Author: Kanayan Tamar

L’éDITEUR RAGIP ZARAKOLU CONDAMNé EN TURQUIE

Publié le : 26-02-2013

Info Collectif VAN – – Turquie : l’éditeur turc
Ragip Zarakolu a envoyé vendredi 23 février 2013 un message alarmant
publié le jour même sur le site belgo-turc Info-Turk et concernant
les nouvelles condamnations qui le frappent. Reconnu coupable en tant
que rédacteur en chef du Journal Alternatif, Ragip Zarakolu précise
: ” C’est la première fois qu’un rédacteur en chef est condamné
sous la loi anti-terroriste ”. Zarakolu est également condamné en
tant qu’Editeur de Belge [Documents], maison d’édition qui a subi pas
moins de 44 procès en 40 ans… Cette fois-ci, l’ouvrage incriminé
s’intitule Le dossier KCK. Il est signé N. Mehmet Guler. L’auteur
est par ailleurs condamné pour son roman Des décisions plus
difficiles que la mort. Voila des exemples édifiants de ce que la
Turquie considère être du terrorisme. Par un hasard du calendrier,
la Commission des Affaires Ã~Itrangères de l’Assemblée Nationale se
réunit ce mardi 26 février 2013 a 17 heures pour examiner l’accord
de coopération dans le domaine de la sécurité intérieure entre
la France et la Turquie. Ankara considère comme du terrorisme
la défense des droits de l’homme et les actions en faveur de la
reconnaissance du génocide arménien, domaine où Ragip Zarakolu a
été un précurseur. Le Collectif VAN vous invite a signer de toute
urgence cette pétition pour dire non a cette coopération.

Info-Turk

Nouveau message alarmant de l’éditeur Ragip Zarakolu

Envoyé le vendredi 23 février 2013

Chers Amis, Ce mois-ci, j’ai recu trois décisions judiciaires
différentes :

1. En tant que rédacteur en chef [légalement non responsable] du
Journal Alternatif, je suis condamné. J’aurais dÔ être acquitté
parce qu’il n’y a pas de responsabilité pour les rédacteurs en
chef. C’est la première fois qu’un rédacteur en chef est condamné
sous la loi anti-terroriste. Ensuite le tribunal a décidé de
différer la sentence, sur la base de ce qu’on appelle le troisième
package des réformes législatives. C’est une chose qui fait de moi
légalement un otage.

2. Pour le premier procès Guler/Zarakolu, qui concerne la publication
d’un roman : Des décisions plus difficiles que la mort, de N. Mehmet
Guler, j’ai été acquitté et Guler a été condamné. Cette fois
le tribunal a décidé de différer la condamnation, mais n’a pas
annulé le décret d’interdiction, qui est maintenu.

3. Pour le deuxième procès Guler/Zarakolu, qui vise une Ŕuvre de
non-fiction : Le dossier KCK, de N. Mehmet Guler. Nous avons été
tous les deux condamnés. Ce n’est pas courant, parce qu’un éditeur
n’a pas de responsabilité juridique. Pour ce livre aussi le tribunal
a reporté nos peines mais n’a pas annulé le décret d’interdiction
du livre.

Sans annulation de la loi anti-terroriste, la justice ne reviendra
pas !

Bien a vous,

Ragip Zarakolu

P.S. : J’ajoute une liste de nos procès au cours des 40 dernières
années, établie de mémoire. Ayse [NdT : la défunte épouse de
Ragip Zarakolu] avait subi d’autres procès a cause des activités de
l’Association des Droits de l’Homme [IHD]. Sa dernière condamnation a
été décidée un an après sa mort, en tant que membre de l’exécutif
de l’IHD.

Raison : Au cours d’une descente au siège central de l’IHD, la police
a trouvé quelques livres interdits. Tous les membres de l’exécutif
ont été inculpés, pendant le coup d’Etat post-moderne de 1998,
et ils ont tous été condamnés en 2003, sans que la défense
soit acceptée. Comme Ayse, la poétesse Nebahat Altıok a été
condamnée. Elle est morte en 2002 elle aussi. Le mari de Nebahat
Altıok était Metin Altıok, célèbre poète turc, qui avait trouvé
la mort pendant les pogroms anti-alévis et anti-intellectuels de
Sivas en 1993, au cours desquels 37 personnes au total sont mortes
a cause du feu et de la fumée.

La semaine dernière il y avait deux projets de pogroms a Sinop et a
Samsun pendant la visite du député du BDP pour l’initiative de paix.

Pendant que j’étais occupé par la campagne en faveur de l’écrivain
azéri Aylisli, qui risquait d’être lynché par la foule, ces
événements se déroulaient dans la région de la Mer noire. Où
est la différence ?

La semaine dernière, des racistes de l’Université Technique du
Moyen-Orient ont essayé d’empêcher le discours de l’écrivain
arménien Sevan NiÅ~_anyan. Mais il a parlé pendant 15 minutes,
et a dit : ” Voue ne pouvez pas m’en empêcher. ”

Un quotidien islamo-fasciste a commencé a attaquer et insulter Etyen
Mahcupyan, qui est chroniqueur a Zaman (quotidien islamiste-libéral).

