Author: Kanayan Tamar

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

HIS HOLINESS ARAM I MEETS WITH THE GREEK-MELKITE PATRIARCH GREGOIRE III
LAHAM

On Friday 8 February 2013, the two spiritual leaders met in Rabué. They
discussed ways of reinforcing the unity of Christians in the region and
strengthening the Middle East Council of Churches. They also discussed the
possibility of celebrating Easter together and proposed organizing a meeting
of the Heads of the Churches in the Middle East.
##
Photo:

FAO BACKS ARMENIA IN EVALUATING PHYTOSANITARY CAPACITY STRATEGY

YEREVAN, February 13. /ARKA/. The Food and Agriculture Organization
of the United Nations (FAO) supports Armenia in efforts to work
out a strategy for phytosanitary capacity advance, Head of Armenian
State Service for Food Safety Abraham Bakhchagulyan told reporters
on Wednesday.

A donor conference is being held these minutes in Yerevan. The main
agenda topic is phytosanitary capacity strategy in Armenia. FAO and
Armenian State Service for Food Safety are the conference organizers.

Bakhchagulyan said State Service for Food Safety applied to FAO last
year for the strategy evaluation purposes.

“It is almost one year FAO experts have been working on this issue,
they are researching the situation, assessing the potential of food
safety sphere in Armenia in terms of phytosanitary capacity,” he said.

Bakhchagulyan noted there are multiples issues in the sphere which
are to be solved.

“First of all, it refers to diagnostics of phytosanitary diseases
and their elimination. Armenia needs to train its lab specialists and
new lab equipment. It is also essential to enhance food diagnostics
quality at the borders,” he explained and added the imported goods
are only tested by a microscope at the border points.

He singled out technical re-equipment, professional skills of
inspectors, trainings for specialists and farmers as some other tasks
of the utmost importance.

Bakhchagulyan didn’t uncover the amount of funds spent on phytosanitary
capacity assessment in Armenia by international experts, as well as
strategy evaluation procedures. -0-

AZERBAIJANI SNIPERS’ GAMES ENDANGER HUMAN LIVES: GOVERNOR OF AYGEPAR

11:25, 13 February, 2013

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 13, ARMENPRESS. Life goes on in Chinar, Aygepar,
and Inner Karmiraghbyur villages of the Tavush Province, which appeared
under the fire of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces. In a conversation with
“Armenpress” the Head of the Aygepar Community Andranik Aydinyan stated
that although they have already been used to constantly hear shooting,
notwithstanding the situation was terrible on February 12.

Among other things he noted: “The burst of machine-gun fire continued
till the midnight. After one could hear shooting once an hour or two.

The situation is relatively calm now, but it is still dangerous.” Also
he mentioned that they have an impression that the rival is just
playing games endangering human lives.

The Governor of Inner Karmiraghbyur Manvel Kamendatyan stressed that
the rival has taken direct sight at the village. Manvel Kamendatyan
stated: “Life goes on as it used to, there is always the same
situation here.”

The Head of the Chinar Community Samvel Saghoyan also stated that
now people go to work and children go to school. Notwithstanding the
Head of the Chinar Community Samvel Saghoyan highlighted: “We are
accustomed to this situation and we can confront the difficulties.”

APPEL URGENT POUR DEFENDRE LES JUSTES AZERIS

Publie le : 12-02-2013

Info Collectif VAN – – Ragip Zarakolu, membre
fondateur de l’IHD [Association des Droits de l’Homme de Turquie]
et de la Fondation d’Histoire Sociale, membre du PEN Turquie et de
l’Union des ecrivains de Turquie, membre de l’Association des editeurs
de Turquie et du Comite International pour la Liberte de publier,
nomine au prix Nobel 2012 par les membres du Parlement suedois et par
la Section francaise du GIT, lance un appel solennel pour defendre
un Juste azeri.

L’ecrivain Akram Aylisli [Ekram Eylisli] fait en effet face en
Azerbaïdjan, a une violente campagne de lynchage et d’appels au
meurtre, pour avoir ecrit un roman en russe, veritable examen de
conscience sur les pogroms anti-armeniens commis en Azerbaïdjan,
ce qui lui vaut d’etre qualifie de “traître”.

Le Collectif VAN s’associe a l’appel urgent de Ragip Zarakolu et vous
invite a le diffuser. Nous rappelons a cette occasion que l’editeur
Ragip Zarakolu est lui-meme harcele par le pouvoir judiciaire en
Turquie. Premier editeur a avoir brise en Turquie le tabou du genocide
armenien, ardent defenseur des droits des Kurdes et des minorites
non-turques, partenaire des actions du Collectif VAN [Vigilance
Armenienne contre le Negationnisme] depuis de nombreuses annees,
Ragip Zarakolu a paye un lourd tribut pour son engagement humaniste.

Incarcere de multiples fois, dont la dernière pour “terrorisme”
fin octobre 2011, il a ete remis en liberation conditionnelle le 10
avril 2012 suite a une mobilisation internationale. Son fils Deniz,
egalement editeur des Editions Belge, emprisonne depuis debut octobre
2011, est toujours derrière les barreaux. Leur procès est en cours,
comme celui de centaines d’opposants turcs et kurdes qui attendent le
“printemps turc” en prison.

Ragip Zarakolu, ami du journaliste armenien de Turquie Hrant Dink,
a de bonnes raisons de s’inquieter du slogan qui appelle au meurtre
de l’ecrivain azerbaïdjanais Akram Aylisli : “Venez et apportez
votre hache! ” est une reference explicite a l’acte de l’officier
azeri Ramil Safarov qui en 2004 a Budapest, a decapite avec une hache
l’officier armenien Gurgen Markarian durant son sommeil. Responsable
d’une veritable incitation au crime, le president azeri Ilham
Aliyev a octroye une grâce presidentielle le 31 août 2012 a Ramil
Safarov, ainsi que 8 annees de salaire et un appartement de fonction,
après que Safarov eut beneficie d’une mesure de transfèrement vers
l’Azerbaïdjan. Ramil Safarov avait deja ete elu “Homme de l’annee”
en 2006 en Azerbaïdjan pour son acte “heroïque”. Il y a tout lieu de
penser, qu’a l’instar de Hrant Dink, jete par l’Etat turc en pâture
aux nationalistes anti-armeniens, et assassine le 19 janvier 2007 a
Istanbul, l’ecrivain Akram Aylisli soit desormais, sans une reelle
mobilisation internationale, en danger de mort, dans un pays reconnu
comme predateur des droits de l’homme.

Collectif VAN

Legende photo : A gauche, l’editeur turc et defenseur des Droits
de l’homme Ragip Zarakolu, a droite l’ecrivain azerbaïdjanais Akram
Aylisli.

*******************

A noter : L’Association Nationale des Anciens Combattants et Resistants
Armeniens & L’Institut Armenien de France rejoignent, aux côtes du
Collectif VAN, l’Appel de Ragip Zarakolu.

Ragip Zarakolu

11 fevrier 2013

Istanbul (Turquie)

La conscience est une qualite distinctive morale de l’humanite. La
conscience, l’honnetete, la droiture, ou quelle que soit la definition
que vous en donnerez, representent la vraie fierte et l’honneur
d’un pays, mais les criminels armes d’une hache ne pourront jamais
les representer.

