Author: Khondkarian Raffi

Armenian vote protest continues

Story from BBC NEWS:
europe/7272299.stm

Published: 2008/03/01 12:26:01 GMT

Demonstrators in Armenia’s capital, Yerevan, have returned to the
city’s streets hours after police cleared a protest camp from a
central square.

A crowd gathered in the embassy district to continue days of protests
against an allegedly rigged election.

Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian won the 19 February vote against
opposition challenger Levon Ter-Petrosian.

Mr Ter-Petrosian said he was now under house arrest and called for
peaceful protests to continue.

The new protest came after police cleared Freedom Square of a
opposition demonstrators who had been camping there since the election.

Media barred

Scuffles broke out as the police moved in and began forcing the
demonstrators onto buses.

Media were kept away from the square as army lorries took away the
protesters’ tents.

The Armenian authorities had given warnings that the protest was
illegal and threatened to use force to end it.

A police official told TV channel Yerkir Media that some arms and
ammunition were found in the protest camp.

International observers judged the poll in the ex-Soviet Caucasus
republic to be generally democratic.

Official results gave Mr Sarkisian 53% of the vote, with Mr
Ter-Petrosian, a former president, getting 21.5%.

MOST AZERBAIJANIS KEEN TO FIND SHELTER ABROAD PRETEND TO BE ARMENIANS – STATE COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN

TREND Information, Azerbaijan
Feb 29 2008

Azerbaijan, Baku, 29 February / Trend News corr. S.Ilhamgizi /
Most Azerbaijanis keen to find shelter abroad change their names
and surnames and pretend to be Armenians, Nazim Ibrahimov, chairman
of State Committee on Work with Azerbaijanis Reside Abroad, stated
to journalists.

Those persons pretending to be Armenians have stated that their reason
for leaving Azerbaijan is due to the fact that they have experienced
pressure in Azerbaijan due to their national origin.

"People who wish to find shelter abroad to follow their own interests
and have betrayed their state and nation should not return to
Azerbaijan, Ibrahimov said.

An investigation has been launched into cases connected with
falsification of documents.

Ibrahimov stated that there was no political persecution in Azerbaijan
and newly-opened newspaper agencies have included articles of a
critical nature.

FLOUR MILLER LEVON PLAYS HIS USUAL ROLE
by Naira Mamikonyan’s

Aravot, Armenia
Feb 26 2008

On Sunday, 24 February, the Central Election Commission convened an
extraordinary session at which the final results of the presidential
election were announced.

[Passage omitted: details of election result; opposition protests;
some officials back opposition; rumours of crackdown on protests
by authorities]

Start of recount delayed

On 23 February, at the request of the proxies of presidential candidate
Levon Ter-Petrosyan, the electoral commission of the fifth electoral
district was to conduct a recount of votes from polling station
number 5/21.

The acting US ambassador to Armenia, Joseph Pennington, was present
at the recount.

As a reminder, on polling day a fight took place at this polling
station, which is situated in the Yerevan school named after
Shirvanzade. Before the voting started, Ter-Petrosyan’s proxies
discovered that the door of the strongbox was open. In addition,
during the vote count, ballots for Ter-Petrosyan were placed in the
pile of ballots for another candidate. A protocol was drafted, but
it was not recorded in the register.

Before the start of the recount, in which the representative of
the Heritage party [which backed Ter-Petrosyan in the election] in
the Central Electoral Commission, Zoya Tadevosyan, and MPs from the
Heritage and Orinats Yerkir [Law-Governed Country] factions were to
participate, it turned out the register of electoral commission No
5 had disappeared. Then the commission chairman pretended to be sick
and went to see a doctor and didn’t return.

The beginning of the recount process had already been delayed for
several hours. In the end, after it had been decided to open the
sack with ballots, 10 well-built men entered the building, as well
as high-ranking officers from the Mashtots and Davitashen district
police departments of the capital. They demanded that the vote recount
process should be suspended until the arrival of a representative of
the Prosecutor-General’s Office. They said that they had received a
signal from an unidentified person that a crime had been committed
in the electoral commission building.