Une raciste a diffamé Hayko Cepkin, chanteur, en disant ” ne lui
serrez pas la main, a ce bâtard arménien ”.

Ces derniers mois dans le quartier de Samatya a Istanbul, il y a eu
des agressions de vieilles femmes arméniennes, dont deux sont mortes.

J’ai peur d’une nouvelle série d’agressions racistes de la part de
jeunes gens ultranationalistes et racistes qui ont été empoisonnés
par les mensonges négationnistes.

Les 44 procès contre les Editions Belge en 40 ans

I : Interdiction et condamnation A: Acquittement

1971 Ragıp Zarakolu – ANT Review – I 1973 Ragıp Zarakolu – Ho Chi
Minh and the Vietnam War – I 1979 Oscar Lange – Monopoly Capitalism and
the State – I 1982 Mete Tunc – New Resources on Old [Turkish] Left –
I 1982 Dido Sotiriyu – Farewell Anatolia [Roman grec] -A 1982 Georg
Lucacs – Actuality of Revolution – I 1982-90 Demokrat Daily Newspaper
Trial -A 1990 Ä°smail BeÅ~_ikci – Interstates Colony Kurdistan –
I 1990 Ä°smail BeÅ~_ikci – State, Oficial Ideology, Democracy and
Kurdish Question – I 1990 Ä°smail BeÅ~_ikci – 33 Bullett Murder and
General Muglali – I 1991 Ä°smail BeÅ~_ikci – Settlement Law and Dersim
Genocide – I 1991 Ä°smail BeÅ~_ikci – Republican Party’s Program
1927 and Kurdish Question – I 1991 Huseyin Erdem – Kurdish Legend
Siyabend and Wece – I 1991 Soysal Ekinci – Two Countries, of which
one is disappeared [Poésie] – I 1991 Haydar IÅ~_ık – Dersimian
Lord Memik [Roman] – I 1992 Hasan Bildirici – Interviews from Beka
Valley – I 1992 Rahmi Aydın – Interviews from Zagros Mount – I 1993
Yves Ternon _ Armenian Taboo – I 1993 YaÅ~_ar Kaya – Articles in
Newspaper Ozgur Gundem – I 1993 Faysal Dagli – Brakuji Kurdish Civil
War in Iraqi Kurdistan 1992 – I 1993 Mehti Zana – My Country My Home
[Poésie en kurde] – I 1993 AyÅ~_e Nur Zarakolu etc. – Letter to the
UN for a Solution of the Kurdish Question – I 1994 Vahakn N. Dadrian –
International and National Law and Genocide -A 1994 A. Kadir Konuk –
Young Journalist Ferhat: Anatomy of a Murder – I 1994 Faysal Dagli –
Portraits in the Fire – I 1994 Mehti Zana – Prison Letter to Leyla
Zana – I 1994 Ragıp Zarakolu – Dirty War in Hakkari [article] – I 1995
Ayse Nur Zarakolu – Letter of the Political Prisoners to Human Rights
Association – I 1995 Sadrettin Aydınlık – Mission in the Coldest
Winter [Mémoires] – I 1995 Mehti Zana – Zelal, Rebirth [Mémoires] –
I 1996 Ayse Nur Zarakolu – The Role of Women in The Struggle for Peace
(Conférence) – I 1996 Haydar IÅ~_ık – Dersim Disaster [Roman] – I
1996 HRW – Report on Crimes of War in the Kurdish Region of Turkey –
I 1997 Lissy Schmidt – The Cost of the Freedom in Iraqi Kurdistan –
I 1997 Haluk Gerger – Turkish Order and Kurdish Question -A 1997
V. I. Lenin – Freedom Struggles in the East -A

[De 1997 a 2000, il n’y a pas eu de problème, parce que l’imprimeur
a oublié d’envoyer des exemplaires des livres imprimés au procureur
responsable de la presse]

2000 Huseyin Turhal РSong of Liberty [M̩moires] РI 2001 Omer Asan
– Pontos Culture -A 2003 Gazi Caglar – 12 September Coup in Trial
-A 2003 Ragıp Zarakolu -” Irak War, Kurds and Turkey ” (Article)
-A 2004 George Jerjian – Armenians and Turks Reconciled -A 2004 Dora
Sakayan – My Smirnia Ordeal of 1922 – I 2009 N. Mehmet Guler – Harder
Desicions then Death (Roman) – I 2010 N. Mehmet Guler – KCK File –
I 2013 Ragıp Zarakolu – Alternative Newspaper – I

©Traduction de l’anglais Collectif VAN – 26 février 2013 – 06:00 –

Lire aussi :

Liberté pour Ragip Zarakolu : Dossier complet

Azerbaïdjan: Le président Aliev punit l’écrivain azéri Akram
Aylisli

Azerbaïdjan : haro sur le héros

Azerbaïdjan : un écrivain accusé de ” sympathie pour les
Arméniens ”