Un ecrivain en Azerbaïdjan, qui aurait dû etre la fierte de son pays,
y est actuellement en danger de mort, et la menace emane du President
de la Republique lui-meme, qui est un autocrate post-sovietique. Le
titre d'” Ecrivain populaire” de la Republique d’Azerbaïdjan – et
l’octroi d’un prix d’Etat associe – lui ont ete retires, la retraite
touchee par l’auteur a ete annulee, sa femme et son fils ont ete
licencies de leur emploi.

Cet ecrivain est Akram Aylisli [Ekram Eylisli], un auteur, scenariste
et dramaturge qui a adopte la philosophie de la fraternite des peuples
du grand ecrivain sovietique Maxime Gorki a l’Institut de Litterature
Gorki de Moscou, dedie a ce grand homme.

Il est actuellement âge de 75 ans, c’est un ecrivain prolifique
qui a publie dans de nombreux magazines et journaux. Il a ete elu au
Parlement en 2005. Sa vie litteraire a commence en 1959 par la poesie,
et a continue avec des histoires, des pièces de theâtre, des scenarios
et des romans. Il a egalement traduit en azeri de nombreux ouvrages
d’ecrivains humanistes tels que Gabriel G. Marquez, Tourgueniev et
Tchinguiz Aïtmatov. Ses pièces ont ete jouees dans de nombreuses
anciennes villes sovietiques, y compris Erevan.

Des scènes de lynchage sont actuellement organisees devant sa maison,
du style de celles que nous avions vues autrefois a Maras et a Sivas
[Turquie].

Un slogan se distingue : “Venez et apportez votre hache! “, en
reference a l’officier azeri Ramil Sahiboglu Safarov qui, en 2004,
a decapite avec une hache l’officier armenien Gurgen Markarian dans
son sommeil, vingt jours avant qu’ils ne rentrent chez eux (*). Ils
etaient tous deux stagiaires du programme “Partenariat pour la paix”
parraine par l’OTAN a Budapest.

Melahet Ibrahimqizi – un parlementaire azeri qui avait fait partie de
la delegation venue a Ankara pour rencontrer en 2009, le president
du Parlement Koksal Toptan (**),le leader du CHP, Deniz Baykal, le
chef du MHP, Devlet Bahceli, ainsi que divers responsables de l’AKP,
afin de tenter de bloquer ensemble le protocole signe entre l’Armenie
et la Turquie et qui visait a normaliser les relations et ouvrir
la frontière – essaie maintenant d’etendre la campagne de lynchage
egalement en Turquie, en disant dans un discours agressif donne devant
le parlement azerbaïdjanais, que les propos d’Aylisli injurient non
seulement les Azerbaïdjanais, mais la nation turque dans son ensemble.

Des demandes ont meme faites au cours de cette session parlementaire
pour soumettre l’ecrivain a un test ADN et le priver de sa citoyennete.

La raison de tout cela est la publication du dernier roman d’Aylisli,
” Reves de pierre “, dans la revue litteraire russe Druzhba Narodov
(Fraternite des Peuples). Le roman n’a pas encore ete publie en azeri
pour le moment. Une foule en colère s’est rassemblee devant la maison
d’Aylisli dans la capitale Bakou, en criant: “Honte a toi, traître! “,
et a brûle ses livres et ses portraits où il etait represente avec
une croix imprimee sur son front.

Son roman raconte l’histoire de deux Azeris qui ont tente de proteger
leurs voisins armeniens de la violence ethnique. Dans l’optique d’un
examen de conscience, il mentionne egalement les pogroms contre les
Armeniens dans les villes de Sumgaït et de Bakou. Le roman a ete en
fait acheve en 2007, mais n’a pu etre publie que 5 ans plus tard,
en russe.

Il est interessant de noter qu’un ecrivain armenien a egalement traite
du conflit armeno-azeri sur le meme ton d’appel a la conscience,
a peu près au meme moment, et a recu un prix dans la Republique
d’Azerbaïdjan. L’Union des ecrivains, dont il etait membre, a
proteste contre l’attribution d’un prix d’Azerbaïdjan (mais pas
contre l’histoire qu’il avait ecrite), suite a quoi l’ecrivain a
demissionne de l’Union en signe de protestation. Toutefois, il n’est
jamais devenu la cible d’une campagne de haine comme c’est le cas
aujourd’hui a Bakou.

Le chercheur Sarkis Hatspanian dit que l’ecrivain armenien Levon
Cavakhyan a ecrit l’histoire “Kirve” (The Godfather – Le Parrain)
en 2008, en disant: “Les Azeris ne sont pas mes ennemis” (***).

L’ecrivain azeri Akram Aylisli [Ekram Eylisli] qui a dit ” Les
Armeniens ne sont pas mes ennemis ” a peu près au meme moment, est
maintenant confronte a une campagne de lynchage 5 ans plus tard pour
avoir prononce la meme phrase.

Bien qu’invite par les pays occidentaux et la Russie, Akram Aylisli
[Ekram Eylisli] adopte une attitude fière, en disant: “Ceci est ma
patrie et je ne vais pas l’abandonner “.

Je demande a l’opinion publique internationale ainsi qu’au public
democratique en Turquie et en Azerbaïdjan d’exprimer activement sa
solidarite avec Akram Aylisli [Ekram Eylisli] afin d’eviter un nouvel
assassinat similaire a celui commis contre Hrant Dink.

Ragip Zarakolu (****)

(*) Safarov a ete condamne a la prison a vie en Hongrie, mais le
president d’Azerbaïdjan Alyiev lui a immediatement octroye une grâce
presidentielle le 31 août 2012, après que Safarov eut beneficie d’une
mesure de transfèrement vers l’Azerbaïdjan.

(**) Koksal Toptan exercait ses pouvoirs en tant que president du
Parlement turc en 2009 quand – a la demande du depute CHP Sukru Elekdag
– les livres adresses aux membres du parlement par l’Institut Komitas
[Nota CVAN : institut de recherche sur le genocide armenien, base
a Londres], ont ete saisis et renvoyes, en violation de la liberte
d’information des parlementaires.

(***)

(****) Membre fondateur de l’IHD, Association des Droits de l’Homme de
Turquie, et de la Fondation d’Histoire Sociale, membre du PEN Turquie
et de l’Union des ecrivains de Turquie, membre de l’Association des
editeurs de Turquie et du Comite International pour la Liberte de
publier, nomine au prix Nobel par les membres du Parlement suedois
et par la Section francaise du GIT [Groupe international de travail
(GIT) “Liberte academique et liberte de recherche [en Turquie]”
( et ). “] – Nota CVAN : Ragip
Zarakolu et l’IHD nous font l’honneur d’etre partenaires des actions
du Collectif VAN [Vigilance Armenienne contre le Negationnisme]
depuis de nombreuses annees.

