Author: Kanayan Tamar

168 ZHAM: SILVA HAMBARDZUMYAN HAS BODYGUARD

Tert.am
19.11.11

The paper claims it has learned that Police Chief Vladimir Gasparyan
has delievered on his promise and provided businesswoman Silva
Hambardzumyan with bodyguard.

Hambardzumyan had asked for bodyguard after she was reportedly
physically assaulted by governor of Syunik Province Suren Khachatryan
in Marriott Hotel last week.

Further, the paper claims that Hambardzumyan was interrogated on
November 14 over that incident.

Syunik Province Suren Khachatryan has also been interrogated.

EXPOSITION DES PREMIERS LIVRES IMPRIMES ARMENIENS
Krikor Amirzayan

armenews.com
samedi 19 novembre 2011

En avril 2012 la Bibliothèque du Congrès americain a Washington
celèbrera le 500ème anniversaire de l’imprimerie armenienne en
exposant une cinquantaine de livres, dont le celèbre ” Ourpatakirk
“, premier livre imprime armenien, edite a Venise par Hagop Meghabard.

Cette manifestation saluera egalement la capitale armenienne Erevan
qui a ete designee par l’UNESCO comme la capitale mondiale du livre
en 2012. Des livres armeniens de 1511-1512 ainsi que 1695 seront
egalement exposes. Chaque annee, des millions de personnes visitent
la Bibliothèque du Congrès.

30 PUBLIC OFFICIALS TO BE PROSECUTED FOR AIDING, ABETTING DINK’S MURDER

Today’s Zaman
Nov 17 2011
Turkey

In this 2009 file photo, former Ä°stanbul Governor Muammer Guler
(L) gives letter of recognition to former Ä°stanbul Police Chief
Celalettin Cerrah (R) for his service. (Photo: Today’s Zaman)

A prosecutor overseeing an investigation into claims of negligence
by public officials in protecting Turkish-Armenian journalist
Hrant Dink, who was shot dead in 2007, has decided to prosecute 30
high-level public officials, including Ä°stanbul’s former governor
and police chief, on charges of “aiding and abetting murder” instead
of negligence.

The Anatolia news agency reported on Thursday that prosecutor
Muammer AkkaÅ~_ recently filed a non-prosecution order for the
30 suspects on negligence charges after the denial of permission
from the Ä°stanbul Governor’s Office to launch a probe against the
suspects. The Ä°stanbul Prosecutor’s Office appealed the decision
at the Ä°stanbul Regional Administrative Court, but the court ruled
that the 30 public officials could not be prosecuted on charges of
negligence due to a lack of evidence.

The Ä°stanbul Prosecutor’s Office then filed a non-prosecution order
with regards to the charges of negligence and has reportedly decided
to move forward with the investigation by filing charges against the
suspects of aiding and abetting the commission of Dink’s murder.

The initial investigation, which includes former Ä°stanbul Governor
Muammer Guler and former Ä°stanbul Police Chief Celalettin Cerrah,
was launched following repeated demands from Dink family lawyers
that a new investigation be launched into several public officials
who were allegedly negligent in their duty to protect Dink.

Dink was gunned down by a teenager outside his newspaper’s Ä°stanbul
office in January 2007, but the ensuing investigation has been highly
controversial. The investigation made it obvious that the young man
hadn’t acted alone but was in fact driven by a group of people whom
he called older brothers and who had plotted for more than a year.

In addition to there being suspicious links between the suspects and
state security institutions, lawyers representing the Dink family
have accused the police of destroying vital evidence and concealing
crucial information from the court and the prosecution. Dink family
lawyers also claimed that some public officials had prior knowledge
about a plot to kill Dink, since July 2006, and failed to take the
necessary precautions, suggesting that they had personal relations
with the suspects in Dink’s murder, whose trial is under way at
Ä°stanbul’s 14th High Criminal Court.

Also in September of last year, the European Court of Human Rights
declared that the Turkish government had failed in its duty to protect
the life of Dink and to effectively investigate his murder. The
court said police in both Trabzon — the hometown of the assailant,
Ogun Samast — and Ä°stanbul and the Trabzon gendarmerie had been
informed of the likelihood of an assassination attempt and even of
the identity of the suspected instigators.

