesadze, legislateur du parti centriste Kadima, a deconseille
de lier la question du genocide avec la Turquie. ” Nous ne devons
pas lier la question de la tragedie armenienne a une reflexion sur
d’autres dangers dans la region “, a t-il declare.

CANNED FOOD PRODUCING COMPANIES DO NOT HAVE CONTAINERS IN ARMENIA

news.am
June 12, 2012 | 19:37

YEREVAN. – Armenian Acting deputy of Minister of Agriculture Sergo
Karapetyan received the representatives of companies producing canned
food, glass containers and lids. The consultation was held on the
production of glass containers which had been stopped.

“The supplement procedure has not started yet. If matters continue
this way we shall have serious problems. The main season will start
in 10-15 days and the main companies producing canned food do not
have containers yet,” Sergo Karapetyan said adding that the issue
must be settled as soon as possible.

The local companies producing glass containers either have too many
offers from outside or they are being reequipped and they cannot
provide the local producers with glass containers.

PRESIDENT OF ARMENIA PAYS TRIBUTE TO THE TOMB OF ANDRANIK MARGARYAN

ARMENPRESS
12 June, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, JUNE 12, ARMENPRESS: On the occasion of the birthday of
former Prime Minister of Armenia, former RPA leader Andranik Margaryan,
Armenia’s top leadership, headed by President Serzh Sargsyan, visited
Komitas Pantheon. As Armenpress reports, they paid tribute to the
memory of the prominent national and state figure, put a wreath and
flowers at his tomb.

“Andranik Margaryan has been a skilled political figure, who has
passed a large path through ordeals, difficulties and victories,”
said Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan. He noted that the ordeals taught
the official to find verges of cooperation with different kinds of
people, to play his role in strengthening of the statehood. Andranik
Margaryan was a man of idea and proved it with his biography.

“He was fully devoted to formation of our statehood. Our common
commandment is to find ways of strengthening our state through
cooperation,” stressed Tigran Sargsyan.

Margaryan lived, created and passed away with the belief that any
profit is inferior to the profits of the nation and state. Friends
called him “a true Armenian”. Chroniclers state that he was the
longest served PM.

Andranik Margaryan first became engaged in Armenian politics in the
late 1970s when he joined an illegal political party, the National
Unity Party, that was campaigning for Armenia’s secession from the
Soviet Union.

In 1992, after Armenia’s independence, Margaryan became a registered
member of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA), the first registered
party in the 3rd Republic of Armenia. He influenced the party platform
with the ideology he expressed as a member of the National United
Party. He served as the Republican Party’s Chairman of the Board from
1993 until his death. He had also been a member of the “Yerkrapah”
Volunteer union since 1996 and served on the YVU’s board.

In 2000, he was appointed Prime Minister of Armenia after the 1999
Armenian parliament shooting led to the murder of then prime minister
Vazgen Sargsyan. Vazgen’s brother, Aram Sargsyan, who the President
appointed a week later as prime minister, was fired on May 2, 2000
leading to Andranik Markaryan being appointed as the 14th prime
minister of Armenia. He had planned to resign after the May 12,
2007 elections in Armenia.

Throughout his career, he was awarded the “Garegin Nzhdeh” medal
by the Armenian Defense Ministry alongside the “Aram Manukian,”
“Fridjof Nansen” and “Vazgen Sargsyan” medals.

SERJ TANKIAN’S WEDDING PICTURES ARE ON FACEBOOK (PHOTOS)

news.am
June 12, 2012 | 15:43

Renowned rock musician, and former lead vocalist of System of a Down,
Serj Tankian’s wedding ceremony pictures are posted on Tankian’s
Facebook account (PHOTOS).

Earlier, the media had reported that Tankian will get married on June
9 at a ranch located ten miles from Los Angeles, and that the bride
is Anzhela Madatyan from Armenia’s Vanadzor city.

Also, it was informed that the wedding ceremony will be a closed
event and the guests will not be allowed to take photographs or make
video recordings. At the time, however, this information could not be
verified, but judging from the pictures posted on Facebook on Tuesday,
it seems the wedding ceremony has taken place on June 9.

PROFESSORS FROM OXFORD AND YEREVAN STATE UNIVERSITY SAY A UNIVERSE EXISTED BEFORE THE BIG BANG

armradio.am
12.06.2012 15:57

A renowned scientist says he has spotted evidence that a universe
existed before the Big Bang. Professor Roger Penrose from Oxford
University says concentric circles discovered in the background
microwaves of the universe provides evidence of events that took
place before the universe came into being, the Daily Mail reports.

The Daily Galaxy reports that Prof Penrose, along with Professor Vahe
Gurzadyan of the Yerevan State University, Armenia believe images
of the CMB from NASA’s Wilkinson Microwave Anisotophy Probe shows
imprints in the radiation that are older than the Big Bang.