Traduction Collectif VAN – 12 fevrier 2013 – 10:00 –

Collectif VAN [Vigilance Armenienne contre le Negationnisme] BP 20083 –
92133 Issy-les-Moulineaux – France Boîte vocale : +33 (0)1 77 62 70
77 Email: [email protected]

*****************

Nota CVAN :

Protestez auprès de l’Ambassade de la Republique d’Azerbaïdjan a
Paris :

78, avenue d’Iena 75016 Paris [email protected]

Secretariat:

Telephone : +33 (0) 1 44 18 60 20 Fax : +33 (0) 1 44 18 60 25

Horaires d’ouverture au public

lundi – vendredi 9 h – 18 h

***************

English Version :

URGENT CALL TO DEFEND RIGHTEOUS AZERIS

Ragip Zarakolu

Conscience is a distinctive moral quality of mankind. The
conscientious, the honest, the righteous or whatever you may choose
to call them represent the true pride and honour of a country, but
criminals wielding an axe never can!

A writer in Azerbaijan who should have been the pride of his country is
presently in mortal danger, and the threat emanates from the President
of the country, who is a post-Soviet autocrat. The title of “People’s
Writer” of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the associated state award
have been rescinded, his author’s pension has been cancelled, and
his wife and son have been fired from their jobs.

This writer is Ekrem Eylisli, an author, scriptwriter and dramatist
who adopted the great Soviet writer Maxim Gorky’s philosophy of the
fraternity of peoples at Maxim Gorky Literature Institute in Moscow,
dedicated to that great man. He is presently 75 years old, a prolific
writer published in many magazines and newspapers. He was elected
to the parliament in 2005. His literary life had begun in 1959 with
poetry, and continued with stories, plays, scripts and novels. He
has also translated many works by humanist writers such as Gabriel G.

Marquez, Turgenev and Chinghiz Aitmatov into the Azeri language. His
plays have been performed in many former Soviet cities including
Yerevan.

Lynch mobs are now mobilized in front of his house, very much like
we had once witnessed in Maras and Sivas. An outstanding slogan is
” Come and bring your axe! “, calling on the Azeri officer Ramil
Sahiboglu Seferov who decapitated an Armenian officer called Gurgen
Margaryan with an axe in his sleep in 2004, twenty days before they
were to return home (*). They were co-trainees in the NATO-sponsored
” Partnership for Peace ” program in Budapest.

Melahet Ibrahimqizi -an Azeri parliamentarian who had been a part of
the delegation flown in to Ankara to talk with parliamentary chairman
Koksal Toptan (**), CHP leader Deniz Baykal, MHP leader Devlet Bahceli,
as well as various AKP functionaries, and eventually to block the
move altogether when a protocol was signed in 2009 between Armenia
and Turkey to normalize relations and open the border- now tries to
extend the lynch campaign to Turkey as well, saying in an aggressive
speech delivered in the Azeri parliament that Eylisli insults not
only Azerbaijanis, but the Turkish nation as a whole. Demands were
even made in that parliamentary session that the writer be subjected
to a DNA test and that he should be deprived of citizenship.

The reason for all this is the publication of Eylisli’s latest novella
“Stone Dreams” in the Russian literary magazine Druzhba Narodov
(Fraternity of Peoples). The novella has not even been published in
Azeri yet. An enraged mob gathered in front of Eynisli’s home in the
capital Baku, shouting “Shame on you, traitor!”, and burning his books,
and his portraits with a cross printed on his forehead.

The novella tells the story of two Azeri men who tried to protect
their Armenian neighbours from ethnic violence. It also mentions
pogroms against Armenians in Sumguit and Baku cities in a vein of
conscientous criticism. The novella was actually finished in 2007,
but could only be published 5 years later in Russian.

It is interesting to note that an Armenian writer also dealt with
the Armenian-Azeri conflict in a conscientious tone -at about the
same time- and was awarded a prize in the Republic of Azerbaijan. The
Writers Union where he was a member reacted to his acceptance of an
Azerbaijani award (though not to his writing of the story itself),
whereupon the writer resigned from the Union in protest. However, he
never became the target of a hate campaign as is the case in Baku now.

Researcher Sarkis Hatspanian says that the Armenian writer Levon
Cavakhyan wrote the story “Kirve” (Godfather) in 2008, saying “Azeris
are not my enemy” (***). Azeri writer Ekrem Eynisli – who had said
“Armenians are not my enemy” at about the same time – now faces a
lynch campaign 5 years later for uttering the same sentence.

Though invited by Western countries and Russia, Ekrem Eynisli takes
a proud stance, saying “This is my homeland and I will not leave it”.

I call upon international public opinion as well as the democratic
public in Turkey and Azerbaijan to to solidarize actively with Ekrem
Eynisli in order to avert a new murder similar to that committed
against Hrant Dink.

Ragip Zarakolu (****)

(*) Seferov was condemned to life imprisonment in Hungary, but
Azerbaijan’s president Aliev had him immediately released by
presidential pardon on August 31, 2012, when he was extradited to
Azerbaijan.

(**) Koksal Toptan was to exercise his powers as Chairman of the
Turkish Parliament in 2009 in impounding and returning -at the behest
of CHP’s MP Sukru Elekdag-books sent to members of parliament by the
Gomidas Institute, thereby violating the parliamentarians’ freedom
to communicate.

(***)

(****) Founding Member of Human Rights Association and of Social
History Foundation; member of PEN Turkey and of the Writers Union
of Turkey; member of Turkish Publishers Association and of the
International Committee for the Freedom to Publish; nobel Peace Prize
Nominee by Swedish Parliament members and by the French Section of GIT
[the International Work Group (GIT) ‘Academic Liberty and Freedom of
Research [in Turkey]’ ( and ).” ]

*************

Lire aussi:

Azerbaïdjan : haro sur le heros

Azerbaïdjan : un ecrivain accuse de ” sympathie pour les Armeniens ”

” Qui massacre-t-on ? Les Armeniens ” (temoignage de l’ecrivain Claude
Anet, au cours d’un voyage au Nakhitchevan en avril 1905)

Il y a 23 ans, les pogroms anti-Armeniens de Bakou

L’assassin qui valait 3 milliards d’euros

Le Khadafi nouveau est arrive : il sera recu aujourd’hui a l’Elysee

Le dictateur Aliev devrait etre persona non grata en France

L’Azerbaïdjan vote l’immunite a vie pour le clan Aliev

L’axe Budapest-Bakou et la glorification d’un monstre

Azerbaïdjan : des journalistes en danger dans les prisons

Le Collectif VAN s’inquiète d’un projet de loi pro-negationniste

1990/2010 – Il y a 20 ans, les pogroms genocidaires de Bakou

Bevue au Louvre ? ” L’insondable betise ” de l’Azerbaïdjan

Stop au genocide blanc en Azerbaïdjan

Il y a 5 ans : la destruction du cimetière armenien de Djoulfa

La lettre ouverte du Collectif VAN adressee a la directrice generale
de l’UNESCO

Breivik demande a etre extrade en Azerbaïdjan

ASALA : le faux grossier diffuse par l’Azerbaïdjan

Aliyev devrait etre accueilli a Paris comme ‘l’homme a la hache
en chef’