Appel urgent pour défendre les Justes azéris

Azerbaïdjan : Ilham Aliev s’en prend a ses propres écrivains

Turquie: une série de meurtres au sein de la communauté arménienne

Le racisme anti-minorités, l’alpha et l’oméga de l’Etat turc

Nouvel assassinat d’un Arménien a Istanbul

Remise en mémoire des précédents crimes non élucidés

Le journal Agos donne des détails sur la tentative d’enlèvement
d’une femme d’origine arménienne a Istanbul

Une autre femme âgée arménienne sévèrement battue a Istanbul

Retour a la rubrique

Source/Lien : Info-Turk

LA VAGUE DES MANIFESTATIONS SE REPAND AUSSI DANS LES REGIONS

Lors d’une manifestation du 22 fevrier au centre d’Erevan, Raffi
Hovhannissian, qui conteste les resultats du scrutin presidentiel
et se declare le vrai vainqueur, a leve le voile sur son entretien
en tete-a-tete avec le President Sarkissian, qui aurait rejete ses
propositions de compromis s’agissant de la reconnaissance de la
victoire du peuple, de tenue de nouvelles elections legislatives et
de passage a un système parlementaire. Aussi, M. Hovhannissian a-t-il
declare que la lutte populaire continuerait jusqu’a ce que le peuple
remporte la victoire, tout en precisant qu’elle s’effectuerait dans
le cadre de la Constitution et de la legislation armenienne.

Les medias signalent la presence du Dachnak Armen Roustamian,
ancien President de la Commission des AE, a cette manifestation qui,
prenant la parole, a declare que son parti etait du côte du peuple et
des manifestants. Il a felicite le peuple d’avoir surmonte sa peur,
relevant qu’il meritait un meilleur gouvernement. ” C’est une lutte
contre l’injustice, le desespoir et l’emigration “. Et d’ajouter que
si l’on etait decide et uni, la victoire ne se ferait pas attendre.

Nikol Pachinian, depute du CNA, a, quant a lui, appele les autres
formations politiques du pays a rejoindre le mouvement de M.

Hovhannissian et a reconnaître celui-ci comme President de jure
du pays. D’après lui, R. Hovhannissian n’a desormais qu’une seule
tâche a accomplir : ” former son Gouvernement en tant que President
legitimement elu ” (citation de Tert.am)

Edouard Charmazanov, porte-parole du parti Republicain, a reagi aux
revelations de M. Hovhannissian quant a son entretien avec le chef
de l’Etat, et a ironiquement note avoir retire l’impression que lors
de son entretien d’une heure et demie avec M. Hovhannissian, le chef
de l’Etat n’a fait que dire ” non ” a trois reprises.

Raffi Hovhannissian a par ailleurs indique qu’il ne se bornerait pas
seulement a manifester a Erevan et que la vague de manifestation
allait aussi s’etendre aux regions. Samedi 24 fevrier, il s’est
rendu dans les villes d’Achtarak, de Gumri et de Vanadzor. Des
rassemblements spontanes ont eu lieu dans les villes de Spitak et
Aparan. Il a symboliquement declare avoir entame une ” revolution
barev (bonjour) ” [c’est ainsi qu’il avait designe sa campagne
electorale, puisqu’il serrait la main a tout le monde]. Il a declare
que la situation avait change, et personne n’oserait plus ” menacer
” les citoyens d’Armenie. Excluant tout recours a la violence et
soulignant la necessite de parvenir a un changement pacifique du
pouvoir par la voie constitutionnelle, M. Hovhannisian a indique : ”
Si un commandant donne l’ordre a un soldat de faire autre chose que de
proteger les frontières ou d’assurer notre securite, il en sera tenu
pour responsable “. Selon RFE/RL, la police ayant tente d’empecher
certains rassemblements, le leader du parti Heritage a appele celle-ci
a respecter les droits des citoyens. Raffi Hovhannissian a conclu sa
tournee a Gumri, où il avait clairement devance Serge Sarkissian.

Selon RFE/RL, plus de 10 000 personnes s’etaient rassemblees.

S’adressant aux habitants de cette ville M. Hovhannissian a declare :
” Le 18 fevrier, les habitants de Gumri ont forge cette victoire,
et bientôt leur triomphe prendra forme. Mais il faut etre pret pour
un long combat qui prendra un jour, une semaine, un mois ou un an “.

Extrait de la revue de presse de l’Ambassade de France en Armenie en
date du 25 fevrier 2013

mardi 26 fevrier 2013, Stephane ©armenews.com

LA DESINFORMATION AZERIE

Ceux et celles d’entre-nous qui suivons le conflit entre l’Armenie et
l’Azerbaïdjan connaissent parfaitement les methodes de desinformation
et de propagande du “doux pays de cocagne” qu’est celui du dictateur
Ilham Aliev.

