Author: Karakhanian Suren

AGAIN INJUSTICE WON IN THE JUDICIAL SYSTEM OF ARMENIA

ArmRadio.am
01.06.2006 16:17

RA Court of Appeal sentenced three 20-year-old young men Razmik
Sargsyan, Araik Zalyan and Musa Serobyan to life imprisonment. The
young people are charged with murdering fellow servicemen.

To remind, the accident occurred in 2003. First Instance Court of
Syunik marz charged the three soldiers with murder and sentenced
them to 15 years imprisonment. Disagreeing with the verdict they were
keeping a hunger strike for several months. They were assuring they
are in no way related to the crime.

Nevertheless, this fact was taken into consideration neither by the
First Instance Court nor by the Court of Appeal. Currently their
health condition is extreme. Law enforcers and attorneys said today
that parents of the killed soldiers also disbelieve that the murder
was carried out by the three young men.

“The investigation of this case at the Court of Appeal came to an
end, and again injustice won in the judicial system of Armenia,”
said Avetik Ishkhanyan, President of the “Helsinki” Committee.

According to Ishkhanyan, the Court based on the testimony of one of
the defendants only and cast a life sentence without considering the
most essential principles of trial.

“The Judge presiding over the hearing at the Court of Appeal solely
rejected all the mediations of the defense side,” said defender of
Razmik Sargsyan’s interests, attorney Zaruhi Postanjyan.

The attorneys assure they will apply both the Constitutional Court
and the European Court. They still hope to retrieve the justice.

AZERI PM RECEIVES PARTICIPANTS OF THE 50TH MEETING OF COUNCIL OF CIS DMS

AzerTag, Azerbaijan
May 31 2006

Premier of Azerbaijan Artur Rasizade on 31 May received participants of
the 50th anniversary meeting of the Council of CIS Defense Ministers.

Head of the Azerbaijan Government, noting the contacts established
among numerous departments in the frame of Commonwealth, assessed
activity of the Council of Defense Ministers as one of the necessary
element in cooperation within CIS structures.

Prime Minister of Azerbaijan, speaking on the Armenia-Azerbaijan,
Nagorno Karabakh conflict, stressed deconstructive position of Armenia
in this question. He said Azerbaijan adheres peaceful settlement of
the conflict in the frame of international law, ensuring territorial
integrity of country.

Chairman of Council of CIS Defense Ministers, Deputy Premier of
Russian Federation, defense minister Sergey Ivanov expressed gratitude
to the Azerbaijani side for well-organized meeting of the Council
and informed the Premier of Azerbaijan on the questions of Agenda,
reached agreements, including the planned joint exercises in 2007.

ARMENIA NOT TO TAKE PART IN MEETING OF CIS DEFENCE MINISTERS
by Tigran Liloyan

ITAR-TASS News Agency
May 30, 2006 Tuesday

Armenia will not take part in the meeting of the Council of the CIS
Defence Ministers due in Baku on May 31.

The Azerbaijani authorities failed to provide guarantees of ensuring
the security of the Armenian delegation, a source at the Armenian
Defence Ministry said.

“This fact once again proves that Azerbaijan is unable to fulfill its
obligations and guarantee security to participants in an international
event it will host,” the source said.

The Armenian Defence Ministry hopes for an official reaction from
the Council of the CIS Defence Ministers.

AZERI MPS DISSATISFIED WITH US FOREIGN POLICY

ArmRadio.am
31.05.2006 14:46

Azeri Deputies are dissatisfied with the US foreign policy. Azeri
media report that corresponding opinions were voiced during the
Parliamentary sitting yesterday. According to the source, MP Ganira
Pashaeva declared that Milli Mejlis intends to express complaint
to Washington over providing assistance to Nagorno-Karabakh by US
Congress. In the Deputy’s words, id the US considers Azerbaijan
its ally, then how can it provide assistance to “Nagorno-Karabakh
separatists?” At the same time she considers that the US may provide
assistance to separatists of Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Transnistria.