OTAN : Visite du secretaire general en Armenie

Amnesty : le gouvernement d’Azerbaïdjan attise les violences ethniques

Affaire Safarov: confession d’un meurtrier raciste

Indignation face a la remise en liberte du meurtrier azeri

Azerbaïdjan : le tueur a la hache

Affaire Safarov : le President de l’APCE exprime son inquietude

L’Azerbaïdjan menace la paix regionale en glorifiant un crime raciste

Azerbaidjan : grâce octroyee a M. Safarov

Grâce de l’assassin Ramil Safarov : Obama preoccupe

Azerbaïdjan : le pogrom de Soumgaït

Le procès des crimes de Soumgaït (Fevrier 1988)

Les 20 ans du pogrom anti-armenien de Soumgaït

Maragha : Avril, le mois des genocides…

Maragha : Caroline Cox parle du Golgotha contemporain

Des pirates informatiques qui ont des assassins pour heros

Xocali.net : le site qui denonce la contrefacon azerie

Janvier 1990, les pogroms anti-Armeniens de Bakou

Article de Wapedia sur les pogromes et massacres d’Armeniens de Bakou
en Janvier 1990

Black January of 1990 in Baku. Anti-Armenian pogroms and massacre

Incomplete list of innocent victims of Sumgait

“Maragha, 10 avril 1992. Genocide ordinaire”

Lancement du site Maragha.org

Khojaly: The chronicle of unseen forgery and falsification

Azerbaïdjan : pas sûr que l’Eurovision puisse rehabiliter le regime
de Bakou

Les sans-voix de l’Eurovision

Loreen : “Les droits de l’Homme violes en Azerbaïdjan”

Retour a la rubrique

ACQUITTEMENT DE MINISTRES EN POSTE DURANT LE GENOCIDE DES TUTSI

Publie le : 13-02-2013

Info Collectif VAN – – Le Tribunal Penal
International de La Haye (Pays-Bas) a acquitte deux anciens ministres
rwandais, dans leur procès en appel. Justin Mugenzi etait ministre
du Commerce pendant le genocide. Son collègue Prosper Mugiraneza,
licencie en droit de l’Universite nationale du Rwanda (UNR) de Butare,
occupait le poste de ministre de la Fonction publique. Les deux hommes
n’etaient pas accuses d’avoir dirige sur le terrain des bandes de
tueurs, mais d’avoir participe au limogeage du prefet de Butare, dans
la ville universitaire de Sud du Rwanda, le 17 avril 1994. Ce prefet
etait le seul prefet tutsi du Rwanda. Le seul a resister obstinement
a l’entreprise de destruction des Tutsi engagee le 6 avril au soir,
et qui aboutira a l’extermination d’environ les trois quarts des Tutsi
du Rwanda. Les genocidaires enrageaient de ne pas parvenir a leurs
fins dans le sud du Rwanda. Le Collectif VAN vous invite a lire cet
article publie sur le site Afrikarabia le 11 fevrier 2013.

Photo © JF. Dupaquier DR

Afrikarabia

Rwanda : Manifestation contre l’acquittement des 2 ministres du
“gouvernement genocidaire”

Article de Jean-Francois DUPAQUIER (avec Agence Hirondelle)

lundi, 11 fevrier 2013

Lundi 11 fevrier, les averses n’ont pas decourage les manifestants
de Kigali, indignes par l’acquittement de deux anciens ministres
rwandais en appel par le Tribunal Penal International de La Haye.

Justin Mugenzi etait ministre du Commerce pendant le genocide. Son
collègue Prosper Mugiraneza, licencie en droit de l’Universite
nationale du Rwanda (UNR) de Butare, occupait le poste de ministre de
la Fonction publique. Les deux hommes n’etaient pas accuses d’avoir
dirige sur le terrain des bandes de tueurs, mais d’avoir participe
au limogeage du prefet de Butare, dans la ville universitaire de Sud
du Rwanda, le 17 avril 1994. Ce prefet, Jean-Baptiste Habyarimana
(aucun lien de parente avec le president Juvenal Habyarimana tue le
6 avril precedent) etait le seul prefet tutsi du Rwanda. Le seul a
resister obstinement a l’entreprise de destruction des Tutsi engagee
le 6 avril au soir, et qui aboutira a l’extermination d’environ les
trois quarts des Tutsi du Rwanda. Les genocidaires enrageaient de ne
pas parvenir a leurs fins dans le sud du Rwanda.

Justin Mugenzi et Prosper Mugiraneza ont participe le 17 avril
a Gitarama, dans le centre du Rwanda, au conseil des ministres
qui a decide de limoger le prefet ” rebelle “. Sa revocation fut
annoncee le surlendemain dans un stade de Butare, en presence des
membres du gouvernement (dont Justin Mugenzi et Prosper Mugiraneza )
et d’autres responsables tant civils que militaires. Peu après, le
prefet Habyarimana fut tue avec toute sa famille et les massacres
dans sa prefecture se generalisèrent.

Une revocation pour ” des raisons politiques et administratives ” ?

En première instance, le 30 septembre 2011, le Tribunal penal
international pour le Rwanda (TPIR) siegeant a Arusha, en Tanzanie,
avait estime que les preuves contre les deux ministres etaient
accablantes. Ils avaient ete declares coupables d’entente en vue de
commettre et d’incitation directe et publique a commettre le genocide.

Outre le conseil des ministres convoque pour limoger le prefet tutsi,
on leur reprochait leur presence lors du discours incendiaire prononce
le 19 avril 1994 a Butare par le president interimaire Theodore
Sindikubwabo, appelant explicitement a l’aneantissement des Tutsi.

Mais le lundi 4 fevrier 2013 a la surprise generale, la chambre d’appel
a La Haye, paye (Pays Bas)residee par le juge americain Theodor Meron,
a ” infirme leur condamnation ” au titre des deux chefs d’accusation et
” ordonne leur liberation immediate “. Selon le jugement d’appel, le
limogeage du prefet Habyarimana a certes contribue a la generalisation
des massacres mais la decision du gouvernement pourrait avoir ete
prise pour ” des raisons politiques et administratives ” et non pas
necessairement pour laisser le champ libre aux tueurs.

Le gouvernement s’etait en effet plaint de l’absence du prefet a
certaines reunions d’autres responsables de son rang. Les juges ont
egalement suivi le raisonnement des appelants selon lesquels ils ne
savaient que le president interimaire allait prononcer un discours
incendiaire.

Pourtant dans son plaidoyer de culpabilite, le Premier ministre
interimaire, Jean Kambanda, condamne a la reclusion a vie, avait
reconnu que son gouvernement avait pilote le genocide.

Quatre juges sur cinq

Sur les cinq membres de la chambre d’appel presidee par le juge
americain Theodor Meron, quatre ont vote l’acquittement. L’opinion
dissidente du Juge Liu a ete actee dans l’arret d’appel.

Le Procureur general du Rwanda Martin Ngoga a juge ” extremement
decevant ” l’arret de la chambre d’appel qui a remis en liberte
les deux anciens membres du gouvernement. ” C’est une decision
extremement decevante de la part de la chambre d’appel du TPIR “,
s’est indigne Martin Ngoga. Les effroyables divergences entre les
decisions de première instance et les decisions d’appels dans nombre
d’affaires, dont celle-ci, posent de serieuses questions (…). Les
plus recentes decisions de la chambre d’appel tendent a adopter un
traitement simpliste des faits et creent une tendance a exonerer les
dirigeants politiques “.

