Author: Kanayan Tamar

“THE PERILS OF BEING A NATIONAL MINORITY: HUMAN RIGHTS AND CHAKHALYAN VS. GEORGIA”: REPORT BY INTERNATIONAL EXPERT

At the request of the France-based NGO “Yerkir Europe”, international
legal expert Dr. Fernand de Varennes has prepared a new and thorough
report on the human rights case of Vahagn Chakhalyan, a well-known
public figure and one of the more visible leaders of the Armenian
minority in the Javakhq region inGeorgia.

The report entitled “The Perils of Being a National Minority: Human
Rights and Chakhalyan v. Georgia”, presents a detailed overview of
the events in Javakhq and Georgia leading up to Vahagn Chakhalyan’s
arrest and trial, as well as the country’s political context before
and after the trial which have affected the Georgian authorities’
treatment of and policies toward its Armenian minority.

One of the main sections of the report is devoted to the rights
violations which occurred both prior and during the trial of Vahagn
Chakhalyan and members of his family, which flagrantly violated a
number of basic human rights, especially in relation to a fair trial.

Vahagn Chakhalyan’s case is currently before the European Court of
Human Rights inStrasbourg.

The full English text of the report can be found here.

Dr Fernand de Varennes is a visiting professor in human rights at
Peking University in China, the Faculty of Law and Shari’ah at the
Maldives National University in Male, Maldives, and the University
of Pretoria in South Africa. He is also a scientific advisor with the
Observatoire internationale des droits linguistiques at the Universite
de Moncton, Canada.

Dr de Varennes holds an LLB from the Universite de Moncton (Canada),
an LLM from the London School of Economics (UK), and a Dr Juris from
Maastrciht University (Netherlands).

A legal expert in comparative and international human rights dealing
with minority or language matters, he was awarded the 2004 Linguapax
Award (Barcelona, Spain) in acknowledgement of his work in the field
of linguistic diversity and multilingual education. Dr de Varennes
author of some five books and 150 scientific articles and reports
in 26 languages, dealing mainly with language and minority rights,
he prepared in 2012 a study on the language rights of indigenous
peoples for the United Nations’ Expert Mechanism on the Rights of
Indigenous Peoples.

He has also worked with numerous international organisations such
as the United Nations’ Working Group on the Rights of Minorities,
UNESCO and the OSCE on language issues. Dr de Varennes is chair of
the language rights working group for Linguapax (Barcelona, Spain),
editor-in-chief of the Asia-Pacific Journal on Human Rights and the
Law, and has been on the advisory board of numerous other journals
and research centres around the world.

Dr de Varennes was one of the experts who collaborated in the drafting
of OSCE-sponsored initiatives, under the guidance of the former OSCE
High Commissioner on National Minorities, Max van der Stoel, on a
series of influential documents dealing with the rights of minorities:
the Lund Recommendations on the Effective Participation of National
Minorities in Public Life, and the Oslo Recommendations regarding
the Linguistic Rights of National Minorities.

RUSSIA’S TALKS OVER RADAR STATION IN AZERBAIJAN STALLED

PanARMENIAN.Net
May 24, 2012 – 13:02 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Russia’s Defense Ministry is disappointed by the
lack of progress in talks with Azerbaijan over extending the lease
of the missile defense radar station in Azerbaijani town of Gabala, a
source in the ministry said on Thursday, May 24, RIA Novosti reported.

“The Russian military is disappointed by the non-constructive approach
from the Azerbaijani side concerning the talks on extending the lease
of the Gabala missile radar,” the source said, adding that Moscow
would likely leave Gabala if the talks did not move ahead.

Russia has been negotiated with Azerbaijan to extend the lease of
the Soviet-era radar, which it has operated under a 2002 agreement
due to expire on December 24 this year.

The Russian Kommersant business daily reported in late February
that Azerbaijan had demanded Russia pay $300 million instead of the
previously agreed $7 million for the lease, which Russia is seeking
to extend until 2025.

The source in the Russian Defense Ministry also said that size of
the price increase was unreasonable, since the radar needed a full
renovation and the sum Baku was demanding for the lease was comparable
to the cost of constructing a new radar.

In 2007 Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested sharing Gabala
radar station with the United States, instead of deploying the NATO
missile defense shield in Czech Republic.