Journalists locked out from recount

As we [Aravot journalists] arrived at the building of electoral
commission No 5, MP Levon Sargsyan (also known as Alrahaci [Flour
Miller] Levik) also arrived at the "scene of the crime" with his
skinhead bodyguards. Sargsyan entered the premises unhindered, as
did the journalists.

At that moment, the atmosphere in the corridor of the electoral
commission was already supercharged with more than 30 people present
(mostly police officers in plain clothes), with MPs from the Orinats
Yerkir and the Heritage factions, as well as Levon Sargsyan’s
bodyguards and [Prime Minister] Serzh Sargsyan’s assistant Levon
Martirosyan.

With the aid of the police officers, Levon Sargsyan’s bodyguards
locked the door of the commission’s room and stood on guard, waiting
till the MP finished resolving his issues.

Behind the door, people were arguing loudly. The police officers,
bodyguards and the prime minister’s assistant did their best to
prevent the journalists from entering the commission’s room to be
present during the vote recount, receiving explanations regarding the
situation, and taking photos and videos of what was happening in the
corridor, including a fight with the participation of MPs.

Bodyguards brawl with journalists

Eventually, a young woman, who introduced herself as an observer
but who nonetheless remained in the corridor all the time giving
instructions, opened the door of the room where the commission was
sitting, and taking us for correspondents from the First TV Channel
[Public TV] invited us to make a report on how MP [Zaruhi] Postanjyan
[of Heritage] allegedly makes orders.

After we entered, the girl understood that she had invited in the wrong
people, and tried to force us out. A brawl started. It was provoked by
Alrahaci Levik, who threw a plastic bottle at the photo correspondent
of the Chorrord Ishkhanutyun and Aravot newspapers, Gagik Shamshyan.

The MP swore and expressed dissatisfaction with the fact that he was
being photographed. This was the signal for action for Sargsyan’s
gang. In the presence of the police officers, the commission room
was turned upside down. An attempt was made to take the camera from
Shamshyan. At the same time, all the other journalists were pushed
out of the room. Shamshyan’s camera and an A1+ [TV channel] video
camera were broken. The videocassette was removed from the latter.

The MPs, Central Election Commission member Zoya Tadevosyan and
Ter-Petrosyan’s proxies left the electoral commission together with
the journalists. After our departure, the police officers inspected
the "scene of the crime", drafted a protocol, sealed the sack with
ballots and sent it to the investigation department.

According to Aravot’s information, materials for a criminal case
against Zoya Tadevosyan are being prepared based on the fact she did
not have the right to open the sack with ballots.

FOUR ARMENIAN MPS DENY JOINING OPPOSITION
by Margarit Yesayan’s

Aravot
Feb 26 2008
Armenia

We are not to go from one camp to another and

Four out of seven MPs announce that they were with Serzh Sargsyan
and continue to stay by his side

During a rally last Friday [22 February] MP Miasnik Malkhasyan
announced that seven MPs – Manvel Ghazaryan, ArmenMkhitaryan, Hrant
Grigoryan, and Seyran Saroyan of the [ruling] Republican Party of
Armenia faction, as well as KaroKarapetyan and Tigran Stepanyan of the
Prosperous Armenia Party, and an independent MP, Rustam Gasparyan –
had joined[former Armenian President Levon] Ter-Petrosyan.

Yesterday, out of the abovementioned persons Seyran Saroyan,
ManvelGhazaryan and Rustam Gasparyan did not come to the parliament
and did not answer phone calls. Instead their othercolleagues have
answered Aravot daily’s questions.

Armen Mkhitaryan (the Republican Party of Armenia): "We have
announced that we are with the people and continue to be by the
people’s side. Our words are being interpreted in different ways,
but no-one has the right todisseminate lies on our behalf. We want
everything to pass off normally, we want no bloodshed."

Mkhitaryan was unwell yesterday and the conversation was held on
the phone.

Hrant Grigoryan (the Republican Party of Armenia)

[Correspondent] Is it true that you have joined Levon Ter-Petrosyan?