De son côte, Jean-Pierre Dusingizemungu, president d’Ibuka, la
principale organisation de survivants du genocide des Tutsis, s’est
dit ” très attriste ” par le jugement. Pour lui, cet arret ” apporte
de l’eau au moulin des negationnistes du genocide ” des Tutsis.

Lundi, malgre les averses de la petite saison des pluies, une foule
de manifestants a parcouru Kigali pour protester contre le jugement
d’appel.

Certains manifestants appelaient a la fermeture immediate du TPIR.

Mais le Conseil de securite a deja vote la fin du TPIR en 2014. A
Arusha, une ” structure residuelle ” est chargee des affaires
courantes. Il ne reste que la Chambre d’appel du TPIR qui fermera
ses portes a son tour le 31 decembre 2014.

La raison de telles incoherences

Reste a expliquer les incoherences frequentes entre les jugements
de première instance et d’appel. Selon un ancien collaborateur du
Tribunal Penal international de La Haye, ” les Juges font, a tous
niveaux, ce qu’ils veulent, la Chambre d’appel ayant toujours refuse
de jouer un rôle harmonisateur, tant sur le fond des jugements que
sur le montant des peines “.

Selon un membre du Parquet s’exprimant sous couvert d’anonymat,
” ce sont des professeurs de droit très âges et complètement
deconnectes des realites “. Les incoherentes concernent aussi
bien les affaires judiciaires de l’ex-Yougoslavie que celles du
Rwanda. S’exprimant aussi sous couvert d’anonymat, l’expert ajoute :
” Leur approche est exclusivement inspiree de la rhetorique juridique
et complètement detachee des realites factuelles, politiques, sociales
ou psychologiques : ils sont dans leur bulle, et personne ne peut leur
dire qu’il faudrait en sortir afin de ne pas etre a côte de la plaque.

”

” A côte de la plaque ” ?

Cet expert nous livre une anecdote significative : ” Je me souviens
avoir suggere, une fois, de facon informelle, que le quantum des
peines soit soumis prealablement a leur prononce a l’appreciation,
pour avis, a des connaisseurs du contexte ex-yougoslave, afin de les
aider a ajuster voire a prendre en consideration l’impact possible
qu’aurait leur decision. Le President du TPIY (Claude Jorda) a qui
je suggerais cette approche disons “psycho-sociale” m’a regarde comme
si je blasphemais leur sacro-sainte ‘independance’. ”

Le president de chambre d’appel qui a prononce la relaxe des deux
ministre du ” gouvernement genocidaire, l’Americain Theodor Meron, est
ne le 28 avril 1930. Ce rescape de la Shoah ” est en parfaite forme
physique et mentale ” nous indique un de ses proches. Il s’apprete
neanmoins a feter son 83e anniversaire, et on peut legitimement se
demander si l’ONU ne devrait pas fixer une limite d’âge raisonnable
au mandat des juge sinternationaux. Son collègue Patrick Robinson,
ne en 1944, approche les 70 ans. Theodor Meron et Patrick Robinson
ne sont pas des exceptions. A La Haye, le Juge du TPIY Arpad Prandler
(qui doit partir en juin prochain) a egalement 82 ans. Dans ce groupe
de vieillards, il faut aussi citer Mhemet Guney, de Turquie, qui n’a
” que ” 76 ans, mais en paraît au moins dix de plus. Il est aussi
membre d’une prestigieuse mais contestee chambre d’appel….

Des magistrats hors d’âge ?

Theodor Meron, – qui s’est rendu a la 10e commemoration du massacre
de Srebrenica -, ne connaît a peu près rien du Rwanda, ce qui n’est
pas forcement un avantage.

L’affaire des deux acquittement a provoque un vent de colère a Kigali
et aggrave le contentieux judiciaire relatif au genocide des Tutsi
en 1994. Kigali accuse le Tribunal penal international pour le Rwanda
de pratiquer ” la politique de deux poids, deux mesures “, et menace
de chasser les observateurs designes par cette institution pour faire
le monitoring d’une affaire renvoyee devant la justice rwandaise.

Le Rwanda exige aussi que la France, a laquelle le TPIR a confie deux
affaires fin 2007, fasse egalement l’objet d’une surveillance de la
part du tribunal international.

Fin 2007, le TPIR s’est dessaisi au profit de la France, des dossiers
de l’abbe Wenceslas Munyeshyaka, ancien vicaire d’une paroisse de
Kigali, et de Laurent Bucyibaruta, ancien prefet de Gikongoro (sud).

Mais l’instruction avance a pas comptes en France.

Jean-Francois DUPAQUIER (avec Agence Hirondelle)

Retour a la rubrique

Source/Lien : Afrikarabia

LE DICTATEUR AZERBAIDJANAIS ILHAM ALIEV S’EN PREND DESORMAIS A SES PROPRES ECRIVAINS

Le Conseil de coordination des organisations armeniennes de France
condamne fermement l’Azerbaïdjan pour les mesures liberticides prises
par son president, Ilham Aliev contre le citoyen azerbaïdjanais Ekrem
Eylisli, dramaturge et auteur d’un recent ouvrage dans lequel il
denonce les massacres des Armeniens commis en 1919 par le pouvoir
azerbaïdjanais de l’epoque. Le chef de l’Etat azerbaïdjanais en
personne lui a retire le titre ” d’ecrivain populaire ” et un parti
pro-gouvernemental, Muasir Musafat (Egalite Moderne) a promis a
quiconque de verser une prime de 12 700 dollars pour chaque oreille
decoupee de l’ecrivain. Les autorites azerbaïdjanaises ont par
ailleurs autorise leur population a brûler en place publique les
ouvrages de cet auteur desormais interdit de publication dans son
propre pays. De veritables autodafes de son ouvrage, dont les images
rappellent les exemples les plus insupportables de l’epoque nazie,
s’organisent contre l’~uvre de cet ecrivain, qui n’a rien dit d’autre
que la verite historique.

Ces procedes s’inscrivent dans la derive dictatoriale de la dynastie
Aliev qui après avoir institutionnalise la haine contre les Armeniens
dans toute la societe, tout en pretendant exercer son empire sur
ceux de la Republique du Haut Karabagh, s’en prend desormais aux
intellectuels azeris refractaires a ce racisme.

Jusqu’a quand l’Union europeenne et le Conseil de l’Europe vont-ils
menager l’Azerbaïdjan, pays dont les pratiques et le regime sont aux
antipodes des valeurs humanistes et democratiques europeennes ?

Le CCAF demande donc aux autorites de la Republique francaise de
prendre dans les meilleurs delais des mesures concrètes pour garantir
la liberte et la securite de l’ecrivain azerbaïdjanais Ekrem Eylisli.

