Author: Kanayan Tamar

Armenian youth of France informs Parisians and tourists about
falsifications of Azerbaijani propaganda

19:03 23/02/2013 » SOCIETY

“Nazarbek”, the youth organization of Social Democratic (Hnchakyan)
Party in France conducted a campaign to inform the public about
falsifications of the Azerbaijani propaganda. In one of the tourist
centers of Paris, in Montmartre, activists handed out leaflets and
flyers to tourists and those interested, which were reflecting the
real information about Aghdam events taken place in 1992, called
`Khojalu’ by the Azerbaijani side.

Today the `House of Azerbaijan’ held an action in Montmartre, in
Paris, near the Church of the Sacre Coeur by launching balloons with
the names of the victims of the events taken place in Aghdam.

On February 26, 1992, during the war in Karabakh, around 200 to 300
people (according to Human Right Watch, and 600 according to the
version propagated by Azerbaijan) were killed in unknown circumstances
near the city of Aghdam. They have been deliberately withheld by the
Azerbaijani authorities in the midst of the military actions.
Population of the village of Khojalu, which was one of the firing
points shooting at the blockaded Stepanakert (among five others) was
kept in the village for months by force and was not evacuated by the
authorities of Azerbaijan deliberately, in order to use them as human
shields later.

Residents of Khojalu coming out through the humanitarian corridor,
that the self-defense forces of NKR had left open, freely passed more
than 10 km and reached the Aghdam city controlled by the Azerbaijani
troops. Later, not far from the positions of Azerbaijani troops dead
bodies of the villagers were found. The exact death toll remains
unknown as the official Baku publishes data contradicting each other.
Parliamentary Commission investigating the tragic death of the
civilians at Aghdam city was dissolved by the order of Heydar Aliyev,
the investigative materials are kept secret.

Source: Panorama.am

`Messrs. Policemen, You Seem Sad, Don’t You? Are Your Hearts Bleeding
for the OSCE?’ (Video)

February 22 2013

Activists mock police officers `What have you come to prevent our
demonstration for?’ activists resenting the reports of the OSCE/ODIHR
observers asked police officers today. Not getting an answer from the
police officers, activists started to mock them. `In order that a hair
on the OSCE uncorrupted observers’ heads is not harmed,’ one of the
activists mocked. Another one asked mockingly: `Are your hearts
bleeding for the OSCE?’ `It is not pretty, it is not; dismantle,’
added another activist. `Messrs. Policemen, you seem sad, don’t you?’
`How many citizens’ votes did you forge – 90, 80, 70?’ asked the
activists one after another. `Citizens, blocking the way is not nice,’
another activist added.

Read more at:

© 1998 – 2013 Aravot – News from Armenia

`Or Else I Will Smash Your Face In’

February 23 2013

Regardless of what will come of this new wave of post-election
tension, I can surely say one thing; I will work as a journalist,
anyway. Predicting the wrath of our fundamental readers, I can also
add that it has become easier to work in our field in the past 5 years
than before. I am sure that if Raffi Hovhannisyan becomes president,
he will not restrain us either. In that sense, I sense a threat from
only one person; you know whom I mean. And although some problems
related to the freedom of speech have been solved, one problem still
remains, and I want to write about that very thing. There is a social
stratum in Armenia – criminals, semi-criminals, neighborhood
gangsters, tough guys, plug-uglies, whatever you call them the essence
is the same. Photographing those people, filming them is not that
easy; they hang out in their houses, drive their expensive Jeeps, as
well as visit the kebab diners they prefer `to grab a bite to eat.’ In
the last case, those characters may decide to record their dancing to
the songs of Hayko of Spitak, but that video will not be made public.
The only moment when that `mass’ appears in public, so to say, is the
elections; they are chairmen, secretaries, and members of commissions,
authorized persons, `people bringers,’ bribers, members of campaign
offices etc. Once or twice in five years, they should serve the
government, after which they can retire to their nests and enjoy their
kebabs. And since our elections should be a transparent process –
Europeans demand it – one can photograph them on that day. Is it
possible? It turns out that this possibility is just theoretical,
because they react to the camera in the same way as a bull to a red
cloth. It seems there’s nothing wrong; if you perform your duties
honestly and conscientiously or you are an ordinary voter, why would
you go ballistic and start to yell, `Don’t you even try to shoot me,
or else I will smash that camera against your head.’ But no, you get
angry, because you are guilty. Therefore, there are a lot of cases of
impeding the mass media when police officers naturally take sides with
the tough guys. Certainly, the prosecutor’s office, considering those
cases, `doesn’t reveal’ any corpus delicti. I propose to create a
group on Facebook called `Don’t Shoot, or Else I Will Smash Your Head
In,’ where all faces swollen due to kebabs will be uploaded, in order
that we enjoy looking at those characters every day. ARAM ABRAHAMYAN

Read more at:

© 1998 – 2013 Aravot – News from Armenia

Armenian military officials and Russian diplomats laid wreath to
Unknown Soldier memorial

February 23, 2013 | 15:50

YEREVAN.- Armenian military officials and representatives of the
Russian Embassy in Yerevan laid a wreath at the memorial to the
Unknown Soldier to mark Defenders of the Fatherland Day.

Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan, Chief of Staff of the Armenian Army,
Colonel General Yuri Khachaturov, Russian Ambassador Vyacheslav
Kovalenko, representatives of the Armed Forces and the Embassy
participated in the ceremony.

The ceremony ended with a solemn march of Armenian and Russian servicemen.

On February 23 CIS states, including Armenia, celebrate Defenders of
the Fatherland Day.