In early April, Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan said that
Yerevan was ready to provide a site on its territory for construction
of a new Russian radar station if Moscow failed to agree on extending
the Gabala with Azerbaijan.

On Wednesday Russia placed its new Voronezh-M long-range missile
warning radar on duty in the Irkutsk region of Siberia, marking a
major increase in its missile early warning system capability. The new
Voronezh-M station can detect ballistic targets up to 6000 kilometers
and cover an arc from India to the United States.

Moscow has been concerned by U.S. plans to expand missile the defense
shield in Europe, and announced in early May that it could introduce
its massive Don-2NP radar system near Moscow as part of an agreement
with NATO on a European missile defense plan to counter medium and
long-range missiles.

The Don-2 radar, known to U.S. arms control negotiators in the 1980’s
as the “pyramid” and to NATO as Pill Box, was put into operation
around 1989, and was the centerpiece of the USSR’s anti-missile
defense system. The 100-meter square, 45 meter high phased-array
radar, with 360 degree coverage, could detect small objects in space,
and was linked to interceptor missiles.

IN YEREVAN ARMENIA PASSES BSEC PRESIDENCY TO AZERBAIJAN

news.am
May 23, 2012 | 21:38

YEREVAN. – The plenary session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the
Black Sea Economic Cooperation (PABSEC) held in Yerevan ended with
a press conference on Wednesday. Vice President of the PABSEC Areg
Ghukasyan informed that all the issues on the agenda were discussed.

Mainly, Russia’s representative Yevgeni Kapishin was elected
as deputy Secretary General, while two organizations, including
the Inter-parliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy (I.A.O.) and the
Parliamentary Union of the Organization of the Islamic Conference
were granted with a status of observers.

Ghukasyan claims that majority of issues on Assembly commission
regulations were approved and the presidency passed from Armenia
to Azerbaijan.

In addition, head of the Turkish delegation Ismail Safi thanked
the Armenian side for having organized the Assembly properly and on
high level.

WHY DON’T THEY BEAR ANY RESEMBLANCE TO US?

Hurriyet Daily News
May 23 2012
Turkey

I was in Paris over the weekend where I lived in a completely different
world for three days. Two scenes prompted me to write about them.

The first was the Chelsea vs. Bayern Munich match you may have also
watched, I’m sure, astounded. Can you imagine? The British, before
the eyes of thousands of Germans, won back the match they had lost.

You also saw what they did after this, didn’t you?

In the middle of the pitch, they danced maddened by the joy, hugged
each other and did everything they could to drive the German spectators
mad. They took out their flags, they threw their jerseys to the stands
and as if all of these were not enough, they took their victory lap
after they received the cup.

Not a bottle was thrown from the stands and not a jeer was heard about
the mothers and the families of the British players. The Germans bit
their nails but they only watched with sad faces.

Gosh, don’t these people have any pride, brother?

The Fenerbahce-Galatasaray match came to my mind. I just wanted to
remind you. I’m sure others have written on this, but I also wanted
to mention it.

Also, French televisions were full of programs on Sarkozy’s departure
and Hollande’s arrival. As the residence of the Elysee Palace changes
of course the cabinet also changes.

After the elections, as Sarkozy was leaving the palace, he neither
mentioned he would come back soon, nor did he explain that he had
lost the elections by a very narrow margin. On the contrary, he was
escorted to the door by new President Hollande and was seen off with
complimentary words.

I told you they are a bit weird!

Really, these guys have no resemblance to us, whatsoever.

Fazıl Say and Orhan Pamuk are our prides

Artists, men of letters, thinkers, inventors, etc. who are above a
certain line, who have qualities and powers rarely matched even in
the international arena are capricious.

They have given so much from themselves, they are so similar to a
precious flower that they dislike that their opinions and movements
are restricted. They want to speak as they wish to, behave as they
wish to, dress and live as they wish to. They have the luxury of
saying what others cannot say.

They are justified because they are special people doing what others
cannot.

A quick example from our own selves: Which one of us can be Fazıl Say?

Which one of us can be an Orhan Pamuk? These are our uniquely gifted
people.

Then they should have a difference, some privileges. Then, we should
regard these people differently.