Ainsi, voulant a tout crin convaincre la communaute internationale
que les evenements de Khodjajou (25 fevrier 1992) sont un “genocide”
commis par l’Armenie, ont si peu d’elements a produire pour averer
leurs dires qu’ils utilisent sans vergogne des photographies en
provenance d’autres theâtres de guerre, comme celle publiee ici et
qui n’est autre qu’un cliche pris lors de la guerre du Kosovo.

“L’accusation est tellement ridicule qu’une personne bien informee
serait tente de les rejeter d’un revers de main.”, dit la redaction
de Keghart. Mais devant cette grotesque mise en scène, il nous faut
la denoncer encore et encore, alors que les pogroms de Soumgaït
(27 fevrier 1988) perpetres par les forces armees azerbaïdjanaises
sombrent dans un silence assourdissant.

mardi 26 fevrier 2013, Jean Eckian ©armenews.com

RETOUR SUR LES COMMEMORATIONS DU GROUPE MANOUCHIAN A MARSEILLE

La Jeunesse Armenienne de France a consacre cette semaine au 69ème
anniversaire des commemorations du groupe Manouchian.

” Ami, entends-tu … ? ” Vendredi 22 fevrier au Centre Culturel de
l’association, une exposition et une projection de film sont venues
introduire ces ceremonies du souvenir.

Sand Arty, photographe a la Tuilerie Bossy a Gardanne, a propose
une exposition Resistants, une generation oubliee, immortalisant les
visages de resistants marseillais, qui, par leur engagement et leur
courage nous ont permis de rester libres. Petite-fille de deportes,
son travail prend tout son sens, comme un message a transmettre a la
jeune generation.

Le deuxième invite de cette soiree etait Michel Ionascu, realisateur
du film Missak Manouchian, une esquisse de portrait. Son documentaire
retrace ; en partenariat avec Didier Daeninckx et avec les temoignages
de deux compagnons d’armes de Manouchian, Arsène Tchakarian et Henri
Karayan, l’histoire de ces heros d’origine etrangère qui donnèrent
leur vie pour une France libre et fraternelle. Son film rend ainsi un
brillant hommage a des hommes qui croyaient en une France humaniste, et
pour qui les mots Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite avaient encore un sens.

Ami, entends-tu les cris sourds du pays qu’on enchaîne Les
commemorations se sont poursuivies samedi 23 fevrier, au Square
Manouchian.

En presence de Marie-Arlette Carlotti, Ministre deleguee aux Affaires
sociales et de la Sante, chargee des Personnes handicapees et de la
Lutte contre l’exclusion, Eugène Caselli, President de la Communaute
Urbaine Marseille Provence Metropole, Rene Olmeta, Vice-President du
Cosneil General des Bouches du Rhône, Henri Jibrayel, Depute de la 7ème
circonscription des Bouches du Rhône, Patrick Mennucci, Depute de la
4ème circonscritpion des Bouches du Rhône et Maire du 1er secteur,
Samia Ghali, Senatrice Maire des 15ème et 16ème arrondissements de
Marseille, Pascal Chamassian, Conseiller Municipal de la Ville de
Marseille, Julien Harounyan President de la Jeunesse Armenienne
de France et Simon Azilazian, President de l’Amicale des Anciens
Combattants et Resistants Francais d’Origine Armenienne

Plus d’une centaine de personnes ont assiste a la ceremonie en hommage
aux victimes de l’affiche rouge

Ce superbe buste, inaugure il y a maintenant 3 ans, nous interpelle :
” Qu’aurions-nous fait a sa place ? “. Il reste la, impassible et fier,
tourne vers la mer, vers l’entree du port.

L’entree du port de Marseille qui l’avait vu arriver il y a plus de
90 ans, et qui devait offrir a tous ces apatrides une terre d’asile
suite au genocide de 1915. Missak Manouchian n’avait pas choisi la
France par hasard, mais pour ses valeurs, parce qu’elle etait la
patrie des idees, de la Revolution.

Lorsque la France qu’il aimait tant, la France des Lumières, est
gagnee par le nazisme, que des juifs sont deportes, les souvenirs
tragiques du genocide armenien le rattrapent. Il ne peut rester passif.

Pour cet homme de lettres et de paix, la Ce superbe buste, inaugure il
y a maintenant 3 ans, nous interpelle : ” Qu’aurions-nous fait a sa
place ? “. Il reste la, impassible et fier, tourne vers la mer, vers
l’entree du port. L’entree du port de Marseille qui l’avait vu arriver
il y a plus de 90 ans, et qui devait offrir a tous ces apatrides une
terre d’asile suite au genocide de 1915. Missak Manouchian n’avait
pas choisi la France par hasard, mais pour ses valeurs, parce qu’elle
etait la patrie des idees, de la Revolution.

Lorsque la France qu’il aimait tant, la France des Lumières, est gagnee
par le nazisme, que des juifs sont deportes, les souvenirs tragiques
du genocide armenien le rattrapent. Il ne peut rester passif. Pour cet
homme de lettres et de paix, la lutte contre l’exclusion et le racisme
devait etre son combat, la liberte sa recompense.contre l’exclusion
et le racisme devait etre son combat, la liberte sa recompense

Montez de la mine, descendez des collines, camarades,

Un bel hommage a egalement ete rendu a tous ses compagnons resistants
Juifs, Hongrois, Polonais, Roumains, Espagnols, Italiens et Armeniens.

