Author: Mamian George

TURKISH POLICE DETAIN FIVE MORE OVER MURDERS AT CHRISTIAN PUBLISHER

Agence France Presse — English
April 19, 2007 Thursday

Turkish police detained five more suspects in the gruesome murder
of three people at a Christian publishing house in this conservative
eastern city, officials said Thursday.

The latest arrests brough to 10 the number of people in custody for the
killings Wednesday that fuelled fears among Turkey’s tiny Christian
community and raised concerns over religous freedom in this mainly
Muslim country seeking to join the European Union.

The victims, one of them a German, were found tied to chairs with
their throats slit at the Zirve (Summit) publishing house, which is
owned by Turkey’s Protestant community.

Five suspects, including a man who jumped out of a third floor window
to escape capture, were detained at the scene of the crime.

Announcing the arrest of the other five, Malatya Governor Halil Ibrahim
Dasoz gave no details, but said they were all of the same age group —
young men aged 19 and 20.

Turkish newspapers said all the suspects apprehended at the scene were
carrying copies of a letter that read: "We did it for our country. They
are trying to take our country away, take our religion away."

They lived together at a local dormitory run by a religious foundation,
media reports said.

Police have yet to make a statement on the motives for the murders,
but the press Thursday agreed that nationalist and religious zeal
were the likely cause.

"We did not do this for ourselves, but for our religion… Let this be
a lesson to the enemies of our religion," one of the suspects allegedly
said in his testimony, the mass-circulation daily Hurriyet reported.

Several newpapers linked the attack to others against Christian
minorities in Turkey, including the killings of Roman Catholic priest
Andrea Santoro last year and ethnic Armenian journalist Hrant Dink
in January.

Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul described the murders as "an
attack against Turkey’s stability, peace and tradition of tolerance".

"There have been similar attacks in the past," Gul said in Ankara.

"We will certainly take stricter measures."

Speaking to reporters in the southeastern city of Diyarbakir, European
Parliament member Joost Lagendijk said the killings would send Europe
a negative message.

"Europe will perceive the killings to mean that those who attempt to
seek converts to other faiths in Turkey will face a similar fate,"
Lagendijk said. "It is very important for the government to appeal
for the acceptance of different religions and ethnic backgrounds."

The dead were identified named as 46-year-old German Tilman Geske
and Turkish nationals Necati Aydin and Ugur Yuksel.

Aydin was the pastor of the 30-strong Protestant community of Malatya,
Ihsan Ozbek, the chairman of the Alliance of Protestant Churches in
Turkey, told AFP.

Ozbek described Tilman as a "simple member" of the Protestant community
in the city and said both Turks worked for the publishing house.

"The community in Malatya never received any threat," said Ozbek,
who is also the pastor of the Salvation Protestant Church in Ankara.

"There was only one incident in 2005, a protest against the publishing
house."

Media reports said the publisher had been the target of protests by
nationalists accusing it of seeking Christian converts.

Proselytizing is generally viewed with suspicion in Turkey, whose
population is 99 percent Muslim; small Greek Othodox, Catholic,
Armenian and Jewish communities are concentrated mainly in Istanbul.

Turkey is under pressure to guarantee the protection and freedom of
non-Muslim minorities as part of its efforts to join the EU, but a
recent series of attacks has raised concerns that nationalism and
anti-Christian hostility are on the rise.

In February 2006, Father Santoro was shot dead as he prayed in his
church in the northern city of Trabzon. A teenager was convicted of
the murder and jailed for nearly 19 years.

In January, journalist Hrant Dink, a prominent member of Turkey’s
Armenian community, was gunned down in an Istanbul street. A
17-year-old, detained along with 11 other suspected ultra-nationalists,
confessed to the killing.

PLACE OF COMPETITION OF ARMENIAN AND AZERBAIJANI FOOTBALL NATIONAL TEAMS TO BE DETERMINED BY UEFA

Noyan Tapan
Apr 17 2007

YEREVAN, APRIL 17, NOYAN TAPAN. The Congress of Football European
Union (UEFA) will take place on April 18 in the city of Cardiff,
Wales. Among the important issues to be discussed are determination
of the place of two matches of Armenian and Azerbaijani national
teams. The representatives of Armenian and Azerbaijani Football
Federations will not take part in the discussion of the issue, as
the decision will be made by UEFA.

ANONYMITY OF COMPLAINTS SENT TO PUBLIC ANTI-CORRUPTION CENTER OF ARMENIA HOBBLES PRACTICAL HELP

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
April 17 2007

YEREVAN, April 17. /ARKA/. Anonymity of complaints received by Public
Anti-corruption Center of Armenia hobbles practical assistance,
Vladimir Pryakhin, head of OSCE Yerevan Office, said Monday at the
ceremony of the center opening. He said that the only thing anonymous
complainants can get is consultation support.

Greta Mirzoyan, head of Mother of Soldier NGO, in her turn, said that
it is very difficult to produce result by advises.