Heritage party leader heads to Aparan for rally (video, photos)

TERT.AM
16:42 – 23.02.13

As part of his announced plan to launch a series of rallies in
Armenia’s regions, the opposition Heritage party’s leader met Saturday
with people of Aparan (Aragatsotn region).

Reaching the town, Raffi Hovhannisian first visited a hospital which
had Serzh Sargsyan’s pictures on its walls during the campaign. He
thanked a doctor on duty for respecting the law and removing the
incumbent president’s photos after the election.

Speaking before the crowd during the rally, the Heritage leader noted
that Aparan was the town which once helped save the first Republic of
Armenia (1918) in a fierce struggle against the Turks. `The police
will never again intimidate the people. Let no one threaten our
citizen. Aparan saved Armenia, and now it decides to once again save
the country,’ he said.

Armenia’s First President comments on opposition rallies

NEWS.AM
February 23, 2013 | 13:58

YEREVAN. – So far, they are only speaking, First President – and
opposition bloc Armenian National Congress leader – Levon Ter-Petrosyan
stated, during Saturday’s special convention of opposition Armenian
National Movement party.

He noted this with respect to the ongoing rallies, at capital city
Yerevan’s Liberty Square, by the supporters of opposition Heritage
Party Chairman Raffi Hovannisian – who became runner-up to the winner,
incumbent President Sargsyan, in Monday’s presidential election, but
who claims to be the real winner in the vote.

`Raffi Hovannisian did not start, the people started [these rallies];
they came to Liberty Square and are voicing their protest against
these authorities,’ Ter-Petrosyan stressed.

To the query as to whether he will join this movement, which is
likewise launched in the regions, he responded as follows:

`I always go after an action. So far, the people have come out to the
platform, the people have come to the square to voice their protest.
[But] these protesters have not yet taken action; so far, they are
only speaking. When they take action, then we will assess [the
situation], [and] if we think we should join, we will join.’

The opponent fired two thousand shots towards NKR positions

13:44, 23 February, 2013

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 23, ARMENPRESS: In accordance to Nagorno Karabakh
Republic Defense Army operative data ceasefire regime of the Line of
Contact between the armed forces of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic and
Azerbaijan has been violated over 400 times on February 17 23. In the
course of ceasefire violations more than two thousand shots from
various type of weapons were fired against Armenian peacekeepers. As
NKR Defense Army press service told Armenpress, thanks to operative
steps undertaken by Defense Army frontier units the opponent’s
activity was suspended.

Heated clashes go on in Syria’s Aleppo

TERT.AM
11:42 – 23.02.13

Syria’s largest city, Aleppo, continued facing bomb attacks throughout Friday.

Following months of violent clashes between armed opposition rebels
and the government forces, the city came under a missile attack, which
killed 12 people, including children.

Tert.am has learned from sources in Aleppo that the situation was very
tense in the vicinities of the Armenian districts, where over a dozen
of mines went off.

Heated clashes took place in the Pasha district which was formerly
home to an Armenian nursing house. The institution later moved to a
more secure area.

The noises of missiles and explosions were also heard in the Armenian
populated neighborhoods of Nor Kyugh and Villas.

Rights defenders reportedly believe that the number of victims may
increase given that the buildings which collapsed after the missile
attack still have people lying behind the rubble.

The clashes in Aleppo, Syria’s economic capital, have been continuing
since summer 2012.

Frank Pallone congratulated Artsakh people on the 25th anniversary of
the National liberation movement

12:16, 23 February, 2013

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 23, ARMENPRESS: Congressman Frank Pallone
congratulated Bako Sahakian
President of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic on the 25th anniversary of
the National liberation movement. As Armenpress reports, Congressman
Pallone looks forward to the day when Artsakh will take its deserved
place in the community of nations.

”Dear President ,

I am writing to congratulate you, the people and government of the
Nagorno Karabakh

Republic, Artsakh on the 25th anniversary of the National liberation
movement. During these several days 25 years ago your people raised
their voice for freedom and dignity and in opposition to any
government that rules by despotism.

Artsakh’s path was challenged by various ordeals and your nation
refused to allow these obstacles to break your will and determination.
The tragedy of Sumgayit and the violence that occurred in other
Azerbaijani cities 25 years ago proved the virtue of Nagorno
Karabakh’s choice to preserve its people’s unique identity by
establishing a sovereign democracy.

I offer my sincere congratulations and praise to the republic as you
continue your efforts to strengthen your democratic system of
governance. I also reaffirm my commitment to stand with the people of
Artsakh in their struggle towards international recognition”.

ARTS
Une `uvre du peintre arménien Hagop Hagopian à la Sotheby’s de Londres

La Sotheby`s de Londres organise du 4 au 12 mars une exposition-vente
d’`uvres d’art originaires du Caucase et d’Asie centrale nous indique
l’agence russe « Ria-Novosti ». Les spécialistes russes qui ont
conseillé la Sotheby’s affirment que l’un des objectifs majeurs de
cette manifestation est de faire connaitre les richesses culturelles
des pays ex-soviétiques. L’Arménie est représentée par un tableau de
Hagop Hagopian « Djanabarhin vertche » (la fin de la route) datant de
1997. Tahir Salakhov représente l’Azerbaïdjan avec « Portrait de
Chostakovitch » (1987) et la Géorgie par AbdoVarazi. Au total 47
`uvres sont exposées et proposées à la vente. Selon les organisateurs
un intérêt important pour les arts des pays d’ex-Union soviétique est
remarqué auprès des collectionneurs londoniens.

Krikor Amirzayan

samedi 23 février 2013,
Krikor Amirzayan ©armenews.com