“Nevertheless, year by year official Washington is increasing its
financial assistance to Nagorno-Karabakh,” she noted. In Ganira
Pashaeva’s opinion, this step of the United States is an expression
of negative attitude towards Armenia.

“Milli Mejlis should bring the issue to the US Congress. We should
demand maintaining parity in the military assistance to Azerbaijan and
Armenia and suspending provision of assistance to Nagorno-Karabakh,”
Pashaeva underlined.

KARABAKH AND CYPRIOT CONFLICTS MAY BE SETTLED WITH

Yerkir
31.05.2006 15:27

YEREVAN (YERKIR) – Russia’s position is to watch and comprehend the
Cypriot and Karabakh conflicts, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Ivanov
told reporters in Turkey.

“These conflicts can hardly be compared but they both can be settled
with the consent of sides only. Russia not only watches the Karabakh
and Cypriot conflicts but also assists in international efforts for
their settlement.

In case with Nagorno Karabakh – within the OSCE Minsk Group framework,
in case with Cyprus – within the U.N. Security Council. In both cases
our efforts are targeted at maintenance of direct dialogue in order
to find a mutually admissible result.

The RF Foreign Minister underscored that Russia promotes development
of contacts between Northern and Southern Cyprus, first of in
the humanitarian sector, and stands for normalization of economic
interaction between the two parts of the island.

“Practice proves that contacts of the kind improve the atmosphere of
the talks and strengthen trust. The common economic space of Cyprus
should serve a basis for the further political settlement,” he said,
reported the department of press and information of the Russian MFA.

WHAT WILL COME OUT OF OPPOSITION’S EFFORT?

Lragir.am
26 May 06

There would be a political crisis in Armenia only if the National
Assembly gave a vote of no confidence to the government, said Gurgen
Arsenyan, the leader of the Unite Labor Faction on May 26 during the
parliamentary briefing. He told news reporters that a home political
force majeure would occur only in this case.

`There is no other measurement because there is the following. Today
there is a parliamentary majority, if we use the term. There is no
political `perhaps,’ there is no coalition `perhaps.’ Note that there
is a constructive or parliamentary majority. The parliamentary
majority is able to organize and carry out legislative activities. The
legislative body is productive and effective.’

If the parliament is not raising the question of a vote of no
confidence, there is no political crisis, thinks Gurgen Arsenyan. He
does not know whether the opposition will take this step or not,
however, Arsenyan says, the opposition may try. Let us see what will
come our of this, says the leaderof the ULP.

A320 BLACK BOXES SENT TO MOSCOW

Kommersant, Russia
May 25 2006

The second black box of the A320 jet that crashed on May 2 outside
Sochi was retrieved in the Black Sea yesterday. Experts of the
Interstate Aviation Committee are to start deciphering the data of the
recorders soon. However, the head of the committee, Tatyana Anodina
doubted that the data in the black boxes were kept intact.

Igor Levitin, Russian transportation minister and head of the committee
investigating the crash, Tatyana Anodina, head of the Interstate
Aviation Committee, and Armenian Ambassador to Russian Armen Sumbatian
went to Sochi yesterday to meet members of the search expedition. The
operation to retrieve the two flight recorders of the A320 lasted 20
days but finished with a success, as Igor Levitin said. The audio
recorder was found and retrieved on Monday. The parameter recorder
was located on Tuesday night and lifted from the Black Sea on early
Wednesday morning. The operation was complicated as the black boxes
were covered with a thick layer of sediments and experts first doubted
that they would manage to locate and hoist the recorders.

Chairperson of the Interstate Aviation Committee Tatyana Anodina
told the press that the audio recorder will be deciphered in Moscow,
contrary to earlier reports that the black boxes will be sent to
Airbus’ specialists in France. Ms. Anodina remarked that there are
chances that the data in the boxes was lost. “The parameter recorder
is intact, but the audio recorder may be in a bad state. The magnetic
film was damaged by the aggressive sea medium and mechanical effects,”
she said.

