Author: Kanayan Tamar

Teenager makes sexual acts against 13-year-old step-sister in Armenia

news.am
November 18, 2012 | 01:03

ARMAVIR. – An Armavir Region resident 19-year-old G. Gh. has made
sexual acts against his 13-year-old step-sister, the Armavir First
Instance Court informs Armenian News-NEWS.am adding the case is under
investigation at the court.

The young man is charged with Article 141: Sexual acts with a person
under 16. According to the article sexual intercourse or other sexual
acts with a person obviously under 16, by a person who reached 18
years of age, in the absence of elements of crime envisaged in
Articles 138, 139 or 140 of this Code, is punished with correctional
labor for the term of up to 2 years, or with imprisonment for the term
of up to 2 years.

Armenian Genocide story: Mother did not leave her child – VIDEO and PHOTO

November 18, 2012 | 09:20

There are times when during business travel you get to listen to
stories that are difficult not to share with the readers. This is what
happened to the journalists of Armenian News-NEWS.am during their
visit to Agarak village in Aragatsotn region of Armenia.

Ruben Karapetyan, who was born in 1942 in Agarak, told the story of
his grandparents from Van. Ruben’s father Karapet was born in Van in
1914. He was the one to tell this story to his family, which he heard
from his mother, Ruben’s grandmother.

During the tragic events of 1915, Karapet’s parents were forced to
leave their birthplace to escape from Turkish slaughter. First of all
they were thinking about their younger kids – 10-year-old Gyulizar and
little Karapet. The older son Hambardzum was far away from home with
General Andranik.

On the photo: Refugees from Van

Ruben’s grandfather, being sure that they were going to come back,
left to one of the islands of Van lake to hide their gold, arranging
their meeting on the way with his wife.

However, Ruben’s grandmother was forced to stay in Van for some time,
in order to avoid the assaulters who were particularly cruel on their
way. The grandfather, thinking that his wife was already on her way
with the children, continues his way to East with his second son and a
group of people from Van. But in the end, they were not able to cross
the Araks River…

On the river bank they noticed military tents, and assuming they were
Russians, they came closer but instead of Russians, there were Turks
and only one person survived among all, getting buried under all the
bodies. He was the one to tell the story to Karapet…

At that time, Ruben’s grandmother started her journey to freedom. The
road was severe and losing all the strength, Gyulizar asked her mother
to leave the child, as many families did, being unable to withstand
the difficulties…

Listening to her daughter’s pray, the mother left the baby, and moved
forward. But after some time her heart was not able to take it and she
returned to take the baby…

… Moving forward with the children, Ruben’s grandmother found
themselves among Kurds where they had to live for some time, helping
other families to find any food for the children. This was also forced
situation, as the Kurds were not willing to give the 10-year-old
Gyulizar back. In the end, accepting that getting Gyulizar back was
impossible, Ruben’s grandmother took her youngest son and came to
Armenia…

Years later a miracle happens. In 1972, Gyulizar was found in Middle
East. As to how she got there, it is another story. Karapet travelled
there and returned to Agarak with his sister.

Ruben remembers with a smile, how his grandmother, who had found her
daughter, was hugging and touching her. Gyulizar, while laughing, was
telling her, that her birthmark was on its place. Gyulizar had had a
big birthmark on her back, and her mother wanted to find it, to make
sure that she was actually hugging her daughter.

Gyulizar told them, that she used to talk Armenian to herself, not to
forget her native language.

… Many of our compatriots can tell such stories, alas, most of them
will have a sad ending though…

Written down by Albert Khachatryan

Armenian Genocide major cause of Turkey’s problems – Turkish rights activist

tert.am
13:04 – 18.11.12

The Armenian Genocide and its denial are a major cause of the problems
Turkey faces today, says a Turkish human rights activist.

Speaking to Tert.am, Ayse Gunaysu, a member of the Istanbul-based
Human Rights Association, described denialism as a kind of curse upon
the country and condemnation. She said Turkey hasn’t seen peace ever
since, with the bloodsheds going on and the Kurdish rebellions
following one another. Gunaysu, who is also a columnist for the
Armenian Weekly, noted that Turkey, has no real democracy, despite the
military coups that occurred repeatedly.

The Turkish activist thinks the country has to find itself in the
position of a loser to realize the importance of treating others well.