Ces etrangers, heros de notre pays, etaient determines a combattre,
integrant l’armee de liberation en tant que soldats volontaires,
afin de lutter pour une autre conception de l’existence. La
stigmatisation nazie par l’affiche rouge devait les tuer, elle les
a rendus immortels. Vingt deux hommes et une femme seront condamnes
a mort le 21 fevrier 1944.

Vingt-trois resistants amoureux de la liberte nous transmettent
aujourd’hui un message : ” Quiconque oublie son passe est condamne
a le revivre ” (Georges Santayana, 1905).

C’est la raison pour laquelle nous devons former une nation, une seule
et meme communaute, dans laquelle nos differences nous rendrons plus
forts et complementaires.

La richesse d’un pays est basee sur cette diversite des cultures et
des Hommes, ne l’oublions pas.

C’est nous qui brisons les barreaux des prisons pour nos frères II
y a des pays où les gens au creux des lits font des reves

De gauche a droite : Eugène Caselli, Julien Harounyan, Samia Ghali et
Pascal Chamassian accompagnes des scouts armeniens et des enfants de
la JAF A la tribune se sont succedees toutes les generations, avec
un message intemporel a faire passer. Le regard fier de Manouchian
semblait nous rappeler : ” Vous aviez herite de la nationalite
francaise, nous, nous l’avons meritee “.

Et toujours cette meme question qui nous revient a l’esprit : ”
Qu’aurions-nous fait ? “… Sans pour autant trouver une veritable
reponse.

La seule chose dont nous devons etre sûrs c’est qu’il faut transmettre
son message : avancer en ayant conscience de la folie des hommes,
afin que l’indicible ne se reproduise plus. Manouchian ecrivait :
” Bonheur a tous “. Une dernière phrase qui s’est envolee, qui
raisonne dans nos tetes, comme pour nous dire de continuer a avoir
foi en l’Homme. La lutte des idees est permanente, ne perdons pas de
vue pourquoi tous ces resistants se sont battus, afin de continuer a
avancer dans la bonne direction. Le bonheur existe car nous sommes
libres de pouvoir en apprecier chaque instant. Soyons cette belle
communaute, cette belle nation dont revait Manouchian.

Demain du sang noir sechera au grand soleil sur nos routes – Chantez,
compagnons, dans la nuit la liberte nous ecoute… (Extraits du
Chant des partisans, paroles de Maurice Druon et Joseph Kessel,
musique d’Anna Marly, 30 mai 1943).

Consultez la revue de presse Le Meilleur de Marseille

La Marseillaise

La Provence

mardi 26 fevrier 2013, Aurelie Ohanian ©armenews.co

18-YEAR-OLD MARIANNA, CARPET MAKING AND METS TAGHER

Friday, 22 February 2013 16:08

In contrast to her contemporaries 18-year-old Marianna chose such a
profession that is not in fashion among the youths.

Carpet making is my first profession. As she says because of the
socially unfavourable condition of the family she was not able to
continue her education and decided to stay in her native village Mets
Tagher after she left school.

The village of Mets Tagher in Hadrout region is famous for carpet
making and as the villagers assure carpet making has a centuries-old
history here.

During the years of the Soviet Union there was a carpet-making
centre here which was closed during the Artsakh movement. In 2004 the
Traditional Factory of Mets Tagher began its operation in the village,
it had 12 employees but did not work long. Though there are a lot of
carpet makers in Mets Tagher at present there is only one work shop
where Marianna apprentices with her master 41-year-old Elina Galstyan
who has been engaged in carpet-making since 2003.

In the work shops rugs, carpets and socks are knitted. In 2003-2006
its production was exported to Armenia and to foreign countries. Today
the production is sold mainly to the tourists of the village as Mets
Tagher has no lack of visitors.

The rugs are sold at 25 thousand drams and the socks at 2 thousand.

Marianna says that she has been interested in the profession since her
childhood. The work shop was on her way to the school and she always
followed the work inside with greatest interest. Now she herself is
a worker in the work shop and tries to master her profession but she
regrets to say that her friends and acquaintances take no interest
in it.

Her master, however, does not want her children to choose this way.

“They will get a better education so that they could orient themselves
in life,” she says and continues, “soon we shall get the threads for
five years and will be able to knit larger rugs. I hope we shall have
more workplaces in the nearest future.”

With this hope Marianna Muradyan and Elina Galstyan go to work every
day where they string the coloured threads and get the designed
picture in the form of a rug.”

NEW DOCUMENTARY ON KHOJALU EVENTS GATHERS OVER 200,000 VIEWERS IN A WEEK AND COUNTING (VIDEO)

22:44 ~U 25.02.13

“Between hunger and fire: Power at the expense of lives” – a two-series
documentary, released in February 2012, is now available to the
English-speaking audience as well through a YouTube Channel.

