Author: Kanayan Tamar

ARMENIAN JOURNALIST PLACES NO HOPES ON LOCAL COURTS

news.am
February 07, 2012 | 13:08

YEREVAN. – Haykakan Zhamanak daily’s journalist Hayk Gevorgyan is
currently waiting for his questioning, but under the verified status,
Gevorgyan himself stated during a press conference on Tuesday.

He will see to it that the case-with respect to his hitting a citizen
with his car and leaving him helpless-be fully exposed. “I should
leave a man helpless and go? Such thing is theoretically impossible.

The case will be exposed, so that no stain is left on my reputation,”
Gevorgyan said.

The journalist also informed that he does not place much hope on
Armenia’s courts, and that he is prepared to file a petition even
with the European Court.

Hayk Gevorgyan also spoke about several violations against him,
and stressed that what transpired with him was conditioned on his
journalistic activities.

To note, Gevorgyan was taken into custody on February 3 and
transferred to prison. He is accused of hitting a citizen with his
car. But Haykakan Zhamanak’s editorial staff stated that this was
untrue. Gevorgyan was released from prison, on Monday, on signature
bond.

GENOCIDE ARMENIEN – LE GOUVERNEMENT TURC IMPOSE SES PREMIERES SANCTIONS A LA FRANCE
Stephane

armenews.com
mardi 7 fevrier 2012

La presse turque a pointe que ses sanctions ont ete decides
avant que les parlementaires francais aient fait appel au Conseil
Constitutionnel. Le gouvernement a gele l’achat de 130 Renault dans
le cadre de l’achat de voitures officielles pour l’Etat turc en
protestation contre le vote d’iune loi penalisant la negation du
genocide armenien.

Selon Haberturk, la Societe Akmercan, qui pourvoit des voitures
officielles aux hauts fonctionnaires de la presidence, avait decide
d’acheter 130 Renault de modèle Latitude, mais la presidence a rejete
cette decision.

La Societe Akmercan a decide de commander des Ford Mondeo. La societe
a deja achete 20 Ford Mondeo.

En outre, la voiture electrique de Renault, Fluence Z.E., projete
pour etre donne au Premier ministre Recep Tayyip Erdogan, attend
l’approbation de la presidence avant qu’elle ne soit livre.

De plus, le Ministère de l’Industrie, de la Science et de la
Technologie a gele l’ordre de 10 voitures electriques en raison de
la loi.

LES SIGNAUX D’OSKANIAN D’UN RETOUR EN POLITIQUE
Stephane

armenews.com
mardi 7 fevrier 2012

Vartan Oskanian, l’ancien ministre des Affaires Etrangères d’Armenie,
a fait allusion a la possibilite de poser sa candidature au Parlement
sur la liste du parti Armenie Prospère et a lance un appel universel
pour ” un mouvement civique ” pour la liberte et la justice lors des
prochaines elections en mai.

” Mon engagement avec le parti Armenie Prospère (BHK) n’est pas sans
base ” a dit Vartan Oskanian dans une declaration ecrite diffuse
par son groupe de reflexion la Fondation Civilitas. ” J’ai eu des
discussions avec le parti Armenie Prospère aussi bien qu’avec d’autres
forces politiques “.

” À ce moment precis, je n’ai toujours pas pris de decision et je
crois que je dispose toujours de temps. Des processus politiques,
cependant, peuvent accelerer ma decision ” a-t-il ajoute.

Le BHK est le second parti de la coalition au pouvoir en Armenie. Il
est mene par Gagik Tsarukian, un homme d’affaires millionnaire proche
de l’ancien president Robert Kocharian.

Les relations entre le BHK et le President Serge Sarkissian se sont
deteriorees depuis que Robert Kocharian a donne en septembre dernier
un signal fort qu’il voudrait retourner a la vie politique active. Les
politologues ont specule que Kocharian pouvaient compter non seulement
sur le BHK, mais aussi d’anciennes figures du gouvernement comme
Oskanian, qui a servi comme ministre des Affaires Etrangères entre
1998 et 2008 au cours de sa presidence.

À la difference de Tsarukian, Oskanian n’a fait aucune declaration
publique quant a un soutien au retour de Robert Kocharian. Il s’est
aussi distancie de certains episodes controverses de la longue decennie
de l’ex-president. ” Comme ministre des Affaires Etrangères, je n’etais
pas souvent d’accord avec beaucoup d’evenements politiques internes
” a dit M.Oskanian dans une interview en 2009.

L’ancien ministre a toutefois ete plus critique envers l’administration
Sarkissian.