Characterizing victory as a poisonous thing and defeat – as an
instructive tool, Gunaysu noted at the end that the quality of life
became poorer in the country after it lost its best brains (Armenians,
Greeks etc.).

REVUE DE PRESSE
Galentz ou les tourbillons de la vie

La rétrospective des `uvres de Haroutiun Galentz, tirées du musée qui
lui est dédié en Arménie, s’installe dans les Souks de Beyrouth pour
présenter l’artiste à travers sa production, féconde, diversifiée,
magnifique.

L’exposition laisse penser, de prime abord, qu’il s’agit de plusieurs
artistes. Trois, peut-être quatre, un naïf, un caricaturiste, un
fauviste, le dernier se taillant la part du lion. Mais impossible, si
l’on ne le sait pas, de penser qu’un seul peintre peut avoir une
production aussi variée.

Des portraits freudiens (à la manière de Lucian Freud), touchés de
vert, faits à l’huile, aux paysages fauves de l’Arménie, Haroutiun
prouve sa sensibilité artistique en montrant sa perméabilité aux
tendances. Une polyvalence qui le rend singulier, de l’impressionnisme
du Bain des cochons au cubisme d’un de ses autoportraits. Et la
matière importe peu, l’artiste produit des paysages orientaux en
aquarelles aussi parfaits que des ponts imaginaires, au crayon ou au
fusain.

L’exposition retrace cette carrière étonnante qu’il eut des années
1930 à 1960, dans l’ordre chronologique et qui passe par tous les
états. Le cadre intelligent de la galerie Venue des Souks de Beyrouth,
aux contours sobres, crus et nus, met la pleine lumière sur les
`uvres. L’agencement même est impeccable, à l’image de l’autoportrait
à la pipe, dont l’esquisse au crayon se double, dans la perspective de
la salle, par la peinture finale, mettant en exergue le travail et la
construction de l’`uvre dans tout son dynamisme.

Chaque espace, timidement séparé d’un petit pan de mur, présente les
`uvres de Galentz par petits bouts de vie, chacun rythmé par un style,
une fantaisie, reflet d’une époque, d’un lieu, constitutif de cet
artiste tant influencé par son environnement.

Ainsi les années filent le long des murs, suivant les tourmentes de la
vie bousculée de Galentz. Né Haroutiun Harmadayan, orphelin exilé par
le génocide arménien à Alep, il apprend la peinture de son seul
maître, Onnig Avedissian, alors qu’il travaille dans un atelier de
calligraphie. Plus tard, installé à Tripoli, il retrouve ses frères
(si bien représentés sur une toile du même nom) et rencontre Claude
Michelet, un artiste français disparu en 1942, mettant tristement
terme à une forte relation d’amitié entre deux artistes qui
s’inspirèrent et apprirent l’un de l’autre.

Rebondissant, le jeune Galentz s’enrichit de ses voyages, s’installe à
Beyrouth, se nourrit de l’émulation de la ville et change ses
inspirations. Il dessine alors pour le journal En route de la
résistance française. Il excelle à nouveau, cette fois en tant que
caricaturiste, alliant cynisme et poésie. En 1939, Galentz est
l’auteur d’un bas-relief grandiose (exposé au fond de la galerie) pour
l’Exposition mondiale. Il voit alors la reconnaissance publique de son
talent. Il est aimé et actif. Au Liban, il cofonde les Amis des arts,
convaincu des bienfaits d’une solidarités entre les artistes : c’est
la leçon de ses amitiés qu’il veut propager. Il est alors devenu
maître, à l’image de ceux qu’il a adulés et fréquentés.

Son plus grand tournant intervient alors lorsqu’il décide de revenir
dans son Arménie natale, en 1946, malgré sa notoriété au Liban. Il
tombe alors dans l’ombre de l’Union soviétique, repoussé par l’art
soviétique qu’il refuse lui aussi. Étranger accepté au Liban, il
devient étranger dans son propre pays, rejeté par ceux qui n’ont pas
fui. Appauvri, presque indésirable, esseulé, il construit sa maison et
sa vie avec sa femme Amine et son fils Armen. Contre toute attente,
c’est à cette période qu’il peint si gaiement des personnages
pacifiés, pleins de couleurs, avec la sérénité d’un père de famille
accompli. Il se reconnecte dans la fin des années 1950 avec la
vitalité culturelle de son pays par l’intermédiaire de son nouvel ami
et bienfaiteur Artem Alikhanian. L’admiration et la réussite
reviennent. De sa persévérance, il reçoit la popularité qu’il a
toujours désirée dans son pays natal. Après avoir été reconnu dans son
pays d’accueil, il réussit dans son pays d’origine qu’il a toujours
aimé, sans jamais renier sa jeunesse libanaise.