Lover And Aide Claims MP Mike Hancock Urged Lobby Group To Pay Her
by Melanie Newman

Bureau of Investigative Journalism

Nov 18 2011

Liberal Democrat MP Mike Hancock solicited cash from a controversial
organisation for his parliamentary aide and lover Katerina Zatuliveter,
according to allegations in papers filed at the Special Immigration
Appeals Commission.

Ms Zatuliveter, who has been accused of being a Russian spy while
having an affair with the MP, said Mr Hancock approached The European
Azerbaijan Society (TEAS) on her behalf in the middle of 2009, when
he was a member of the hugely important defence select committee.

Mr Hancock has not denied the claim but he refuted a suggestion Ms
Zatuliveter was lobbying for TEAS while simultaneously acting as
his researcher.

Ms Zatuliveter’s statement, made in her appeal against deportation
for suspected espionage on behalf of Russia, says she had spent £2000
on legal fees relating to her visa and was running into financial
problems.

She added: ‘Mike was also very worried about my financial situation
and what would happen to me. He suggested to The European Azerbaijan
Society that they might pay me for the lobbying and consultancy work
that I had done for them as his parliamentary researcher over a number
of months. They very kindly made a payment of £3,000 to me on the 22
June which is referenced in my bank accounts’.

As the Bureau has previously revealed, TEAS is a lobby group whose
funding sources are unclear and which is run by the sons of a powerful
Azeri minister.

Around a month before the payment Mr Hancock hosted a discussion for
TEAS at Portcullis House on the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict in the
Nagorno-Karabakh region. He was also a speaker at a TEAS reception
in September 2009.

The Bureau asked Mr Hancock, who was a member of the defence select
committee at the time of the payment but has since resigned from this
position, whether he had asked TEAS to pay Ms Zatuliveter.

A spokesman for the MP replied: ‘Mike is aware that Ms Zatuliveter
assisted on a project for The European Azerbaijan Society. She had
friends in Azerbaijan and got in contact with the society while working
in Parliament. Any work she did was in her own spare time and was of
her own volition. He was never informed of how much Ms Zatuliveter
was paid and he does not know when they paid her for the work she did.’

Ms Zatuliveter told the Commission her work for TEAS included
organising a photographic exhibition in Parliament on the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Neither the work for TEAS or the payment
appears in the Commons register of interests of members’ secretaries
and research assistants for 2009-10. The spokesman for Mr Hancock said:
‘All staff working in Parliament and in Mike’s office are informed
of the requirements to register interests.’

A spokesman for TEAS said: ‘It is a matter of public record that Ms
Zatuliveter assisted us with a photographic exhibition highlighting
the plight of the 865,000 refugees and internally displaced persons,
together with an event for the Azerbaijani community, for which her
fee was £3,000. She had attended some of our previous events, and
offered her assistance in a private capacity. We used her because
at the time TEAS was quite small and new to the UK, and did not have
sufficient internal resources.’

In February 2009 Mr Hancock also tabled an Early Day Motion calling
for the conflict to be resolved and highlighting the UK’s position
as the largest foreign investor in Azerbaijan. His spokesman said:
‘EDM 893 stemmed from Mike’s work on the British delegation to the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, and had nothing
to do with The European Azerbaijan Society. He has a longstanding
interest in the region going back to the breakup of the USSR in the
late 1980s and early 1990s.’

Earlier this year the Guardian reported that Conservative MP Mark
Field was a paid member of the TEAS advisory board while also sitting
on the intelligence and security committee, which scrutinises the
security services. The newspaper suggested Mr Field’s position with
TEAS created a conflict of interest, which was denied by Mr Field.

ARMENIAN STATE COMMISSION VOWS TO PUNISH LAWBREAKERS IN BUTTER MARKET

news.am
Nov 18 2011
Armenia

YEREVAN. – During its session to be held on November 21, the Armenian
State Commission for the Protection of Economic Competition (ASCPEC)
will publicize results of the administrative proceedings that were
launched in Armenia’s butter market.

After an inspection of the businesses that import and sell butter,
several violations were revealed which have brought forth a suspicion
toward their activities. And at the Commission’s initiative,
inspection-purpose purchases were conducted, at more than a dozen
stores, and the purchases were sent to laboratory testing.