The two-series documentary film is about tragic events which took
place in Nagorno-Karabakh between November 1991 and February 1992.

The research group, composed of historians, retired politicians
and investigative journalists, presents compelling evidence about
that period, sheds a new light on the blockade of Stepanakert – the
nation’s capital – as well as on activities of the political elite
of Azerbaijan which let the tragic events of Khojalu (now Ivanyan)
happen. The archival materials, assembled during the investigation,
questions a range of traditional speculations and manipulations by
Azerbaijani government, the media and ‘expert community’.

The English translation of the documentary attracted unprecedented
interest among the international community. In around a week, more
than 210.000 people watched the film on YouTube channel.

The original, Russian version is available on YouTube either.

Miro Khanzadian, who is the Director of Operations of GlobalHye
Information Services, resident of Los Angeles, CA, has been one of many
who disseminated the movie across international community. “When we,
Armenians, as people are united against injustice we will prevail.

Throughout history the Armenian people have reached victories within
short time and much less resources than our adversaries when we have
been united. Because history is on our side!”, said Mr Khanzadian. The
GlobalHye Information Services, at the words of Khanzadian, aims
at reaching, educating and motivating as many Armenians as possible
through large Global Email database.

The facts and figures, shown in the documentary, are recollected
from archival materials found in diverse, including Azerbaijani,
sources, whereas residents of Stepanakert and Karabakh Defense Army
soldiers and officers speak of the blockade of nation’s capital and
the specifics of the operation to breach the blockade.

Rich of first-time ever released materials, the documentary also
features a rare interview of first president of Azerbaijan, Ayaz
Mutalibov, where the latter argues the Khojaly tragedy was abused to
topple him.

Overall, the film shows how the Aliyev regime, step-by-step, toppled
political opponents and seized the power in Azerbaijan and has been
ruling the country for two decades now, silencing all the courageous
individuals that dared to tell the truth about the incidents in
Khojaly village and around Aghdam region.

FOREIGN MINISTRY: AZERBAIJAN IS ABLE TO RETURN ITS LANDS IN ANY WAY

Trend, Azerbaijan
Feb 25 2013

Azerbaijan, Baku, Feb. 25 / Trend A. Taghiyeva /

Today Azerbaijan is able to return its lands in any way, spokesman
for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Elman Abdullayev said in an
interview with Turkish TV channel TRT Haber today.

“Azerbaijan is able to return its lands in any way,” he said. “As we
are against human losses, political, rather than a military solution
is the priority for Azerbaijan.”

He added that the main goal of Azerbaijani diplomacy is to change
the status quo.

“Khojaly was not chosen for perpetrating the massacre of the
Azerbaijanis by chance,” he said. “One of the causes of the tragedy
at Khojaly is a geo-strategic location of the city and in particular
the airport located there.”

He said the massacre was led by those who are holding now and
previously held the leading positions in Armenia. Incumbent Armenian
President Serzh Sargsyan and ex-President Robert Kocharian are
among them.

“They do not even try to hide this fact and repeatedly said and
admitted this in their interviews with the media,” he said.

Abdullayev stressed that Azerbaijan is trying to bring the truth about
the Khojaly to the world community resulting in the recognition of
Khojaly events as genocide by the parliaments of several countries.

On Feb. 25-26 February, 1992, Armenian occupation forces together with
the 366th infantry regiment of Soviet troops stationed in Khankendi
(previously Stepanakert) committed an act of genocide towards the
population of the Azerbaijani Khojaly town.

Some 613 people were killed including 63 children, 106 women and 70
old men. A total of 1000 civilians were disabled during the genocide.

Eight families were killed, 130 children lost one parent and 25
lost both. Additionally, 1275 innocent residents were taken hostage,
while the fate of 150 remains unknown.

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

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

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

RUSSIA IN THE CAUCASUS

ISN – International Relations & Security Network, Zurich, Switzerland
Feb 25 2013

Despite the attempts by Western powers to penetrate the Caucasus,
Russia continues to exert unmatched influence over the region. In
today’s Questions and Answers presentation, the CSS’ Aglaya Snetkov
outlines some of the differences between Moscow’s North and South
Caucasus policies.

By Aglaya Snetkov for the ISN

What are Russia’s core security challenges and objectives in the
Northern Caucasus?

Russia’s contemporary security challenges in the North Caucasus date
back to the first Chechen war (1994-96), and more recently to the
restart of the large-scale military campaign in Chechnya in 1999.

However, despite (and often directly as a result of) Russia’s policies
in the region, the situation in the North Caucasus remains insecure.