I’m not talking about fame. Fame is easy and does not call for such
privileges. Every country has local celebrities. But the “big names”
a country has raised are never forgotten.

Let me give my own example: Mehmet Ali Birand will be forgotten but
not an Orhan Pamuk or Fazıl Say.

I’m writing this because I’m angry at the vulgarity stemming from
some segments of our society.

One was excommunicated because he expressed his view on the Armenian
issue. The other was sued because he re-tweeted a verse attributed to
Omar Khayyam and a citizen tipped him off for committing the crime
of “provoking people for grudge and hostility.” For both of them,
stories printed and statements issued reached such a level that they
thought of leaving Turkey and moving to other places.

Of course, everybody is equal before justice. Those who commit crimes
will be punished. But, what is important here is that our society
has not been able to accept these people.

Please, let’s look after these people of ours. At least, let’s not
treat them so coarsely.

MISE EN PLACE D’UNE NOUVELLE COALITION AU POUVOIR
Laetitia

armenews.com
mercredi 23 mai 2012

Les trois partis politiques representes au gouvernement sortant vont
signer un accord pour former une nouvelle alliance au pouvoir. ” Des
discussions sur la formation d’une nouvelle coalition ont lieu entre le
parti Orinats Yerkir, le parti republicain (HHK) et le parti Armenie
prospère (BHK) “, a declare Heghine Bisharian, la vice-presidente
du parti Orinats Yerkir. ” Lorsque le processus de negociation sera
termine, je pense qu’une coalition sera formee par ces trois forces
politiques “.

Bisharian a declare a RFE / RL que son parti et le HHK se sont deja mis
d’accord sur les paramètres de leur cooperation et ont seulement besoin
de clarifier les termes de cooperation avec le troisième partenaire
de la coalition. ” Les pourparlers avec le BHK se termineront bientôt
“, a-t-elle dit.

Hmayak Hovannisian, un eminent politicien qui s’est presente aux
elections legislatives sous l’etiquette du parti BHK, a declare lundi
que le parti dirige par le businessman Gagik Tsarukian a accepte de
continuer a faire partie du gouvernement, malgre ses questionnements
sur les resultats officiels des elections legislatives du 6 mai . Il a
declare que le BHK et le HHK sont en train d’essayer de determiner quel
portefeuille ministeriel sera donne a Tsarukian. Un haut representant
du HHK n’a pas cependant pas confirme cette allegation.

Le parti Orinats Yerkir contrôle les ministères de l’agriculture,
les situations d’urgence et de transport dans le gouvernement actuel
armenien qui seront remplaces par un nouveau cabinet. Bisharian n’a
pas confirme si le parti dirige par Artur Baghdassarian, secretaire du
Conseil national de securite presidentielle, conservera ces fonctions.

Selon les resultats officiels des elections, Orinats Yerkir a
recueilli 5,4% du vote, juste assez pour entrer dans la nouvelle
Assemblee nationale dans le cadre du système de representation
proportionnelle. Il aura 6 sièges sur 131. Le HHK aura 69 sièges
tandis que le BHK en aura 37.

Bisharian a affirme que des dizaines de milliers de membres du parti
Orinats Yerkir ont vendu leurs voix a d’autres partis qu’elle a refuse
de nommer.” Je dois dire qu’un processus assez grave d’achat de votes
a eu lieu. Nos compatriotes n’ont tout simplement pas resister a cette
tentation. C’est certainement malheureux, ce n’est certainement pas
une tragedie. ”

Les dirigeants de l’opposition affirment eux aussi que la pratique
illegale a largement influence le resultat des elections. Le HHK,
quant a lui, nie toujours ces allegations.

CORPSE FOUND IN APARTMENT IN ARMENIA

news.am
May 22, 2012 | 18:40

YEREVAN. – An alarm was received at 2.11 p.m. in Yerevan on Tuesday
that the owner of the apartment does not respond to phone calls and
door bells and rescuers are required.

The rescuers arrived at the site and opened the door, Armenian Ministry
of Emergency Situations informs Armenian News-NEWS.am. The 46-year-old
landowner Sedrak Safaryan’s corpse was found inside. No information
is available on death circumstances.