[Grigoryan] Of course, it is not true. No-one, especially Levon
[Ter-Petrosyan] and Miasnik [Malkhasyan], has theright to make
statements on my behalf, as if I had joined them. I have not quit
the Republican Party of Armenia and haveno intention to do so.

[Correspondent] Why was your name mentioned among those who have
quit? Was it because of Gen Manvel Grigoryan?(Editor’s note: The
general is the MP’s uncle.) [Manvel Grigoryan is a deputy defence
minister who was allegedto have joined the opposition, which was
denied later.]

[Grigoryan] No, the general is in his place, there are no problems
related to him. Simply, Manvel Ghazaryan must havecalled upon people:
Dear people, we call upon you to be calm, to go home, this issue
needs to be solved in a peacefulway. This was what needed to be said.

I repeat that I gave no right either to Levon or to Miasnik to make
statements on my behalf, as if I had joined him. The proof of my
words is that on 19 February, on the election day, [Republican Party
candidate] Serzh Sargsyan won in electoral precinct No 30, for which
I was responsible, and it could not have beenanother way. No-one has
the right today to doubt my honesty, moreover my faction colleagues,
if someone doubts, let themcheck the results at their precinct and
at mine as well.

[Correspondent] Who do you mean specifically?

[Grigoryan] All those who can think that I played a double game or
had an intention to support Levon, I made mychoice on 19 February and
said my word. We backed Serzh Sargsyan, and now I do not understand
when they say that theybacked Ter-Petrosyan, if we really backed him,
we would have done this on 19 February and not on the 24th or 23rd.

Karo Karapetyan (the Prosperous Armenia party)

[Correspondent] Were you in the list of the people who joined
Ter-Petrosyan?

[Karapetyan] I do not understand who provides this information, what
Levon says by himself, or what Miasnik says. No such thing exits,
I am from the Prosperous Armenia party [which is a member of the
governing coalition], I am a memberof the Prosperous Armenia party, I
backed Serzh Sargsyan and will back him today, and 78 per cent of our
village votedfor Sargsyan – 2,000 people in all. I can tell one thing
only, what Manvel [Ghazaryan] said was let’s announce thatwe are by
the side of the people, so that the people disperse. So we announced
that – people, we are your supporters, gohome, this issue will be
solved peacefully. I cannot tell what Levon Ter-Petrosyan said himself.

Our faction held a session before the election and the chairman of
our party, Gagik Tsarukyan, clearly announced thatwe support Serzh
Sargsyan, and we supported Serzh Sargsyan. Today if Levon says that
some members of the ProsperousArmenia Party have come and joined
them, let them say who specifically. No such thing exists in reality,
it suits themto cheat people.

Tigran Stepanyan (the Prosperous Armenia party)

[Correspondent] Your name was also in the list of the people who
joined Ter-Petrosyan.

[Stepanyan] Not only our names were mentioned, the names of many people
were announced, which does not correspond to reality. We have denied,
this did not happen; we have always backed Serzh Sargsyan.

I am responsible for electoral precinct No 16, I am the head of Serzh
Sargsyan’s campaign headquarters, and Irepeat that no complaints
were submitted to us, the election was fair and Serzh Sargsyan was
elected. We have proved whowe are, we are not the ones who go from
one camp to another.

ARMENIAN RULING PARTY SPOKESMAN HAILS COALITION GOVERNMENT PLANS

Mediamax
February 28, 2008
Armenia

Yerevan, 28 February: The spokesman for the [ruling] Republican Party
of Armenia (RPA), Eduard Sharmazanov, stated today that by offering
cooperation to the opposition, the elected president of the republic,
Serzh Sargsyan, proved that "he puts the future of Armenia above his
own ambitions".

Speaking at a news conference in Yerevan today, Eduard Sharmazanov
stated that "the most productive way for Armenia is to form a coalition
government", Mediamax reports.

According to him, the leaders of the Dashnaktsutyun and National
Unity parties have expressed their readiness to discuss cooperation
with the RPA. The RPA representative also said that the coalition
with Dashnaktsutyun has already proved its productiveness.