Particulièrement il a fortement desapprouve la politique de
rapprochement avec la Turquie.

Vartan Oskanian a parle ” de pressions politiquement motivees ”
manifestes sur le parti de Tsarukian et, en reference claire au parti
Republicain d’Armenie de Serge Sarkissian (HHK), ” de l’utilisation de
ressources administratives en periode pre electorale “. Il a aussi dit
que la tenue d’un vote non contestable aura une ” importance extreme
” pour l’Armenie.

” Les reformes et le changement peuvent seulement arriver quand il y
a une nouvelle configuration politique dans l’Assemblee Nationale. Et
un equilibre si politique peut seulement etre assure par des elections
libres et justes ” a dit Vartan Oskanian.

L’ancien ministre a soutenu l’appel de l’opposition a des elections
qui se tiendraient seulement sur la base de listes de partis.

Vartan Oskanian a dit que les trois forces de l’opposition d’Armenie
aussi bien que le BHK doivent intensifier leur pression sur les
autorites en lancant ” un mouvement civique “” qui s’efforcerait
d’empecher la fraude electorale. Ils doivent aussi ” penser a la
possibilite d’une cooperation plus profonde après les elections
parlementaires de mai ” a-t-il dit.

ENQUETE A ZURICH SUR LA NEGATION DU GENOCIDE ARMENIEN PAR UN MINISTRE TURC
Stephane

armenews.com
mardi 7 fevrier 2012

Le Ministère public du canton de Zurich a lance une enquete sur des
propos niant le genocide armenien qu’aurait tenus le ministre turc
pour l’Union Europeenne Egemen Bagis la semaine dernière a Zurich,
a indique lundi l’agence de presse suisse ATS.

La loi penale penale antiraciste suisse reprime la negation du genocide
armenien de 1915, que la Turquie ne reconnaît pas.

“Nous avons ordonne une enquete de police”, a indique lundi a l’ATS
Andrej Gnehm, du Ministère public zurichois, confirmant une information
de la “NZZ am Sonntag”.

Le ministre turc s’etait arrete a Zurich après s’etre rendu au Forum
economique mondial de Davos, et avait assiste le 28 janvier a un
concert de la chanteuse turque Sezen Aksu.

Selon un journal turc de langue anglaise, le “Today’s Zaman”, le
ministre aurait declare en marge du concert : “Nous sommes en Suisse
et je vous dis que les evenements de 1915 n’etaient pas un genocide.

Qu’ils viennent m’arreter !”.

Pour l’instant, les elements a disposition sont “vagues”, a indique a
l’ATS Christine Braunschweig, la magistrate en charge du dossier. “On
ne sait pour l’heure pas concrètement ce qui a ete dit”, a-t-elle
ajoute.

La Turquie a reagi en convoquant l’ambassadeur de Suisse a Ankara,
Raimund Kunz, au ministère des Affaires etrangères pour lui demander
des explications, a rapporte l’agence de presse turque Anatolie.

Au cours de l’entretien, le secretaire d’Etat turc Feridun Sinirlioglu
a signifie a l’ambassadeur qu’un tel incident etait “inacceptable”,
a indique Anatolie, citant des sources diplomatiques parlant sous le
couvert de l’anonymat.

En Suisse, plusieurs personnes ont deja ete condamnees pour avoir nie
le genocide armenien. L’une d’entre elles, le nationaliste turc Dogu
Perincek, avait mene l’affaire jusqu’au Tribunal federal qui l’avait
deboute de son recours en 2007.

Ce nouveau rebondissement intervient alors que le senat francais
a vote le 23 janvier une proposition de loi reprimant la negation
des genocides reconnus par la France, dont le genocide des Armeniens
en 1915-17 dans l’empire ottoman, provoquant la colère d’Ankara. Le
texte doit etre examine prochainement par le Conseil constitutionnel.

La Turquie, heritière de l’empire ottoman, ne reconnaît pas le
caractère genocidaire des massacres d’Armeniens survenus en Anatolie.

Les Armeniens parlent de 1,5 million de morts, Ankara de 500.000
personnes tuees.

MEVLUT CAVUSOGLU : LA TURQUIE ET L’AZERBAIDJAN ONT REUSSI A DETRUIRE LA FORTERESSE DE L’INTERIEUR
Stephane

mardi 7 fevrier 2012
armenews.com

L’ancien president de l’APCE Mevlut Cavusoglu, a commente la
situation en ce qui concerne l’appel des senateurs francais au
Conseil constitutionnel afin d’obtenir l’invalidation du projet de
loi criminalisant la negation du genocide armenien.