BAKU RIGHTS ABUSES FOCUS OF NEW WEB SITE

asbarez
Monday, May 21st, 2012

Opposition demonstrator being dragged by Azeri police (photo by
Reuters)

The International Partnership Group for Azerbaijan (the
IPGA), coordinated by Article 19, has launched its Web site,
AzerbaijanFreeXpression.org, and Facebook and Twitter profiles ahead
of this week’s Eurovision Song Competition, which will commence in
Baku on Tuesday, announced Reporters Without Borders.

Looking behind the glitz of Eurovision, the IPGA website examines
the alarming freedom of expression situation in Azerbaijan, where
journalists and others face blackmail, intimidation, violence, and
imprisonment for expressing critical views.

As the stage is set for the 57th Eurovision Song Contest, which
will take place this week in Baku, the Azerbaijani authorities are
working hard to promote a positive image abroad. But at home they
are severely restricting the right to freedom of expression and other
fundamental freedoms.

“As Eurovision approaches, our new website shows that the freedom
of expression situation in Azerbaijan continues to worsen”, said
Article 19 Executive Director, Agnès Callamard. “The broadcast media
is completely dominated by the state, leaving no room for independent
voices. The organizer of Eurovision, the European Broadcasting Union,
must end its policy of silence and hold the Azerbaijani authorities
accountable for their freedom of expression violations.”

“With seven journalists behind bars, Azerbaijan is among the top 10
global jailers of the press,” said CPJ Europe and Central Asia Program
Coordinator Nina Ognianova. “This crackdown comes in the run-up to the
Eurovision Song Contest, which will gather journalists from more than
40 participating countries and fix the world’s eyes on Azerbaijan. The
significant resources official Baku has poured to polish the country’s
image abroad will be meaningless without implementing systematic
reforms to improve press freedom conditions at home. The immediate
and unconditional release of our colleagues would be a good start.”

“In Azerbaijan, journalists become the targets of violence when
they stand up in the face of pressure from the authorities,” said
Reporters Without Borders Director-General Olivier Basille. “These
attacks have created a climate of intimidation that is all the more
frightening because those responsible enjoy complete impunity. The
murders of two journalists remain unsolved due to a lack of political
will. The authorities must take action now to find their killers and
bring them to justice”.

Along with its Web site, the IPGA is launching its Facebook and
Twitter profiles, through which it will provide regular updates on
freedom of expression developments in Azerbaijan.

AZERBAIJANI PARLIAMENT CONDEMNS ANTI-AZERBAIJANI CAMPAIGN IN IRAN

Trend

May 22 2012
Azerbaijan

The Azerbaijani parliament has strongly condemned the anti-Azerbaijani
propaganda which started recently in Iran.

MP from the ruling New Azerbaijan Party (NAP) Mubariz Gurbanli,
touching upon the Eurovision contest, expressed regret that the
Armenian lobby and some Iranian circles are opposed to holding the
contest in Baku.

“We condemn those who organise these anti-Azerbaijani rallies in Iran.

This is a country which calls itself an Islamic one, shouldn’t maintain
friendly relations with Armenia, which sheds the blood of Muslims,
but still continues to be friends. Therefore, I believe that the
rally held by the patriotic Azerbaijani youth of in front of the
Iranian Embassy in Baku, was justified,” Gurbanli said.

The MP also stressed that Iran, being in solidarity with the
country-aggressor Armenia, poses a threat to the security of the
region.

“These actions of Tehran are contrary to the documents signed with
Iran. In addition, Iran has now withdrawn its ambassador from Baku,”
he said. “Recall of an ambassador always has a negative impact on
bilateral relations,” he added.

The Iranian side continues to interfere in the internal affairs of
Azerbaijan, MP Ganira Pashayeva said. She said those in Iran, who
say that the Eurovision contest is contrary to Islam, did not react
on the 20th anniversary of Shusha’s occupation by Armenians.

Public figures that use religious rhetoric as a cover for their
anti-Azerbaijani statements have not reacted to the murder of
Azerbaijanis in Shusha and the destruction by the Armenians in this
city of monuments of Islamic culture, the deputy said.

“No state has a right to interfere in the internal affairs of
Azerbaijan,” she said.

The MP also recalled the arrest of two Azerbaijani poets in Iran and
noted that there is still no information about their arrest. At the
same time she expressed her indignation with the facts when people
travelling for treatment in Iran are taken hostage and exchanged for
smugglers arrested with drugs.