Eduard Sharmazanov added that the formation of a coalition government
is being discussed by the Orinats Yerkir Party as well.

"For us power is not an end in itself, but a means of solving problems
facing Armenia, and all constructive forces should close ranks for
that," Eduard Sharmazanov stated, noting that "if there is discord
between representatives of various political forces, they should not
be personal, but ideological ones".

RA POLICE WARNING

AZG Armenian Daily
29/02/2008

Post-election

Armenian Police made a statement that says, "Despite numerous warnings,
presidential candidate Levon Ter-Petrosyan and his supporters have been
holding unsanctioned rallies, processions and sit-down strikes for
7 days. RA Police appeals to the demonstrators to stop the unlawful
actions, not to violate the public order and disturb the citizens’
peace, and not to break the natural activity of Yerevan. The Police is
full of resoluteness and intends to protect the constitutional order
and public security in the country within the authority stipulated
by the law".

EU SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE TO ARRIVE IN YEREVAN TODAY FOR DISCUSSING THE POST-ELECTION SITUATION

Mediamax
February 27, 2008

Yerevan /Mediamax/. Special Representative of the European Union in
the South Caucasus Peter Semneby will arrive in Yerevan today for
discussing the post-election situation.

Mediamax reports that it is planned that Peter Semneby will hold a
number of meetings with the representatives of Armenian authorities
and the opposition.

ELECTED PRESIDENT OF ARMENIA: "THE MOST UNACCEPTABLE FOR ME IS THE BEHAVIOR OF CERTAIN BATTLE FRIENDS OF MINE"

Mediamax
February 26, 2008

Yerevan /Mediamax/. Elected President of Armenia Serzh Sarkisian
stated today that "the most unacceptable for me is the behavior of
certain battle friends of mine, who were misled by the Satan by its
promises and slander".

Mediamax reports that Serzh Sarkisian said this during today’s rally
at the Republic Square.

"Duplicity, unfounded claims, ungrounded demands – all those phenomena
are unacceptable for me. Although with pain in my heart, I always,
not doubting for a second, have been putting and will continue putting
in their place the people, who trespass all the limits, who have lost
the sense of reality, irrespective of the battle way they have behind,
the ranks they have been conferred and the awards. Armenia’s interests
are above everything else", Serzh Sarkisian stated.

Armenian National Committee
47 Nichols Avenue
Watertown MA 02472
617-926-1890
[email protected]

PRESS RELEASE:
February 26, 2008

For information contact:
617-347-2833

Massachusetts Armenian American Community Urges State Agency to End
its Endorsement of ADL’s No Place for Hate Program

Watertown, MA – Massachusetts Armenian American organizations today
urged the Massachusetts Municipal Association (MMA) to end its
endorsement of the Anti Defamation League’s (ADL) No Place for Hate
program.

In an open letter, over thirty Armenian American organizations from
across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts called on the MMA to rescind
its `endorsement of the No Place for Hate (NPFH) program due to the
ADL’s refusal to unambiguously acknowledge the Armenian Genocide and
its continued active opposition to US recognition of the Genocide.’
See full text of letter below.

The letter praised the MMA for urging the Anti Defamation League last
September to `remain true to its own mission and fully and
unequivocally acknowledge the Armenian Genocide and express support
for U.S. recognition of the Armenian Genocide’ but declared that `as
human rights organization and especially as an organization that
sponsors tolerance education programs in our communities, the ADL is
expected to speak with absolute moral clarity about genocide and its
denial. As it stands, the ADL’s August 21 statement with its
convoluted and irresolute language remains the ADL’s official
statement on the Armenian Genocide.’

The Armenian American community letter to the MMA comes just one month
after the MMA held its annual meeting and elected a new board of
directors.

`Despite repeated calls, the ADL has refused to recognize the Armenian
Genocide, and as such, has lost the moral authority as a human rights
organization, stated Herman Purutyan, Massachusetts state chair for
the Armenian Assembly of America. `We urge the Massachusetts Municipal
Association to join our communities and sever its ties with the No
Place For Hate program, as long as the program is tainted by Genocide
denial."