They say they have discovered 12 examples of concentric circles,
some of which have five rings, which means the same object has had
five massive events in its history.

The research appears to cast aside the widely-held ‘inflationary’
theory of the origins of the universe that it began with the Big
Bang, and will continue to expand until a point in the future, when
it will end.

They believe the circles are imprints of extremely violent
gravitational radiation waves generated by super-massive black hole
collisions in a previous aeon before the last big bang.

They say that this means that the universe cycles through aeons
dominated by big bangs and supermassive black hole collisions.

Professor Penrose believes that the new theory of ‘conformal cyclic
cosmology’ means that black holes will eventually consume all the
matter in the universe.

According to his theory, when they have finished, all that will be
left in the universe will be energy – which will then trigger the
next Big Bang – and the new aeon.

MONTE’S PATRIOTISM SHOULD BE DISSEMINATED IN GENERATIONS

ARMENPRESS
11 June, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, JUNE 12, ARMENPRESS: June 12 marks the day of death of
Armenian national hero Monte Melkonyan. Pavel Manukyan, who has
participated in military activities in Karvachar together with Monte,
has given an interview to Armenpress.

Speaking to Armenpress, Pavel Manukyan said Armenian people should
keep Monte’s commandments in their heart. Monte was one of the unique
heroes, whom Armenian people owe a lot, he noted.

The speaker said strong are the people who manage to retain their
heroes. And from that viewpoint our heroes should be very “close”
and available to growing generations, becoming an example with their
life and activity, he underlined.

The speaker advised young people to take from Monte his high
patriotism. “If Monte had not come to Karabakh, we would give many
victims. Monte has had a great contribution to the battles,” Mr
Manukyan said.

Referring to the Azerbaijani recent provocations at the
Armenian-Azerbaijani border, Mr Mnaukyan noted that today Azerbaijan
is in front of a dilemma – it must chose between concession and
clashes. And Karabakh is ready for a clash.

Monte Melkonyan was a famed Armenian commander during Nagorno-Karabakh
war.

Melkonian had no prior service record in any country’s army before
being placed in command of an estimated 4,000 men in the war. He had
largely built his military experience beginning from the late 1970s
and 1980s where he fought against the various splintering factions in
the Lebanese Civil War, against Israeli troops in the Israeli invasion
of Lebanon and was a member of the Armenian organization ASALA..

An Armenian-American, Melkonyan left the United States and arrived
in Iran in 1978 during the beginning of the 1979 Iranian Revolution,
taking part in demonstrations against the Shah.

Following the collapse of the Shah’s monarchy in 1979, he traveled to
Lebanon during the height of the civil war and served in an Armenia
militia group in the Beirut suburb of Bourj Hammoud.

In ASALA, he took part in the assassinations of several Turkish
diplomats in Europe during the early to mid-1980s and was later
arrested and sent to prison in France. In 1989, he was released and
in the following year, acquired a visa to travel to Armenia.

Throughout his tenure, Melkonyan carried several different aliases
including “Abu Sindi”, “Saro”, “Timothy Sean McCormack” and “Commander
Avo”; the last of which was the name addressed by troops under his
command in Nagorno-Karabakh.

The last years of his life were spent fighting with the
Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Army. Monte was killed in the abandoned
Nagorno-Karabakh village of Merzuli in the early afternoon of June 12,
1993, with controversial reports about the circumstances of his death
and was subsequently buried at Yerablur cemetery in Yerevan, Armenia.

He is revered as an Armenian national hero.

CHAMBER OF LAWYERS OF ARMENIA: AS A RESULT OF NON-TRANSPARENT JUDICIARY ARMENIA IS RUNNING SHORT OF JUSTICE

arminfo
Monday, June 11, 20:12

As a result of non-transparent judiciary Armenia is running short
of justice, Deputy Chairman of the Chamber of Lawyers of Armenia Ara
Zohrabyan said during the Chamber’s strike on Monday.

Over 550 of 1,200 members of the Chamber of Lawyers of Armenia went
on a one-day strike on Monday to express their displeasure with the
activities of the Cassation Court.

Their key complaint is that availing itself of the ambiguity of the new
cassation procedures approved in 2007, the Cassation Court has ever
since passed lots of arbitrary verdicts. For some unknown reasons,
the Court accepts one complaint and declines another one though both
are based on the same criteria. So, the lawyers suspect the Court of
being corrupt.

“When marking the 10th birthday of the Cassation Court President
Serzh Sargsyan said that they had created a judiciary that would
administer real justice, based on the law, national traditions,
European experience and universal human values, but nothing has
changed since then,” Zohrabyan said.