FOREIGN MINISTRY: NATO CHICAGO STATEMENT ON NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFIRMS MORE SUPPORT FOR AZERBAIJAN

Trend
May 22 2012
Azerbaijan

The NATO statement on Nagorno-Karabakh made at the Chicago Summit
has confirmed the support of yet another international organisation
for Azerbaijan, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman Elman
Abdullayev said.

“The fact that the statement was signed by major international
players indicates strong support for Azerbaijan’s just cause in the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,” Abdullayev said.

He said the 47th paragraph of the statement indicates support for
Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.

NATO called on the parties of protracted regional conflicts in South
Caucasus and the Republic of Moldova to avoid steps that undermine
regional security and stability, a declaration of the North Atlantic
Alliance adopted following the Chicago Summit, says.

According to the declaration, the persistence of protracted regional
conflicts in South Caucasus and the Republic of Moldova continues to
be a matter of great concern for NATO.

‘We remain committed in our support of the territorial integrity,
independence, and sovereignty of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and the
Republic of Moldova and will also continue to support efforts towards
a peaceful settlement of these regional conflicts, based upon these
principles and the norms of international law, the United Nations
Charter and the Helsinki Final Act’, the declaration says.

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

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

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

AZERBAIJANI SPEAKER: ANTI-AZERBAIJANI CAMPAIGN IN IRAN RUN BY ARMENIANS

Trend
May 22 2012
Azerbaijan

The ongoing anti-Azerbaijani campaign in Iran is managed by Armenians,
Azerbaijani Parliamentary Speaker Ogtay Asadov said on Tuesday at a
meeting of the parliament.

Prior to such campaigns in Iran, Armenian websites, as a rule,
post announcements. And it says that such campaigns in Iran are run
by Armenians.

“A few years ago at a meeting with Iran’s official representative, I
asked to clarify to whom an item in the Constitution of Iran to assist
the weaker countries applies for. Is it written for Armenia?” I asked.

I was told that it is taken from the Koran. Then I asked whether
the Koran says that it is necessary to help Muslim countries?” the
speaker said.

The speaker also expressed his attitude to the actions of the
opposition in Baku in the days of Eurovision. He said this intention
of the opposition shows its weakness.

Deputy Speaker Bahar Muradova, explaining the reasons for the
anti-Azerbaijani campaign in Iran, said Azerbaijan’s dynamic
development scares some forces in the neighboring country, and makes
them fear that Azerbaijan’s example will be contagious for the 30
million Azerbaijanis living in Iran, and these people will also want
to live in a secular country.

“We are the country that does not change its position for the sake
of interest and events, that’s why Azerbaijan has so many enemies,”
Muradova said.

MP Azay Guliyev said that rather than solve its problems, Iran has
chosen Azerbaijan as a target which deserves condemnation.

The MP also stressed that the most unpleasant thing is that some
Azerbaijanis living in Tabriz are involved in the anti-Azerbaijani
campaign.

“I urge all of our brothers and sisters in Tabriz not to become a
weapon in the hands of the Iranian regime,” he said.

MP Siyavush Novruzov noted that the Iranian ambassador to Azerbaijan
was appointed to strengthen relations between the two countries. But
what an incident: a plate on the embassy says only ‘Embassy of Iran”,
but a host country is not specified.

MP Gudrat Hasanguliyev focused on another aspect of the
anti-Azerbaijani campaign.

“It is strange that in Iran boys are more under supervision, while
in other countries this refers to the girl,” he said.

He recalled that Iran has spread a false report on gay pride parade
in Baku on the eve of Eurovision, but in fact, the MP believes,
if gay pride parade is to be held anywhere, it will be in Iran.

“An official of Iran reported that 25 percent of women in Iran smoke
a hookah. Many women before the marriage lived a “family life”. Such
people have not a right to teach a lesson of morality to Azerbaijan,”
Hasanguliyev said.

The MP also expressed his attitude to the issue of allocation by
the U.S. of funds to the separatist regime of Nagorno-Karabakh. “In
protest it’s necessary to abandon the $ 30 million allocated by the
U.S. for aid to Azerbaijan,” he added.