C’est cette double réussite qui fait dire qu’il eut deux vies, deux
visages, deux arts. Mais autant dire qu’il fut simplement complet :
chaque turbulence a fait son art, chaque mouvement a fait son
personnage, chaque toile fait de cette exposition une réussite,
rétrospective fantastique des `uvres de ce peintre talentueux, éteint
d’une crise cardiaque en 1967.

« C’est un génie ! » confie volontiers un compatriote. L’Arménie offre
ici un de ses trésors, partagé volontiers à Beyrouth qui l’a tant
inspiré et où il a vécu les plus belles années de sa vie.

L’exposition itinérante commence ici son voyage et reste ouverte au
public jusqu’au 25 novembre. Le voyage de Galentz n’est donc pas
encore fini, il est appelé à connaître le succès dans bien d’autres
pays.

dimanche 18 novembre 2012,
Stéphane ©armenews.com

TÉLÉVISION
« L’espionne qui boîte » de Robert Kéchichian, ce soir sur France 5

Dix ans exactement après la sortie d’Aram, Robert Kéchichian renoue
avec les combattants pour la liberté dans un docu-fiction mettant en
scène Virginia Hall, une des héroïnes injustement oubliées de la
Seconde Guerre mondiale, l’une des espionnes d’élite missionnée par
les services secrets britanniques et américains en France.

Virginia Hall (1906 – 1982) fut un agent secret américain qui, pendant
la Seconde Guerre mondiale, Å`uvra contre l’occupant allemand en France
: de 1941 Ã 1943 dans le cadre du service secret britannique SOE, puis
en 1944-1945 dans le cadre du service secret américain OSS. Opératrice
radio et chef de réseau, elle soutint la résistance française dans la
région lyonnaise et dans le centre, puis contribua à organiser les
parachutages au Chambon-sur-Lignon et la libération de la Haute-Loire.

Virginia Hall reçoit la DSC des mains du général Donovan en 1945

Un accident de chasse en Turquie en 1933, alors qu’elle était
secrétaire au consulat américain d’Izmir, a privé Virginia Hall de
l’une de ses jambes, amputée à cause de la gangrène. Elle est
journaliste à Paris lorsque, en mai 1940, l’armée allemande déferle
sur la France. Malgré sa prothèse en bois, elle se porte volontaire
pour devenir ambulancière. Suivant l’appel du général de Gaulle, elle
ne tarde pas à rejoindre Londres « ?pour continuer la lutte aux côtés
de ceux qui refusent l’occupation nazie? ». Frappant à la porte du SOE
(Special Operations Executive), que vient de créer Churchill pour
soutenir les mouvements de résistance dans les pays occupés, Virginia
convainc Nicholas Bodington, en charge du recrutement des agents pour
la France, de l’envoyer en mission. Parlant parfaitement français, la
jeune femme arrive à Vichy. Officiellement, elle est journaliste pour
le New York Post. Officieusement, elle va mettre en place à Lyon un
réseau d’informateurs. Sa principale recrue est Germaine Guérin, la
patronne d’une maison close. Celle-ci la met en contact avec l’un de
ses amis, le Dr Rousset, qui accepte d’ouvrir une clinique où les
agents britanniques en fuite pourront trouver refuge. Surnommée «
l’espionne qui boite? » par les Allemands qui la traquent, Virginia
coordonne les relations avec les groupes de résistance française,
organise des atterrissages clandestins de matériel et d’hommes. Des
évasions aussi, comme celle de douze agents du SOE et du député Jean
Pierre-Bloch, qu’elle parvient à faire sortir du camp de Mauzac, en
Gironde. Ses relations avec Georges Duboudin, nouvel agent envoyé par
Londres, sont difficiles et elle a beaucoup de mal à lui faire
accepter ses décisions. A l’été 1942, infiltré par Robert Alesch, un
agent double à la solde de l’occupant, son réseau est sur la sellette.