Experts hope to discover the cause of the crash with the help of the
data in the recorder. A participant of the operation supposed that
the plane probably crashed following the loss of aerodynamic qualities.

BLOODLESS WEAPON FOR THE CONFLICT SETTLEMENT

A1+
[08:55 pm] 25 May, 2006

“I see Armenia’s face in Haik. His work promotes the activity of
the country. Such books are proper and bloodless weapons,” said
the first Ombudsman Larisa Alaverdyan today in the hotel “Yerevan”
during Haik Demoyan’s monograph presentation titled “Turkey and the
Karabakh conflict.”

The book which is published in Russian is a historical comparative
analysis of 20-21 years. According to Haik Demoyan, the author of
the book, the monograph is an analysis of the Turkish position on
the Karabakh conflict and views the conflict in the framework of the
regional security and Armenian – Turkish relations.

The sources of the book are multiple. The author made use of Armenian,
Russian, English, French and Turkish sources and on their grounds
he revealed that Turkey had a negative impact on the conflict
peaceful settlement. Haik Demoyan noted, “Azerbaijan and Turkey had
an aggressive position towards NKR and Armenia regardless of many
international agreements and liabilities.’

The conclusions of the author are as follows; by the act of proclaiming
a country named “Aderbaijan” in 1918 Turkey paved a way for the
emergence of the Karabakh conflict, and now Turkey is one of the
conflict sides taking into account the policy of the country and not
a participant of the conflict.

The book was published with the financial support of the RA Defense
Ministry. Arthur Aghabekyan, deputy Defense Minister noted that
their cooperation has started long ago and added that the book will
be translated into Armenian as well.

By the way, Haik Demoyan is the author of 4 monographs and about 40
scientific articles.

“JUSTICE” FACTION BEGINS COLLECTING SIGNATURES FOR ESTABLISHMENT OF WORKING GROUP FOR STUDY OF SITUATION IN ARMENIAN AVIATION

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
May 24 2006

YEREVAN, May 24. /ARKA/. “Justice” oppositional parliamentary faction
has begun collecting signatures for establishment of a working group
for study of the situation in the Armenian aviation and organization
of parliamentary hearings. According to the information provided by
the Secretary of “Justice” faction Viktor Dallakyan 20 signatures
form required 44 are already collected.

He said parliamentary opposition has not once offered to create
a working group for study of the situation in the Armenian civil
aviation; however proposals were continually rejected.

“In the present situation especially in the light of crash of the
A-320 Armenian liner near Sochi on May 3, opposition will insist
on formation of a working group and holding special parliamentary
hearings, presumably on June 12”, Dallakyan said.

Driver charged in school festival crash that injured 13

The Detroit News
May 24, 2006

By Joe Menard

SOUTHFIELD — The Troy man accused of plowing his minivan into a
festival crowd Sunday, injuring 13 people, has been charged with 28
felonies and could spend the rest of his life in prison.

Timothy Hall Buss, 34, was arraigned Wednesday morning in 46th
District Court and faces 13 counts of felony assault with the intent
to murder, 13 counts of felony assault with a dangerous weapon, one
felony count of leaving the scene of an accident and one charge of
malicious destruction of property. His bond was set at $1.3
million. The penalties for the most serious charges range up to life
in prison.

Buss, dressed in blue jeans and an untucked red button-down shirt,
stood mute as Judge Susan M. Moiseev read the charges against him. He
requested a court-appointed attorney.

Police say nine children and four adults were injured when Buss’ 1994
Plymouth Grand Voyager drove into a crowd at around 2 p.m. Sunday at
an outdoor event at the Alex Manoogian School at St. John’s Armenian
Church.

One woman suffered a crushed pelvis and is still hospitalized, but
none of the injuries is believed to be life threatening. School
officials said five of the six students injured have returned to
school.

Buss’ preliminary exam conference has been set for 8:30 a.m. May 31,
and the preliminary exam is set for 9:30 a.m. June 2.

You can reach Joe Menard at (248) 647-7429 or [email protected].

pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060524/UPDATE/605240435