Conseil National du CCAF

mercredi 13 fevrier 2013, Ara ©armenews.com

AZERBAIJAN’S FOREIGN MINISTRY: THE ADOPTION OF THE BILL CRIMINALIZING DENIAL OF SO-CALLED “ARMENIAN GENOCIDE” WILL UNDERMINE FRANCE’S POSITION IN THE REGION

APA
Feb 12 2013
Azerbaijan

Elman Abdullayev: “The adoption of this unfair bill will lay the
ground for a negative assessment of France’s co-chairing role by the
Azerbaijani people”

Baku. Etibar Mammadov – APA. “The adoption of the bill criminalizing
denial of so-called “Armenian genocide” in France will have negative
impact on the regional cooperation policy and regional relations
of this country,” spokesman for Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign
Affairs Elman Abdullayev told journalists, APA reports. Commenting on
resubmission of the bill criminalizing denial of so-called “Armenian
genocide” to the French Parliament, Abdullayev said that the position
of Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry on this issue is always clear and
concrete.

The spokesman said that the resubmission of this bill for discussion
and its adoption in France will reduce confidence in this country
as a co-chairing country of OSCE Minsk Group: “France is one of the
co-chairing countries. France is a country, which is cooperating with
whole region and separately with regional countries. I hope that such
a step will be prevented in France. The adoption of such an unfair bill
or its discussion will have negative impact on the regional cooperation
of France. Today, Azerbaijan suffers from Armenia’s aggressive policy
and our lands are under occupation. In this case, the adoption of any
unfair decision or bill, of course, will lay the ground for a negative
assessment of France’s co-chairing role by the Azerbaijani people.

OF ALL THE PLACES: FINDING ARMENIA IN SPAIN

ianyan magazine
Feb 12 2013

Posted by Aram Margarian on February 12, 2013

You know the feeling. You are on a holiday in a foreign land on the
other side of the world, doing whatever it is you do when you are on
a holiday in a foreign land on the other side of the world.

Then, you bump into an Armenian.

Oor deghen oor? Of all the places.

My latest experience of this ~V let~Rs call it the ~Soor deghen oor
feeling~T ~V was while traveling in Spain. An odar (non-Armenian)
friend and I were pottering around the outskirts of Valencia~Rs old
city looking for a late lunch. Since arriving in Spain, she~Rd had
had trouble finding suitable vegetarian meals. Pro tip: eggs with
mushrooms in Valencia comes with shrimp. Who knew?

We came across a restaurant with multiple vegetarian options and were
about to sit at an outdoor table when I noticed a nearby restaurant
advertising ~SBocadillos~T, followed by ~SArmenia~T on its chalkboard.

~SWait a second,~T I said. ~SCan we check this out first?~T

Not speaking Spanish I had no idea what a ~SBocadillo~T was. And
Armenia? Why? How? Why here?

We strolled over and a sprightly 60-something woman approached,
said something in Spanish and offered us a table with an open palm.

She had the look.

~SSorry we don~Rt speak Spanish but can you tell me what a boccadillo
is?~T I asked in English, before cutting to the chase: ~SAre you
Armenian?~T

The woman put her hands to her mouth. With her eyes wide open, she
nodded. The hint of a grin appeared behind her hands. We exchanged
pleasantries in Armenian and sat down after ensuring they served
vegetarian meals. Something about egg plant.

Her name was Loucig and she had come from Yerevan five years earlier
to work in the restaurant that her son had opened five years before
that. She worked 15 hours a day, every day.

She disappeared inside. Apart from a vegetarian dish I had no
idea what she would come back with. In the meantime we introduced
ourselves to her Yerevansti-looking son and ordered two Estrellas to
kick things off.

Thirty minutes and some mild hunger pains later, Loucig returned. She
brought with her an exotic-looking vegetarian platter for my friend
and a plate of succulent kofta-kebabs with a bed of mushrooms and
onions for me. A plate of salad and chips were thrown in for good
measure. We weren~Rt going to leave hungry.

I had been away from Australia for about three weeks; which meant
three weeks of hot dogs at American ball-parks and stilton burgers in
English pubs. Now just like that, I was back at my mum~Rs dinner table.

I was keen to chat to Loucig, but she again disappeared inside. She
returned minutes later with a glass of Estrella for herself and pulled
up a seat.

We started talking about a range of topics. She expressed that very
few Armenians lived in Valencia, nowhere near enough to justify an
Armenian church or an Armenian day school. She was clearly a very
patriotic Armenian and spoke glowingly of our culture, our history,
our character. And our stubborness.

We spoke at length about life in Valencia, life in Yerevan, life in
Sydney, what sort of work I do, how old I am and am I married. We
also spoke about prostitutes. As you do.

~SI am so proud to be Armenian,~T she said. ~SYou know why? In
Valencia there are prostitutes from all over the world but none of
the prostitutes come from Armenia.~T

I refrained from asking how she knew this.

I had to say something though: ~SYeah that~Rs great Loucig, but you
said before that there are very few Armenians in Valencia. Call it
a hunch, but I reckon that means there are very few Armenian hookers
in Valencia.~T

She stopped for a split-second before again covering her mouth. No
grin this time. Instead, she rocked back and burst into laughter.

~SAy Aram djan,~T she managed between laughs.

I laughed with her. We high-fived.

Throughout our conversation, I~Rm sure my friend was trying to make
sense of the conversation. I can only imagine what she was thinking
~V watching me joking and high-fiving with a woman I knew about as
well as the Queen of England.

Loucig went on to tell me about her ill sister, Hasmig, who was in her
70s and still lived in Yerevan. She insisted on giving me Hasmig~Rs
phone number to look her up next time I was in the Motherland.

It was a heartfelt gesture from a selfless and genuine Armenian woman.

I will probably never call Hasmig, but I will definitely never throw
away Loucig~Rs note.

As we prepared to leave, Loucig offered to make us dolma if we could
visit her restaurant again. We were leaving Valencia in a few days
so it was hard to commit to another visit.

She needed time to prepare the dolma and we were trying to work out
how to contact her if we could make it back. It all became too hard.

In the end Loucig shrugged and said: ~SHos naye, kez pum me esem? I
will make dolma. If you come, you can have dolma. If you can~Rt,
we will have dolma.~T

Great line! Fantastic afternoon!

Oor deghen oor? Of all the places.

Aram Margarian is an amateur writer who writes mainly about sport
but occasionally branches out into other areas. He is as proud to be
Armenian as he is to be Australian. He has discovered that shaving
before catching a flight in the US still makes him the randomly
searched guy 100% of the time. He drinks lattes and rants as @LordAram
on Twitter.

THE ARMENIANS: UNSUNG SUPPORTER OF HELLENISM

Hellenic News of America Feb 12 2013

Written by aphrodite Tuesday, 12 February 2013 15:09

By Catherine Tsounis

“The Armenians are our brothers,” said Mr. Constantine Parthenis my
Modern Greek instructor at St. Demetrios Greek American School in
1950’s Astoria, New York. Dr. Emory, a medieval historian at Queens
College, explained in a 1969 undergraduate class that “the Armenians
are not recognized significantly in the Byzantine Empire.”

Throughout the years of research and readings of the former Greek
Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America and current Greek
Orthodox Archdiocese of America, the Armenian contribution to Hellenism
is not explored.

The late Very Rev. Demetrios Frangos, an immigrant from Imvros
(Gokceada), said to my parents, his parishioners from St.

Demetrios Church of Astoria, that the Byzantine Empire was
multi-cultural. “The United States encompasses persons of many
nationalities and races. All are united under the constitution of
America and the universal English language,” he explained. “It’s
forerunner was the Byzantine Empire,” he said. “Persons of many
nationalities and races were united under the Greek language,
civilization and Orthodox faith.”