Cavusoglu a salue les mesures prises par les legislateurs francais et a
note que “la Turquie a reussi a detruire la forteresse de l’interieur.”

“Cette question a eu un soutien substantiel egalement de la part de
l’Azerbaïdjan. Nous avons mene une campagne de lobbying très forte
parmi les parlementaires francais et nous avons reussi a realiser
beaucoup de choses. Nous avons pu expliquer aux senateurs francais que
ce projet de loi n’apportera aucun avantage a la France. En outre,
de nombreuses ONG et les medias ont egalement critique Sarkozy pour
sa position sur cette question. Le Premier ministre Recep Tayyip
Erdogan a suivi de près la situation, nous ne pouvons pas ne pas
noter le rôle de l’Azerbaïdjan qui a egalement essaye de persuader
les senateurs et les deputes francais d’aider a ce sujet, “a-t-il dit.

Source:1news d’Azerbaïdjan

SWISS PROSECUTOR PROBES BAGÄS OVER GENOCIDE REMARKS, SPARKS DIPLOMATIC ROW

Today’s Zaman

Feb 7 2012
Turkey

A Zurich prosecutor on Monday launched an investigation into remarks by
Egemen BagıÅ~_, Turkey’s EU affairs minister and chief EU negotiator,
after he said in Zurich that there was no Armenian genocide and that
Swiss authorities could arrest him if they wanted to.

Turkey swiftly responded to the news of investigation, with the
Swiss ambassador in Ankara being summoned to the Foreign Ministry on
Monday afternoon. Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Feridun Sinirlioglu, who met Swiss Ambassador Raimund Kunz, demanded
an official explanation and informed Kunz that the investigation was
“unacceptable,” sources said.

News about the prosecution’s move was published in the Swiss daily Neue
Zurcher Zeitung. The Zurich Chief Prosecutor’s Office launched the
investigation into BagıÅ~_’s remarks — which he made last month in
Zurich on his way back from the World Economic Forum at Davos — based
on a complaint filed by members of Switzerland’s Armenian community.

Zurich State Prosecutor Christine Braunschweig was quoted by the daily
as having said: “Last week we received a petition about this issue,
informing us that Mr. BagıÅ~_ violated the anti-racism Article 261 of
the Swiss Penal Code. Our prosecutor’s office has taken this allegation
seriously and launched an investigation. We will investigate whether
Egemen BagıÅ~_ uttered words denying the Armenian genocide as asserted
in the petition. We will also see if he has diplomatic immunity. At
the end of this, we will press charges against him if there indeed
is a violation and if he cannot benefit from diplomatic immunity.”

Cihangir Å~^ahin, BagıÅ~_’s press secretary, said the minister
will not comment on the issue until the prosecutor’s preliminary
investigation is completed.

The Zurich prosecutor was “out of line” according to at least one
deputy chairman of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK
Party). The AK Party’s Omer Celik said, “The Zurich prosecutor was
out of line launching an inquiry into a minister of the Republic of
Turkey who voiced an opinion while exercising freedom of speech.”

Last week, in response to a question from a French journalist on what
he thought of a bill criminalizing denial of the Armenian genocide
adopted by the French Senate in January, BagıÅ~_ said: “Our prime
minister has said what needs to be said about this. This resolution
is null and void for us. We believe that there are more people with
common sense than those without it in France. Switzerland is another
country where it is a crime to deny the so-called genocide. Here I
am in Switzerland today, and I’m saying the 1915 incidents did not
amount to genocide. Let them come arrest me.”

In 2008, Workers’ Party (Ä°P) Chairman Dogu Perincek, who was
convicted by a Swiss court for rejecting Armenian claims of genocide
at a conference he attended in Switzerland, appealed the ruling at the
European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), arguing his conviction was a
violation of the free speech articles of the European Convention on
Human Rights (ECHR). He also complained of violations of his right
to a fair trial, after his lawyer was denied a visa to Switzerland.

The European court is currently waiting on the Swiss government to
submit its defense. It is expected to deliver a verdict this year. The
Republic of Turkey is listed as a co-plaintiff in the case.

OFFICIALS PROMISE ARMENIANS DEMOLISHED PLACES WILL BE REBUILT

Today’s Zaman
Feb 6 2012
Turkey

Officials from the Malatya Municipality and governor’s office have
promised the Armenian community that they will rebuild recently
demolished buildings, including a place of worship that was under
renovation, located inside an Armenian cemetery.