Robert Kéchichian dirige ses comédiens

A la fois, chef de commando, agent de liaison, opératrice radio,
convoyeuse de fonds secrets, la bostonienne de 33 ans échappe par
miracle à la Gestapo en traversant à pied les Pyrénées… Klaus Barbie
aurait donné n’importe quoi pour mettre la main sur cette `garce`. La
Gestapo de Lyon la considérait comme `l’agent allié le plus
dangereux`. Détail surprenant, la belle de Baltimore, amputée à la
suite d’un accident, marchait avec une jambe de bois qu’elle avait
baptisée Cuthbert.

Dans une maïeutique captivante d’archives filmiques inédites et d’une
mise en scène des grands faits d’armes de Virginia Hall, L’Espionne
qui boite relate l’improbable épopée d’une Américaine dans le maquis
de l’armée des ombres.

Un docu-fiction de Robert Kéchichian, écrit par Thierry Bourcy d’après
`L’Espionne` de Vincent Nouzille – Editions Fayard

France 5, Dimanche 18 novembre à 22h

dimanche 18 novembre 2012,
Jean Eckian ©armenews.com

The Family of 11 Members Lives on 63 Thousand Drams

Saturday, 17 November 2012 12:35

The two girls of the Adamyans’ family of 11 members hardly manage to
continue their education.

The family lives in Jartar village of Martouni region. The couple
raises 9 children among them 7 under-age and 5 school-children. The
youngest child in the family is 3 years old. The eldest daughter,
19-year-old Naira, studies at the department of History and Political
Science of Artsakh State University, her sister Hermine has entered
the same department this year but because of the social position of
the family she has to take correspondence courses.

Hermine has dreamed of becoming a teacher of History yet she does not
think that the distant education will enable her to become the teacher
she has always dreamed of. Her mother, Lena, also wants her daughter
to receive good education but they cannot afford that. `I am not able
to keep two students in Stepanakert. We hardly manage to keep Naira
while the University does not provide any reduction in the tuition
fees,’ Mother of the 9 children says.

She states that it is very difficult to earn the living of 9 children.
`Neither my husband nor I have any job, the monthly income of our
family is the children’s benefits which amount to 63 thousand drams.
It is not sufficient even for food. All we have is a cow and 9 sheep.
We sell the meat of the cow to pay our daughters’ tuition fees,’ Lady
Lena says.

As she assures they get no help from the government except the
children’s benefits. In 2003 they were provided a house by the
government as a family of many children, however they had to leave the
house a month later because, as the householder assures, the boards of
the floor began to decay. `When stepping on they broke under our feet.
Even there were some cases when the children got hurt,’ she says.

Today the Adamyans live in her father’s house but here again they have
very poor housing conditions. The house is not gasificated though the
gas pipeline passes nearby. Lady Lena says they are not able to pay
for the pipeline to be taken to their house. `We applied for help to
different instances beginning with the rural administration to the
Ministry of Labour and Social Issues yet there has been no response so
far,» Lady Lena assures.

Hakob Avanesyan, a student

2942 Unemployed People Registered in the Republic

Saturday, 17 November 2012 12:45

By November 1 the number of the unemployed people registered in the
NKR state employment bodies was 3180, the website of the NKR Ministry
of Labour and Social Issues informs.
The number of the unemployed people registered in the Republic amounts
to 2942. 319 of them get unemployment benefits. From January till
October, 2012, 180 people managed to get a job.

Only sick will turn murderer into hero Armenian MP on Azeri killer’s case

news.am
November 17, 2012 | 19:22

All the history of Nagorno Karabakh conflict and generally throughout
all the process of Artsakh issue has shown that if anyone is sick in
the head, it has nothing to do with the Armenian side, and the most
eye catching example was the Azeri killer Safarov’s action, the deputy
head of the Armenian parliament Eduard Sharmazanov told Armenpress
commenting on the statement of the President of Azerbaijan Ilham
Aliev, who said that Azerbaijan will give a proper answer to those
sick people who will initiate claims against the killer.

`People who turn a murderer into a hero, who are ready to pay his
salary for eight years are the ones with sick brains. Those are the
sick ones, who initiate the policy of fascism and racism on national
level,’ the deputy speaker of the parliament said.

Talking about the counterblow, Sharmazanov highlighted, that it has
always been the Armenian side giving the counterblow and always with a
big success.

`Aliev the junior was in Istanbul collecting millions of dollars and
doing business at the time of war, he was never in the battlefield, so
he doesn’t know very well, how his predecessors attacked Armenians
living in Artsakh, who only wanted peace and independence, and got a
strict counterblow,’ he said.