The center’s aim is to reduce corruption and enhance public awareness
of their rights.

Representatives of 14 NGOs will work at the center and will answer
all the questions received on hot line. Phone: 010 53 16 88.

NEVER-ENDING PROTEST
By Melania Badalian

AZG Armenian Daily
17/04/2007

The most awful of all tragedies in the thousands of years of
human history is genocide. The documentary film "Screamers" is a
manifestation of protest against hideous crime. Yesterday took place
an interview with the director of the film, Karla Karapetian. Her
ancestors were from the Van region of Western Armenia and found refuge
in the USA after the Genocide of 1915.

The "Screamers" is the first documentary about the Armenian Genocide
where it is linked with the next most terrifying human tragedies –
the Holocaust, the genocide of Rwanda, Bosnia and Cambodia.

The film was a success worldwide. The famous Armenian-American rock
band System of a Down from LA, Pulitzer laureate Samantha Power,
"Agos" former editor Hrant Dink, FBI interpreter Sybil Edmonds, head
of Armenian National Committee of America Aram Hambarian nad other
prominent people took active part in the making of the film.

ARMENIAN PROSECUTORS PLEDGE TO COMBAT ELECTION FRAUD
By Emil Danielyan

Radio Liberty, Czech Republic
April 16 2007

Prosecutor-General Aghvan Hovsepian assured on Monday election
observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in
Europe that Armenian law-enforcement authorities will do their best
to counter possible attempts to falsify the results of next month’s
parliamentary elections.

Hovsepian told senior members of the OSCE’s observer mission in Armenia
that he has formed special "working groups" led by senior prosecutors
and tasked with quickly examining and reacting to reports of serious
vote irregularities.

Armenia’s Office of the Prosecutor-General, Police Service and
other law-enforcement bodies have been widely criticized, both
domestically and internationally, for their failure to do so during
the previous elections. There have been virtually no reported cases of
government-connected individuals prosecuted for ballot box stuffing,
voter intimidation and other election-related crimes so far. The
OSCE and the Council of Europe say this has created an atmosphere of
impunity that hampers the proper conduct of future Armenian elections.

"Electoral violations during past elections have never been
satisfactorily investigated and prosecuted," a delegation of
the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly said at the end of a
fact-finding visit to Yerevan late last week. "A climate of impunity
for electoral violations and election related violence can not be
allowed to exist in Armenia."

A statement by the Office of the Prosecutor-General cited Hovsepian as
saying that one of the ad hoc groups will investigate the most serious
instances of reported fraud. Another team will oversee similar efforts
by regional prosecutors and, if necessary, help them press charges
against individuals involved in vote rigging, he said, adding that
the prosecutors will operate in close collaboration with the police
and the National Security Service.

"Taking into consideration the past experience, we have created a
mechanism which we believe will make it easier to ensure an adequate
legal evaluation of possible violations committed during the electoral
process," Hovsepian said, according to the statement.

The chief Armenian prosecutor further assured the OSCE observers that
he is taking "all measures" to rule out his subordinates’ involvement
in the election campaign and "political processes" in general.

The announced anti-fraud measures are bound to be shrugged off by
the Armenian opposition. Opposition leaders have long claimed that
the authorities do not tackle the problem because they themselves
organize and benefit from falsifications.

Western governments, which are pressing hard for the freedom and
fairness of the elections, seem less pessimistic on this score. "We
don’t expect perfection," U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Daniel
Fried said last week in reference to the Armenian government’s handling
of the vote. "We don’t expect to go from deeply flawed to perfect, but
we do expect to see substantial forward progress. That is important."

Developer buys city church

NashuaTelegraph.com (Nashua, New Hampshire)
April 13, 2007

By Albert McKeon, Telegraph Staff

NASHUA – After waiting more than two years to clear legal challenges and
receive necessary religious blessings, a real estate developer has
purchased St. Francis Xavier Church, a building widely viewed as the
architectural jewel of the French Hill neighborhood.

The $1 million sale, finalized in December, officially ends more than a
century of ownership by the Roman Catholic Church. The deal clears the
way for developer Vatche Manoukian to donate the Chandler Street
property to the Armenian Orthodox Church, his attorney Andrew Prolman
said Thursday.

But Manoukian has to wait a year, until Dec. 22, to bequeath the church
to the leaders of his faith, Prolman said. The Internal Revenue Service
requires a year of ownership before Manoukian can transfer the property
as a donation, Prolman said.

`It’s in a holding pattern right now,’ Prolman said. `It’s for tax
purposes, and it also allows the Armenian Orthodox Church to get a
business plan together.’

The sale shouldn’t surprise anyone who has observed the multilayered
deliberations over the towering Norman basilica-style building.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Manchester closed the church in 2003,
citing a dwindling parishioner base, low tithing and the nationwide
clergy shortage. A large group of parishioners initially protested the
shuttering, but it soondiminished in size, with only a small handful of
them in the end.