Garo Paylan, a member of the board of directors of HAYDER, an
Ä°stanbul-based foundation of Malatyan Armenian philanthropists, said
after having talks with the Malatya Municipality and governor’s offices
in the city over the weekend and on Monday, they are convinced that the
demolished buildings will be rebuilt by the municipality. “We found
out that the prime minister had called the city officials and asked
them to do whatever necessary to compensate for the action,” he said.

A residence for the watchman, a room to bathe the bodies of the dead
and a place of worship were pulled down when nobody in charge of the
cemetery was around on Thursday. Municipality officials said at first
that the place of worship was being built without official permission,
and argued that there was nothing illegal about the demolition, but
later claimed there had been a mistake. Malatya Mayor Ahmet Cakır was
quoted on the website of the Turkish-Armenian Agos weekly as saying
he is sorry for what happened and that the demolition occurred due to
miscommunication among officials and that they will compensate for it.

Citing intolerance towards Armenians as the reason behind the
municipality’s move, Turkish media outlets reported on Friday that
the municipality had the facilities pulled down because of hundreds
of petitions submitted by locals who opposed the construction of a
place of worship for Armenians, thinking that a church was being built.

Mayor Cakır gave verbal permission for the place of worship to
be built on orders by Malatya Governor Ulvi Saran. The cost of the
building was met by HAYDER. The blueprint of the place of worship
was drawn up by renowned Turkish-Armenian architect Kevork Ozkaragöz.

Paylan said in a written statement on Friday that both the governor
and the municipality were fairly warm to the idea of renovating the
demolished buildings at the cemetery four months ago. “Now the Malatya
Municipality has told us they will pay for the cost of the rebuilding,”
Paylan told Today’s Zaman on Monday. “And we will provide technical
support,” he said.

TURKEY SUMMONS SWISS ENVOY OVER INVESTIGATION INTO MINISTER

Hurriyet Daily News
Feb 6 2012
Turkey

Swiss Ambassador Raimund Kunz was summoned by the Turkish foreign
ministry in Ankara after a Swiss prosecutor launched a probe into
Turkey’s EU minister for saying “the Armenian genocide doesn’t exist.”

Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Feridun Sinirlioglu summoned Kunz to
his office, asking for an explanation. Sinirlioglu reportedly told
Kunz that the incident was “unacceptable.”

“There is no Armenian genocide. Let them arrest me,” BagıÅ~_ had
said last week following a question from a French reporter on the
1915 killings.

Zurich public prosecutor Christine Braunschweig confirmed the probe
and told Dogan news agency that they were looking into whether or
not BagıÅ~_ had said the words.

“We will look into Minister Egemen BagıÅ~_’ immunity,” Braunschweig
further said. “If there is anything illegal and if he does not have
the diplomatic immunity, then we will file the lawsuit.”

BagıÅ~_ has refused to speak on the matter until the initial probe
ends, daily Hurriyet reported.

ON FIRST HEARING, ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT APPROVES BILL ON “PROCEDURE FOR CALCULATION OF TIME”

news.am
February 07, 2012 | 13:29

YEREVAN. – Armenian National Assembly (NA) approved in its first
hearing, on Monday, the bill on “The Procedure for Calculation of
Time in the Republic of Armenia.” Pursuant to this law proposal,
Armenia will no longer switch the clocks and use Daylight Saving Time.

Opposition Heritage Party MP Stepan Safaryan noted, however, that
if this bill is adopted with this text, the night will fall one hour
early in Armenia, and the people’s electricity costs will increase.

The proposals for this draft law will be considered until the time
of NA’s second hearing.

FATE OF ARMENIA GENOCIDE BILL DEPENDS ON FRANCE-TURKEY RELATIONS

news.am
February 07, 2012 | 13:51

YEREVAN.- France’s moves on Armenian Genocide bill are conditioned
by country’s interests, said political analyst Arayik Sargsyan.

In this context, Sargsayn who is deputy head of Russia’s Geopolitics
Problems Academy, stressed that French-Turkish relations are not
disrupted. On the contrary, the countries intend to jointly adopt
sanctions against Syria.

According to the political analyst, the matter concerns possible
France’s intervention into Syria through the territory of Turkey. The
fate of Armenian bill depends on development of relations between
Paris and Ankara, he said.

“I am a descendant of Armenian Genocide survivor. My grand-father
lost his parents during the 1915 events. But let us leave the dead
alone and face the situation – France is making moves meeting its
own interests,” he added.

In January the French Senate adopted a bill criminalizing denial of
the genocides, including the Armenian Genocide. However, a group of
senators appealed the decision in the Constitutional Council.