Sharmazanov assured that if they try once again to use armed attack
toward the independence seeking people of Artsakh, the counterblow is
going to be more severe.

Authorities Will Use PAP Initiative

Andranik Babakhanyan, retired

Country – Saturday, 17 November 2012, 12:44

For further falsification of the Constitution

The initiative on parliamentary government is linked to the latest
amendments to the Constitution (with the assistance of Venice
Commission). The amendments to the Constitution eventually established
an authoritarian system, not a semi-presidential government.

At that time, the ex-minister of justice Davit Harutiunyan falsified
the Armenian translation of the draft English text of the Constitution
proposed by the Venice Commission and falsified the English
translation of the draft Constitution adopted by the National Assembly
for the Venice Commission.

The government has thus falsified 22 articles of the Constitution
eliminating the principle of separation of powers. In the Armenian
text, the word `separation’ in Article 5 of the first Constitution
have been replaced by `division’ which, according to Articles 82 and
110 of the Constitution, denote administrative division. And it is
nonsense to divide legislature, executive and judiciary to parts. It
is ingenuous to expect that the new Constitution will not be falsified
unless those 22 articles are not assessed.

The press is afraid to report those falsifications. The opposition is
silent too. Without publicity the ex-minister Davit Harutiunyan will
hardly reject his achievements of 22 falsifications.

The backstage talks on parliamentary government will eventually lead
to a superauthoritarian rule.

The Daily Star discovers the secrets of tiny Armenia in Lebanon

16:26, 17 November, 2012

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 17, ARMENPRESS: A pink house nestled among the
narrow streets of Burj Hammoud has accumulated piece-by-piece relics
of the country’s Armenian heritage. Armenpress reports that this is
how The Daily Star started its article about Burj Hammoud the tiny
Armenia in Lebanon.

`A decrepit but functional loom sits at the end of a narrow workshop
– its worn wooden frame taking a temporary rest after 60 years of
daily work. Armenian-style rugs hang in the dining room alongside
elaborately woven satchels, which Armenian monks filled with salt and
carried on their solitary trips more than 100 years ago. Nearly all
the items – from the hand-embroidered pomegranate on the napkins to
the abstract iron sculpture on the second floor – carry a story of
Armenian heritage, all of which Arpie Mangasarian has memorized.
Mangasarian is the mind behind the pink house, which will open under
the name Badguer at the end of the month as a hub for Armenian
craftsmen and culture.

Badguer will house workshops for traditional trades, showrooms for
budding artisans, galleries for Armenian artists and an enormous
dining room, where local housewives will come to dish up traditional
fare for the public. No other cultural preservation project like
Badguer exists in Burj Hammoud’ writes the author of the article
Beckie Strum.

She has also referred to Nazareth Besserkian, who died several years
ago, worked on the loom that now occupies a corner of Badguer since
1959, through the Civil War and up until his very last days weaving
carpets.

Among Armenian traditional crafts are textiles, like weaving, sewing,
shoe cobbling and embroidery, as well as metal work, such as gold and
silver smiths, welding and other related trades. Armenian goldsmiths
have found it particularly hard to transfer the business to their
children as the price of gold in recent years has skyrocketed after
the global recession. Many Armenians have had to close their gold
shops entirely, Mangasarian said.

At the heart of Badguer sits another tradition: Armenian cuisine.

During a short tour through the large pink house, Mangasarian lit up
as she described the future restaurant. She showed off the color
palate of the flatware, the pomegranate she had local ladies embroider
onto the serviettes and the piano she brought in to make the large
dining room feel like a home.

She gleamed as she described the sorry state she bought the house in,
as brand new tiles and chestnut-colored kitchen cabinets line the
walls now ready to serve hungry guests.

The restaurant will have a limited menu each day of specific dishes
made by local ladies from the neighborhood. The second floor will also
be home to the master artisan, who will come from the community or
Armenia for several months and stay in a cozy studio flat and teach
the women how to work on the loom. The second floor has a veranda
where Mangasarian envisioned guests will come to chat and strategized
new ways to uplift the community. A large conference room will also
offer discussions and seminars related to Armenian history and
cultural heritage.

The project itself is Mangasarian’s inheritance. Mangasarian purchased
the house and began Badguer with money she inherited from an uncle
living in Australia and homesick for his community in Burj Hammoud.