While conditions in Chechnya have to a large extent stabilized under
the iron-fist rule of President Ramzan Kadyrov, the situation in the
rest of the region remains tense. Instability, societal insecurity
and terrorist attacks since the mid-2000s have now spread to the
rest of the North Caucasus, particularly Ingushetia, Dagestan and
Kabardino-Balkaria, with the Caucasus Emirate – a pan-Caucasian
Islamist terrorist organization – continuing its operations in the
region. In addition, poor economic, political and social conditions,
as well as arbitrary violence on the part of the federal and local
forces, all serve to destabilize the region even further. Recent
incidents in Stavropol Krai demonstrate that violence may now also
be spreading beyond the confines of the Northern Caucasus.

Indeed, large scale terrorist attacks in the rest of Russia continue
with regularity. The most notable incident in recent years was the 2011
bombing of the international arrivals terminal at Domodedovo airport,
Moscow. Terrorism-related crime, primarily in the North Caucasus,
remains high year on year, with the Russian authorities recording
365 terrorism related crimes in 2011. The region has also witnessed
a number of high profile killings and attacks on politicians, Muslim
clerics and journalists. The Russian authorities as well as independent
analysts alike are now also concerned over possible terrorist attacks
during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.

Accordingly, Russia continues to face major terrorist and security
challenges in the region, with no particular end in sight.

What are Russia’s core foreign policy objectives in the Southern
Caucasus?

Russia has had a long presence in the South Caucasus. However, while
Russia is keen on retaining its influence in this region, its actual
ambitions and relations towards each of the South Caucasus states are
rather distinct. Since the early 1990s, its closest ally in the region
has been Armenia, the poorest state in the region. Despite Yerevan’s
attempts to balance a pro-Western and a pro-Russian position, Russia
remains Armenia’s main trading partner and source of economic and
military support.

In contrast, relations between Russia and Azerbaijan have ebbed
and flowed over recent times. Particularly tense in the 1990s with
frictions over Russia’s support of Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh and
the energy and pipeline issues, more recently, relations have thawed.

The most turbulent and problematic relationship for Russia has been
with Georgia, coming to a head in the 2008 Russia-Georgia war over
South Ossetia. At their core, Russia’s objectives in Georgia are
motivated by realpolitik. It wants to retain its influence over
Georgia, by curtailing its pro-Western ambitions, and by exerting
pressure on its domestic sphere by supporting the independence
movements in Georgia’s two secessionist enclaves: Abkhazia and South
Ossetia. It also seeks to prevent any future NATO-expansion that would
include Georgia. Aside from hard geopolitical objectives, relations are
often also tense for much pettier reasons. Issues such as the personal
animosity between Putin and Georgia’s President Mikheil Saakashvili,
or provocative posturing and gesturing, exacerbate already tense
relations. A potential window of opportunity has, however, opened
up in the last few months, with the election of Bidzina Ivanishvili,
a wealthy businessman with strong connections in Russia, as Georgia’s
prime minister in October 2012. Immediately following his election,
Ivanishvili offered Russia an olive branch.

However, with Putin back in charge in the Kremlin, Russia has so
far not reciprocated. However, future positive developments in the
relationship should not be ruled out.

How does Moscow plan to achieve these objectives?

In the North Caucasus, Russia’s current federal policy appears to be
stuck in a rut, veering from one ‘tried and failed’ initiative to the
next. Unfortunately, even new initiatives such as meetings between
Salafi and Sufi leaders in Dagestan have not succeeded in quashing
the violence on the ground.

In Chechnya, despite a general stabilization and mass rebuilding
program, particularly in the capital Grozny, concerns remain over
the Kadyrov regime. The personalization of the regime around Kadyrov,
its arbitrary use of violence and a program aimed at the revival of
Chechen cultural and religious ‘traditions’ are all cause for concern.

In fact, under Kadyrov Chechnya seems to be moving even further away
from the Russian legal and cultural space, particularly with regard to
the role and place of women, whose freedom has been severely curtailed
in recent years.

Russia will only be able to address the currently instability in
the North Caucasus if it first overcomes much broader structural,
but also leadership, challenges, which have up till now ensured that
Moscow remains a weakened power with a growing terrorist threat inside
its territory. Until this occurs, the question remains – for how long
will Russia retain its effective power and governance over the region?

In the South Caucasus, by contrast, Russia appears to have adopted a
‘carrot and stick’ approach – with the stick usually reserved for
Georgia, and the carrots for Armenia. Indeed, regardless of the
legality or otherwise of its actions during the 2008 Russia-Georgia
war, Russia clearly set out to teach Georgia a lesson. As revealed by
the then-President Medvedev in 2011, Russia’s actions in 2008 were
primarily designed to curtail NATO’s ambitions to expand into the
South Caucasus. In this respect, this approach seems to have worked
(at least for now). However, the 2008 campaign also demonstrated
Russia’s military inefficiencies and weaknesses, and it seems rather
unlikely that there will be another major confrontation between Russia
and Georgia in the near future. And indeed, if Ivanishvili does manage
to craft a rapprochement with Russia, perhaps relations between the two
countries may even become less securitized and hostile in the future.