So, all lawbreakers and test results will be announced during the
aforesaid session, ASCPEC informed Armenian News-NEWS.am.

DEGREE OF DECEPTION?: STUDENTS STILL WAITING FOR DIPLOMAS IN CONTROVERSY OVER SUSPENDED UNIVERSITY
By Siranuysh Gevorgyan

ArmeniaNow
18.11.11 | 14:19

The Ministry of Education and Science of Armenia and the management
of Yerevan Galick University continue voicing mutual accusations over
the issue of 51 students, who are deprived of receiving a Bachelor’s
diploma. The issue, as the management of the university has stated,
will soon be transferred to the judicial field.

Even though 51 students of the university’s Management Faculty have
passed the state final exams, it is already more than six months that
they cannot take their diplomas, because they have found out that
within the recent one year they have studied at a faculty, paying a
tuition for it, the license of which was suspended by the Ministry
of Education and Science in 2010. (Tuition fee is 182,000 dram — $500.

The University insists that the ministry has suspended the license
of the faculty for certified specialists who study five years, and
not of the Bachelor’s degree of the Management Faculty, with four
years education).

Deputy Rector of Galick University Gevorg Harutyunyan says that they
have not received the decision of the ministry within the defined
timeframe, under which the Bachelor’s license should have been
suspended, and according to the law, in this case the suspension of
the license is automatically considered to be removed.

The ministry in its turn insists that they have responded to all
the inquiries and applications made by the university within the
defined timeframe, simply the rector of the university has ignored the
ministry’s decision, and continued providing education at the faculty,
in order not to lose the tuition fees.

Within the recent two years the Ministry of Education and Science has
closed more than 30 institutes of higher learning or faculties, and
during that period students who studied there have been transferred
to other institutions which offer the same fields of study. Properly
managed, those 51 students would have also been able to continue
their education in another institution.

At a Thursday press conference, Minister of Education and Science
Armen Ashotyan referring to this issue stated, “The case of Galick
is shocking with its impudence.

“They are ready to play with the fate of 51 young people, aiming to
take tuition fees from them, and then to collect money from them
for diplomas. Anyway, if they really decide to appeal to a court,
I personally will attend some of the court sessions. Besides, I am
ready to make some other details public.”

TSVETANA PASKALEVA TO STAY IN ARMENIA UNTIL FINAL VICTORY OF KARABAKH

ARMENPRESS
NOVEMBER 18, 2011
YEREVAN

President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan was among the first to receive
“Karabakh’s Wounds” CD from the author of the film, journalist,
documentary film author Tsvetana Paskaleva. The presentation of the
film took place in Yerevan November 18. Paskaleva said she will not
leave Armenia until the final victory of Artsakh.

“When I visited Karabakh I saw that the people are always concerned. I
consider them all heroes. I did not think I would have so much strength
to see these scenes, and I decided to stay by their sides,” Paskaleva
said. She noted that all her films about Karabakh were created during
cold, severe days when they had worked without heating.

“I have passed this way with difficulty, it was stony and thorny. I
was deprived of education, I left my homeland but I do not regret.

This is my home. When I leave Armenia for a month I feel parentless. I
have sworn in on the grave of the hero guys that I would shoot this
films and I have kept my promise,” she said.

Leader of the country Serzh Sargsyan said Paskaleva has done a huge
work. “It is a work that gives full picture of what happened. Not only
Armenian but foreign authors of documentaries created works on this
issue but Paskaleva managed to give full idea. We all must manage to
convince the world in national rightness of the Karabakh people. I am
sure Paskaleva will become the most active participant of this fight,”
President Sargsyan.

Tsvetana Paskaleva has shot 7 films about Nagorno Karabakh in six
languages – Armenian, Russian, English, French, Spanish and Bulgarian.

The whole income received from the purchasing of the CDs will be
directed to different institutions of Nagorno Karabakh.

NKR PRESIDENT MEETS IN THE USA REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ARMENIAN COMMUNITY

ARMENPRESS
NOVEMBER 18, 2011
YEREVAN

On 17 November US Eastern Regional body of the “Hayastan” All-Armenian
organized in New York a state dinner in honor of the Artsakh Republic
President Bako Sahakyan with the participation of Armenian community
representatives.