The Oath of Alexander the Great od Macedon states …” THE BEST WILL
GOVERN REGARDLESS OF THEIR RACE. UNLIKE THE NARROWMINDED, I MAKE NO
DISTINCTION BETWEEN GREEKS AND BARBARIANS. THE ORIGIN OF CITIZENS,
OR THE RACE INTO WHICH THEY WERE BORN, IS OF NO CONCERN TO ME. I HAVE
ONLY ONE CRITERION BY WHICH TO DISTINGUISH THEM VIRTUE….

THE ORIGIN OF CITIZENS, OR THE RACE INTO WHICH THEY WERE BORN, IS OF
NO CONCERN TO ME. I HAVE ONLY ONE CRITERION BY WHICH TO DISTINGUISH
THEM VIRTUE…WHETHER YOU ARE WHITE OR DARK-SKINNED. AND I SHOULD
LIKE YOU NOT SIMPLY TO BE SUBJECTS OF MY COMMONWEALTH.” The Armenians
played a major role in the perpetuation of an empire that lasted over
one thousand years.

“Research and wrote about the Armenians,” said Tony Barsamian. His
inspiration triggered this article. I am dedicating it to my friends:
Takoumie Pidedjian, a health care professional whose brother-in-law
received the highest honor from the Armenian government; Catherine
Harper, educator; Madeline Najjarian, Lemon Tree beautician in Bayside
and Mark.

Dr. Peter Charanis of Rudgers University said “the important
role played in the history of Byzantium by that talented
minority, the Armenians, has been generally unrecognized,”
“The People of Ar”
website (states that “due to centuries of foreign domination, much
of Armenian history has been neglected…the influence Armenians had
on the Byzantine Empire has been swept under the rug by the Ottomans
and later the Soviets. Armenia was only in part a vessel of Byzantium.

Many Armenians became successful in the Byzantine Empire. From
bishops, architects, important military figures and even Emperors,
Armenians were represented in all walks of Byzantine life. In fact,
one out of five byzantine emperors and empresses were ethnically full
or in part Armenian.”

Byzantine Armenia in
the Armenian
part of the Empire, depending on the degree of control the Byzantines
had over Armenia. “Armenians became successful in the Byzantine
Empire. About ten Byzantine emperors were either ethnically Armenian,
half Armenian of possibly Armenians, although culturally Greek. The
best example of this is Emperor Heraclius, whose father was Armenian
and mother Cappadocian. Emperor Heraclius began the Heraclean
dynasty (610-717 A.D.). The Akathistos Hymn sung during Orthodox Lent
commemorates his victory and saving of Constantinople with the help
of Our Lady, Virgin Mary.

“Basil 1 is another example of an Armenian beginning a dynasty,”
according

The greatness of his descendant, Basil II, the Bulgar Slayer, has
been immortalized in every generation that learns Modern Greek history.

“Basil became one of the strongest Byzantine
emperors, winning territory in the Balkans,
Mesopotamia, Armenia, and Georgia,” according to

“He was noted for his victory (1014) in the war with Bulgaria, which
ended with his blinding all the soldiers in the defeated Bulgarian
army. He increased his domestic authority by attacking the landed
interests of the military aristocracy and of the church.”

The Armenian military power, to some scholars, was the basis of the
stability and longevity of Byzantium. A strong army was needed. Armenia
was the source. “From the 5th century forwards, the Armenians were
regarded as the main constituent of the Byzantine army,” states

“Procopius recounts the ‘Scholari’, palace guards of the Emperor, were
selected from among the bravest…During the 9th and 10th centuries,
which might have been the greatest participation of the Armenians
in the Byzantine army…Another Byzantine historian praises the
decisive role which the Armenian infantry played in the victories of
the Byzantine emperors Nicephorus Phocas and John Tsimisches….There
was a strong absence and ignorance of government and public interest
and at the same time an equally large interest in achieving personal
distinction and a loyalty towards their masters and leaders.”

In the article, “Armenia, Byzantium, and the Byzantine Armenians”
(), “another example of the impact
of Armenians within the Byzantine Empire is the Great Church known
as Hagia Sophia. As Rummel explains, ‘After the great earthquake of
October 25, A.D. 989, which ruined the great dome of Hagia Sophia,
the Byzantine emperor Basil II asked for the Armenian architect Trdat
(or Tiridates), creator of the great churches of Ani and Agine,
to repair the dome. The magnitude of the destruction in the church
caused reconstruction to last six years. The church was re-opened on
May 13, 994.’ The magnificent reconstructed dome designed by Trdat
in the tenth century remains aloft the “Great Church” to this day.”

Dr. Peter Charanis scholarship is used as the basis of this
article. He was a Greek-American Byzantine scholar, an immigrant from
Lemnos, Greece. He was the Voorhees Professor of History at Rutgers
University. Dr. Charanis was long associated with the Dumbarton Oaks
research library. He believes “these people (Armenians) appear,
of course, thoroughly Hellenized. Indeed it would be preposterous
to call Photios (a patriarch) anything but a Greek. Yet it may be
asked whether their Hellenization was not unaffected by their original
background, whether in being absorbed they did not modify the culture
which absorbed them.”

Dr. Charanis quotes “a later oriental source in describing the spread
of the Armenians into the Byzantine empire in the tenth century adds
that in all the wars waged by the Romans “the foot soldiers of the
Armenians marched and they aided them greatly” (98).

There is nothing in this statement indicating the relative numerical
strength of the Armenian element in the Byzantine army, but the
statement does attribute to this element a role of major importance.

The Byzantine army in the tenth century as in all other centuries
to the [33] very end of the empire was composed of different
peoples….Nevertheless, as one examines the various campaigns of
the Byzantine forces in the tenth century, one is struck by the ever
presence of the Armenian element. Armenians participated in every
major campaign. …It was in the campaigns against the Arabs along
the eastern frontiers, however, that the Armenian contingents in the
Byzantine forces stand out most prominently. …This prominence of the
Armenian element in the forces of Byzantium along the eastern frontiers
was no doubt the basis of the observation of the modern scholar which
we have tried to analyze above that the Armenian (i.e., of Armenian
origin) and the Armenian-speaking element must have been predominant
in the Byzantine army from the ninth century to the Crusades. …~E
The role of the Armenians in the political and military life of the
Byzantine Empire, in the late ninth, tenth, and eleventh centuries
appears still more impressive when one examines the leadership which
guided the empire during this period. For virtually every major figure
in that leadership was of Armenian origin.

First of all, there is the dynasty, the most brilliant in the history
of the empire. The imperial house which ruled the state throughout this
period is known as the Macedonian dynasty, but the term Macedonian
as used here has no ethnic connotations. It refers rather to the
place of the birth of Basil I, the founder of the dynasty. Basil
was an Armenian, born in Macedonia where numerous Armenians had been
settled….. That Basil I, the founder of the most brilliant dynasty of
the Byzantine Empire, was indeed Armenian and Armenian on both sides,
can be regarded as an established fact (112).