`The MMA took a principled stand in September by calling on the ADL to
do what so many of us hoped it would: unequivocally acknowledge the
Armenian Genocide and end its active opposition to Congressional
affirmation of the Genocide,’ stated Sharistan Melkonian of the
Armenian National Committee. `The ADL sadly fell short of its
responsibilities as a human rights organization and we now look to the
MMA to do the only right thing: end its endorsement of a program
sponsored by an organization which engages in genocide denial.’

According to the MMA’s website, the No Place for Hate program was
created by the Anti Defamation League in partnership with the
Massachusetts Municipal Association `to provide communities with a
solid framework for promoting an inclusive environment while fighting
all forms of hate and bigotry.’

Last September the MMA passed a resolution calling on the ADL to
`support the Congressional [Armenian Genocide] Resolution.’ In a
letter to local No Place for Hate communities the MMA stated that it
had `issued a strong and unequivocal statement on the importance of
recognizing the Armenian Genocide and supporting passage of the
Congressional Resolution.’ The letter also affirmed that the MMA
`called on the national ADL organization to do the same’ and concluded
by stating that it would `review and monitor this matter, recognizing
that while progress has been made,’ the MMA would `re-evaluate our
official sponsorship of NPFH after the national ADL determines whether
to adopt this position.’

Background

The ADL has for many years refused to acknowledge that the systematic
massacre of 1.5 million Armenians between 1915 and 1923 was
genocide. To make matters worse, the ADL has actively engaged in
efforts to oppose Congressional affirmation of the Armenian Genocide.

Only after intense pressure which started in Watertown Massachusetts
last summer did the national ADL issue a statement on August 21, 2007
which referring to the events of 1915-1918, declared, `The
consequences of those actions were indeed tantamount to genocide.’
Aside from the fact that the Armenian Genocide began in 1915 and
continued through 1923, the statement was not a full, unequivocal
acknowledgement of the Armenian Genocide.

Not only was the qualifier `tantamount’ inappropriate, but the use of
the word `consequences’ circumvented the international legal
definition of genocide by avoiding any language that would imply
intent, a crucial aspect of the 1948 UN Genocide Convention
definition.

The ADL convened its national meeting in New York City in early
November at which time the issue of the Armenian Genocide was
discussed.

Upon conclusion, a one sentence press statement was issued that `The
National Commission of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today, at its
annual meeting, decided to take no further action on the issue of the
Armenian genocide.’

F or complete information about the ADL controversy surrounding the
Armenian Genocide visit

####

Open Letter from the Armenian American Community
to the Massachusetts Municipal Association

February 26, 2008

Massachusetts Municipal Association
One Winthrop Square
Boston MA 02110

Dear Chairman Tobey and Members,

We write to you in light of the November 2007 decision of the
Anti-Defamation League (ADL) `to take no further action’ regarding its
policy on the Armenian Genocide and respectfully urge you to rescind
your endorsement of the No Place for Hate (NPFH) program due to the
ADL’s refusal to unambiguously acknowledge the Armenian Genocide and
its continued active opposition to US recognition of the Genocide.

Last September the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Municipal
Association (MMA) wrote to the ADL asking the ADL to remain true to
its own mission and fully and unequivocally acknowledge the Armenian
Genocide and express support for U.S. recognition of the Armenian
Genocide.

Upon conclusion of its National Commissioners meeting in early
November, however, the ADL issued a one sentence press statement
declaring that, `The National Commission of the Anti-Defamation League
(ADL) today, at its annual meeting, decided to take no further action
on the issue of the Armenian genocide.’

As a human rights organization and especially as an organization that
sponsors tolerance education programs in our communities, the ADL is
expected to speak with absolute moral clarity about genocide and its
denial. As it stands, the ADL’s August 21 statement with its
convoluted and irresolute language remains the ADL’s official
statement on the Armenian Genocide.

While the achievements of the NPFH program and the hard work of its
members should be applauded, their work has been compromised by the
policies of the ADL which has failed to live up to the standards not
only of its own mission to `secure justice and fair treatment for all
citizens alike’ but also of a human rights organization by its
position on the Armenian Genocide. In addition, by not distancing
itself from this position and instead publicly stating that their
position is now one and the same with that of the National, the New
England ADL has disappointingly retreated from the principled position
it took in August.