In relation to Armenia, Russia tends to use its security and economic
weight in order to ensure that it toes the line. Indeed, not only does
Russia allot subsidies to Armenia, it also provides it with cheap oil
and gas imports, at the same time as Russian companies are heavily
investing in the Armenian energy sector. In the security sector,
Russia has also retained its direct military presence through its
102nd military base, and by patrolling the Armenian border with Iran
and Turkey alongside Armenian counterparts. Armenia is currently
involved in a number of Russian-led regional projects. By contrast,
Azerbaijan has been able to use its energy resources to craft a much
more independent foreign policy. And while relations with Russia
have broadened in recent years, Moscow does not have much leverage
over Azerbaijan.

In December of last year, Hilary Clinton warned of Russian intentions
to “re-Sovietize” Eastern Europe and Central Asia through instruments
like the Eurasian Union. What do you make of this statement in view
of Russia’s policy in the Northern and Southern Caucasus?

Putin’s project proposal to create a Eurasian Union by 2015 sent
shock-waves through political and policy circles in the region.

Currently, this idea remains rather vague, but it shouldn’t be seen
as attempt by Putin to create an USSR 2.0 or even to establish a
pan-regional structure like the Commonwealth of Independent States. It
does, however, highlight a series of potential future trends, some
of which might have a direct impact on the South Caucasus. First,
the region now plays a greater role in Russia’s foreign policy
ambitions than even in the mid-2000s. Second, looking at recent
regional developments – Russia’s goals are now geographically much
narrower and more defined than in the 1990s. The focus is primarily
on building stronger and mutually-beneficial, regional institutional
arrangements with key regional economic players such as Ukraine or
Kazakhstan (until now Russia has failed to successfully integrate
Ukraine into its regional institutional arrangements) and its closest
allies, such as Belarus and Armenia. The goal, therefore, is a
‘coalition of the willing’ not ‘an alliance of the coerced’. Third,
in the South Caucasus, these projects really only involve Armenia,
since neither Georgia nor Azerbaijan currently fit within Russia’s
long-term regional integration agenda. Armenia is already an observer
state in the Eurasian Economic Community and its leadership has
already expressed its interest in the idea of a future Eurasian Union,
particularly in economic terms.

A pertinent question that does arise in relation to regional
institutional arrangements and the South Caucasus is what happens
in the event of conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over
Nagorno-Karabakh. This is a much more likely scenario than a repeat
of the 2008 Russia-Georgia conflict. Indeed, over the last few years,
Russia has been progressively beefing up the Collective Security Treaty
Organization (CSTO), a regional structure that provides security
guarantees for its members, which include Armenia. So, in the event
of future conflict in the South Caucasus, Russia and the CSTO might
find itself with no choice but to provide military assistance to
Armenia. Whether, this will happen in practice remains unknown.

Therefore, while Russia’s aspiration to build stronger regional
institutional arrangements at this stage do not automatically or
directly impact upon Azerbaijan or Georgia – they might very well
suffer from indirect spill-over effects.

Aglaya Snetkov is a senior researcher at the Center for Security
Studies (CSS).

SERZH SARGSYAN BECOMES ARMENIAN PRESIDENT OFFICIALLY

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Feb 25 2013

Head of the Central Electoral Commission of Armenia has published
final results of the presidential polls. Serzh Sargsyan got 861,373
votes (58.64%), followed by Raffi Ovannisyan, leader of the Heritage
Party with 36.74%, News Armenia reports.

Grant Bagratyan, former PM, currently leader of the Freedom Party
and an MP, Paruyr Ayrikyan, leader of the Union for National
Self-Determination, Arman Melikyan, former Foreign Minister of
Nagorno-Karabakh, political analyst Andrias Gukasyan and epos
researcher Vardan Sedrakyan got less than 5% of votes.

60.18% of the population, or 1.521 million people, voted.

7,000 observers from 26 local and 12 international organizations,
including OSCE ODIHR, OSCE PA, PACE, CIS PA and others, monitored
the polls. They say that the elections meet international standards,
although violations were registered.

Gagik Tsarukyan, leader of Prosperous Armenia, supports Ovannisyan’s
attempts to appeal the election results.

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT SARKISIAN’S REELECTION CONFIRMED; RUNNER-UP CONTINUES TO CONTEST RESULTS

Vancouver Sun, BC, Canada
Feb 25 2013

By The Associated Press February 25, 2013

YEREVAN, Armenia – Final elections results in Armenia have given
a second term to President Serge Sarkisian, although the runner-up
continues to allege the vote was flawed.

Tigran Mukuchian, chairman of the country’s Central Election
Commission, said Monday that Sarkisian won the election a week ago
with nearly 59 per cent of the vote, enough to avoid a run-off. The
nearest of his six rivals, American-born Raffi Hovanessian, got just
under 37 per cent.

Hovanessian, Armenia’s first foreign minister after the 1991 collapse
of the Soviet Union, has filed an appeal demanding the election
commission revoke Sarkisian’s candidacy on the grounds that he did
not declare all of his campaign finances.

Hovanessian claims he was the election’s real winner, and has held
rallies throughout the country alleging ballot-stuffing and voter
coercion since the election.