… Thus, every emperor who sat on the Byzantine throne from the
accession of Basil I to the death of Basil II (867–1025) was of
Armenian or partially Armenian origin. But besides the emperors
there were many [40] others among the military and political
leaders of Byzantium during this period who were Armenians or of
Armenian descent. Included among these were some of the ablest
military commanders and administrative functionaries in the history
of Byzantium. Some of these commanders and officials belonged to
families of Armenian origin long established in the empire; others
were new arrivals.

Dr. Charanis concludes “the defeat of the Byzantine army by the Seljuks
at the battle of Mentzikert in 1071 coupled with the civil wars which
followed in Byzantium resulted in the definite loss by the empire of
eastern and central Asia Minor. This loss included, of course, the
regions inhabited by the Armenians….. It may be said, therefore,
that the battle of Mentzikert and the subsequent loss by the empire
of eastern and central Asia Minor brought to an end the great role
which, beginning with the end of the sixth century, the Armenians
had played in the political and military life of the empire.

But Armenians continued to live in the empire down to its very end
(209).

For something like five hundred years, Armenians played an
important role in the political, military and administrative life
of the Byzantine Empire. They served as soldiers and officers, as
administrators and emperors. In the early part of this period during
the seventh and eighth centuries, when the empire was fighting for its
very existence, they contributed greatly in turning back its enemies.

But particularly great was their role in the ninth and tenth centuries
when as soldiers and officers, administrators and emperors they
dominated the social, military and political life of the empire and
were largely responsible for its greatness. So dominant indeed was
their role during this period that one may refer to the Byzantine
empire of these two centuries as Graeco-Armenian; ‘Graeco’, because as
always, its civilization was Greek, ‘Armenian’, because the element
which directed its destinies and provided the greater part of the
forces for its defense was largely Armenian or of Armenian origin. It
was a role, moreover, of world-wide historical significance for it
was during this period that the empire achieved its greatest success,
when its armies triumphed everywhere, its missionaries spread the
gospel and with it civilization among the southeastern Slavs, and
its scholars resurrected Greek antiquity, thus making possible the
preservation of its literature. Herein lies perhaps the most important
part of the legacy of the Armenians to civilization. But while all
this may be true, the point should be made and made with emphasis that
the Armenians in Byzantium who furnished it with its leadership were
thoroughly integrated into its political and military life, identified
themselves with its interest and adopted the principal features of
its culture. In brief, like many other elements of different racial
origins, as, for instance, Saracens, Slavs and Turks, who had a similar
experience, they became Byzantines.” The meaning of the phrase “the
Armenians are our brothers,” is more alive today through sources on
the internet.

Photo 1 – Basil II, The Bulgar Slayer.

Photo 2- Map of Byzantine Armenia.

AZERBAIJAN TURNS ON ONE OF ITS OWN

Washington Post
Feb 12 2013

By Will Englund, Feb 12, 2013 05:11 PM EST

The Washington Post MOSCOW – Azerbaijan’s troubled efforts to
portray itself as a progressive and Western-oriented country took a
beating this week with the announcement by a pro-government political
party that it will pay $12,700 to anyone who cuts off the ear of a
75-year-old novelist.

The author is Akram Aylisli, and his crime is to have written a
novella called “Stone Dreams” that is sympathetic to Armenians and
recounts Azeri atrocities in the war between the two countries 20
years ago. Aylisli’s misfortune is to have had his work published,
in Russia, at a time when an insecure regime in Azerbaijan is whipping
up anti-Armenian fervor.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has already stripped Aylisli of
his title of “People’s Writer” and the pension that goes with it. His
son was fired from his job and parliament has demanded that Aylisli
submit to a DNA test to prove he’s Azerbaijani. Over the weekend,
book burnings were staged around the country.

But on Monday the head of the Modern Musavat Party, Hafiz Hajiyev,
told the Turan Information Agency that the time has come for Aylisli
to be punished for portraying Azerbaijanis as savages.

“We have to cut off his ear,” Hajiyev said. “This decision is to be
executed by members of the youth branch of the party.”

Watchdog groups, including Human Rights Watch and the Institute
for Reporters’ Freedom and Safety, denounced the threat. “I can’t
believe he’s a man or human being,” Leila Yunus, head of the Baku-based
Institute of Peace and Democracy, said of Hajiyev. Even the Soviet era,
Yunus said, didn’t feature “such horrible propaganda.”

The Interior Ministry pointed out that cutting off an ear is a crime
and said it would investigate. But the government, rattled by protests
in January, has been lashing out at its opponents and, as it has in
the past, tried to distract public opinion by stirring up fears of an
Armenian threat. Although a 1994 cease-fire stopped the war between
the two former Soviet republics, Armenians still hold the territory
of Nagorno-Karabakh, and Aliyev frequently vows to take it back.

Antagonism is high, and Aylisli has fallen afoul of that. While
Azerbaijan has spent billions of dollars in oil revenue on military
equipment, efforts by the United States, Russia and France to broker a
settlement have failed. Shots across the cease-fire line are becoming
more common, and in the past week two Azeri soldiers and one Armenian
have reportedly been killed.

E. Wayne Merry, a visiting fellow at the Center for Strategic
and International Studies in Washington, said recently that
Nagorno-Karabakh is in a “pre-war” situation.

The government also has arrested two leading opposition politicians,
Tofik Agublu and Ilgar Mammadov, and charged them with fomenting
protests last month over an alleged brothel in the town of Ismayilli.

The brothel, which was burned down, reportedly was owned by the son
of one of Aliyev’s cabinet ministers.

The men will be held for two months and then face trial on charges
that could bring three-year prison sentences. The arrests have been
criticized by the European Union, Amnesty International and Human
Rights Watch. Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry has rejected the criticism
as unfounded.

Mammadov is a member of the advisory board of a group called Revenue
Watch, which called for the immediate release of the two men. The
United States, which values Azerbaijan for its hostility to neighboring
Iran but criticizes the country’s human rights practices, urged the
government to observe due process.

In an e-mail he sent to his supporters on the eve of his Feb. 4
arrest, Mammadov noted that he had been to Ismayilli, in a lull between
protests, to see for himself what was going on. “Now the government is
trying to use that fact to speculate that I have organized that massive
unrest,” he wrote. He noted that his Republican Alternative party is
likely to nominate him to run for president against Aliyev in October.

Aylisli, who could not be reached Tuesday, told Radio Liberty two
weeks ago that he dwelt on Azeri atrocities in “Stone Dreams” because
that was his responsibility as an Azerbaijani writer. Let Armenian
authors, he said, write about the atrocities of their side – notably,
a 1992 massacre in the town of Khojaly, the memory of which has become
a major rallying point for aggrieved Azeris.

Aylisli also has written thinly-veiled attacks on both Aliev and his
father, Heydar Aliev, the former president, for the brutality and
corruption of their regimes. That’s an image that Azerbaijan has
gone to great lengths to obscure, helped by the glitzy revival of
its capital Baku, thanks to revenue from gas and oil. Using events
like last year’s Eurovision song contest in Baku, the government has
painted Azerbaijan as an outpost of flash and modernity that outshines
its neighbor, Iran.

The secular fatwa against Aylisli’s ear, though, could make that
campaign an uphill battle.