The Belmont Human Rights Commission said it best: `ADL and the No
Place for Hate program emphasize that the `tip of the pyramid of
hatred’ is genocide. How can we, in good faith, ask our community to
work at the base of this same pyramid while the No

Place for Hate sponsor is actively working against congressional,
international recognition of the Armenian genocide?’ (September 6,
2007)

We respectfully ask that you rescind your endorsement of the No Place
for Hate program due to the ADL’s refusal to unambiguously acknowledge
the Armenian Genocide and continued active opposition to US
recognition of the Genocide.

Sincerely,

Armenian Assembly of America
Armenian Church of the Holy Translators (Framingham, MA)
Armenian Church of the Martyrs (Worcester, MA)
Armenian Church of Our Savior (Worcester, MA)
Armenian Democratic Liberal Organization
Armenian General Benevolent Union
Armenian General Benevolent Union Young Professionals
Armenian Independent Broadcasting of Boston
Armenian Mirror Spectator Weekly
Armenian National Committee
Armenian Relief Society Cambridge Shushi Chapter
Armenian Relief Society Worcester Knar Chapter
Armenian Relief Society Lola Sassouni Chapter
Armenian Relief Society Lowell Lousintak Chapter
Armenian Revolutionary Federation
The Armenian Weekly
Armenian Youth Federation Worcester Aram Chapter
Armenian Youth Federation Greater Boston Chapter
First Armenian Church (Belmont, MA)
Hairenik Weekly
Hamazkayin Boston Chapter
Holy Cross Armenian Catholic Church (Belmont, MA)
Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church (Worcester, MA)
Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church of Greater Boston (Cambridge, MA)
Homenetmen Greater Boston Chapter
National Association for Armenian Studies and Research
North Andover Sasoun Armenian Youth Federation
Project SAVE Armenian Photograph Archives
Social Democratic Hunchakian Party
St. Gregory Church of Merrimack Valley (North Andover, MA)
St. James Armenian Apostolic Church (Watertown, MA)
St. Stephen’s Armenian Apostolic Church (Watertown, MA)
Sts. Vartanantz Armenian Church (Chelmsford, MA)
Tekeyan Cultural Association Boston Chapter

"REGRESS RECORDED IN RA PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS IN TERMS OF FREE IDEOLOGICAL COMPETITIVE STRUGGLE," CHAIRMAN OF YEREVAN PRESS CLUB BELIEVES

Noyan Tapan
Feb 25, 2008

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 25, NOYAN TAPAN. The Yerevan Press Club and "Team"
Research Center have carried out an observation of the coverage of the
RA 2008 presidential elections in broadcast mass media of Armenia in
two stages by the assistance of the Open Society Institute. As Boris
Navasardian, the Chairman of the Yerevan Press Club, mentioned at
the press conference held on February 25, irrespective of the fact
that the coverage of mass media has been balanced in terms of the
time and attention given to the candidates, not all of them provided
equal conditions in terms of contents.

Boris Navasardian mentioned that according to the observation of the
Yerevan Press Club, RA presidential candidate Serge Sargsian has been
covered by almost all the media mainly in a positive context. And the
materials covering the campaign of Levon TEr-Petrosian were mainly
in a negative context.

In the words of Boris Navasardian, campaigns in Armenia last at least
6-7 months for the past years and this in case when, all in all,
1 month and 28 days are envisaged by law. Here, according to him,
an inadmissible situation is created, when propaganda without any
rules and regulation is taking place for months. Touching upon the
Public TV and Radio, Boris Navasardian mentioned that the latters
worked as partial media made political during the previous months.

In the estimation of the Chairman of the Yerevan Press Club, not
progress but regress was recorded in these elections in terms of
the development of the culture of public policy, free debates, and
free ideological competitive struggle. He reminded that numerous
TV companies, as well as radio waves have tried to organize debates
between the candidates, which, however, have failed.