Central information department of the office of the Artsakh Republic
President told Armenpress that President Sahakyan introduced to the
attendees socioeconomic situation in the NKR, problems it faces and
development prospects. The NKR President underlined that the people
of Artsakh are resolute in further strengthening their independent
statehood and within this context called the Artsakh-Armenia-Diaspora
trinity the basis of all achievements. Bako Sahakyan rated high
the role of the “Hayastan” All-Armenian fund in the development of
Artsakh qualifying it one of the most important junctions in practical
cementation of the inter-Armenian ties.

Head of the Artsakh Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church Archbishop
Pargev Martirosyan, ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary
of the Republic of Armenia to the USA Tatoul Markaryan, permanent
representative of the Republic of Armenia to UN Karen Nazaryan,
head of the central information department of the office of the NKR
President David Babayan, NKR permanent representative to USA and
Canada Robert Avetisyan and other officials partook at the event.

‘HISTORICAL HEROES’: ARMENIAN BROTHERS’ HOTEL CHAIN A LEGACY IN MALAYSIA

epress.am
11.18.2011

The Kardashian sisters may be the most famous Armenian family globally
but in South East Asia, the Sarkies brothers are historical heroes
especially among hoteliers, write Christina Chin and Jeremy Tan in
the Malyasian news source The Star.

The Sarkies brothers, Martin, Tigran, Aviet and Arshak (pictured
below), were best known for founding and managing a chain of luxury
hotels throughout South East Asia including E&O Hotel, and Crag Hotel
on Penang Hill.

Penang Heritage Trust (PHT) secretary Clement Liang said the Armenian
community in Penang had made great contributions to the region
especially in Singapore and Penang (Malaysia).

“The Armenian community were a minority but their contributions
were significant especially in establishing and running a chain of
prestigious hotels in Penang.

“In George Town, you have Armenian Street and Aratoon Road.

“The latter was named after Arathoon Anthony who brought his family
to Penang in 1819. He was a trader and planter.

“The Armenian community in Penang used to worship at St Gregory’s
Church which was located between Penang Street and King Street.

“Unfortunately, the Armenian community no longer live here. Most
migrated to the US, Australia and Singapore in the 1930s,” he said,
adding that there were some 40 Armenians buried in the state.

Above: photo of Regina Sarkies, married to Arathoon Martin Sarkies,
cousin of the brothers

Main photo: Eastern & Oriental Hotel website Enclosed photos from
original article.

NAIRA ZOHRABYAN’S ‘FRIENDLY ADVICE’ TO HHK INCUMBENT DEFEATED IN IJEVAN ELECTIONS

epress.am
11.18.2011

Prosperous Armenia MP Naira Zohrabyan (pictured) advised the former
mayor of Ijevan (a Republican Party of Armenia member) not to speak
of buying votes as it’s not based on his interests. Zohrabyan said
this herself in parliament today, adding that if Ijevan’s former mayor
continues to speak of vote buying, then worse might be said about him.

Recall, incumbent Varuzhan Nersisyan lost to the Prosperous Armenia
candidate, Vardan Ghalumyan in the Nov. 13 mayoral elections in the
northeastern Armenian city of Ijevan.

Zohrabyan also commented on a recent statement by head of Republican
Party of Armenia (HHK) parliamentary faction Galust Sahakyan in
which the latter, asked about the results of the Ijevan elections
possible replaying on a national level, said (not in so many words),
“God forbid, such a thing were to happen.”

“As for Galust Sahakyan’s statements, all the forecasts, one thing is
clear: the outcome of any election is decided by the people’s vote,”
she said.

HHK MP Artak Zakaryan, also weighing in on the elections in Ijevan,
said the consequences and issues were discussed and assessed at the
HHK executive meeting yesterday – with the consideration of taking
them into account later.

“I am not aware of the flaws or problems in detail. But there has to
be some follow-up, in provincial, regional bodies, to find the motives
which were the reason of the HHK candidate’s defeat. This is an issue
relating to the local self-government system; we shouldn’t view this
issue through a political lens; and this is a direct proposal by the
party’s executive body to regional bodies to pay attention to this
issue,” he said.