While the group – known formally as the St. Francis Xavier Church
Foundation – took its protest to court, the Catholic diocese and
Manoukian entered a purchase-and-sales agreement in May 2004. The
parties had tried to conceal Manoukian’s identity on the document, but a
black marker didn’t entirely block off his name.

Manoukian, a landlord and developer, had to wait for the Hillsborough
County Superior Court to resolve the dispute between the diocese and
protesters. The group argued parishioners – and not the diocese – owned
the building because it was their predecessors, French-Canadian
immigrant mill workers, who funded its construction by saving their
nickels and dimes.

The state Supreme Court declined to hear the case in February 2006,
giving Manoukian the green light to buy the property.

But then he had to obtain blessings from three leaders of the Armenian
Orthodox Church, Prolman said. Eventually, the Armenian Orthodox
Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the head of the church in Armenia and the
leader of the Eastern Diocese of America all came on board, he said.

In eventually donating the church, Manoukian has identified a
parishioner base that will make the building a vibrant place of worship,
Prolman said.

Manoukian is the controlling principal of Mile High Real Estate. He has
declined to comment on the transaction for more than two years and
didn’t return a phone call Thursday. Prolman said Manoukian prefers not
to speak publicly about the sale.

The Chandler Street property is assessed at $1.6 million. The purchase
included the church building, an adjacent rectory that had long ago held
classes, a garage, and a parking lot used by BAE Systems, Prolman said.

When the Catholic diocese deliberated the future of the church earlier
in the decade, estimates on repairing the roof and Vermont-marble
exterior walls – both diminished by harsh winters – started at $1.5 million.

Manoukian has allowed a Latino Christian group to meet in the church
basement for some time, Prolman said.

ll/article?AID=/20070413/NEWS01/204130351

The Oregonian (Portland, Oregon)
April 12, 2007 Thursday
Sunrise Edition

Genocide Awareness Week events

by Susan Green, The Oregonian

A Portland group has organized a week of events to educate people
about genocide.

Genocide Awareness Week, put together by the Portland Coalition for
Genocide Awareness, coincides with Holocaust Remembrance Day (April
15), the 32nd anniversary of the Khmer Rouge takeover in Cambodia
(April 17) and the date the Armenian community considers its memorial
day (April 24).

Events are free unless noted. For details, go to

SATURDAY

Kick-off concert/dance: Cassandra Robertson, Eric Schweiterman and
the reggae band Nuborn Tribe. 7:30 p.m., Liberty Hall, 311 N. Ivy St.
All ages. Sliding-scale admission, $10-$20 (no one turned away.)

SUNDAY

Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day: Co-sponsored with the
American Jewish Committee. Reading of Holocaust victims’ names, ages
and birthplaces by public officials, clergy of all faiths and
community members. 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Pioneer Courthouse Square.

Documentaries: "Silence," about the Holocaust, and "The Flute
Player," about Cambodia, followed by discussions. 7 p.m., Portland
Community Media, 2766 N.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

MONDAY

Native American Perspectives on Genocide: 7 p.m., Portland State
University, Native American Student and Community Center, 710 S.W.
Jackson St.

TUESDAY

Speakers and discussion: Chanrithy Him, survivor of the Pol Pot
regime, and Judith Armatta, working on a book about the International
Criminal Court, will speak. Discussion follows. 7 p.m., Smith
Memorial Student Union, Room 338, 1825 S.W. Broadway.

Documentary: "Unrepentant," about the early settlement of Canada. 7
p.m., Proper Eats Market and Cafe, 8638 N. Lombard St.

WEDNESDAY

What is Genocide?: Panel discussion. 11-11:30 a.m., Portland
Community Media, 2766 N.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Watch in
studio or live broadcast on Channel 23.

Speech, music: Mw Aleu Baak of South Sudan talks, with a performance
by Armenian folksinger Mariam Matossian. 7 p.m., St. David of Wales
Episcopal Church, 2800 S.E. Harrison St.

NEXT THURSDAY

Celebration of Survival: An Evening to Inspire: Fundraiser for
Genocide Awareness week at Serrato, 2112 N.W. Kearny. Wine tasting,
silent auction, Armenian music and presentation on Rwanda. 6 p.m.
Tickets: $45 at

APRIL 20

Strategizing for Darfur: Where to Go From Here?: Speech by Ruth
Messinger, president of American Jewish World Service. 3-4:30,
Multnomah County Central Library, U.S. Bank Meeting Room, 801 S.W.
10th Ave.

APRIL 24

Armenian Memorial Day: Father Vazken Movsesian, an Armenian priest
who spent time in Rwanda and Darfur, will speak. 7 p.m., St. Ignatius
of Antioch Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch,4514 S.E. Flavel Drive.

OTHER EVENTS

"Address Unknown": A play set in 1932 about the rise of fascism and
anti-Semitism in Germany. Audience talkbacks after performances
feature Holocaust survivors and scholars. Presented by Readers
Theatre Repertory. Portland Center for Performing Arts. Ticket info:

Khmer Rouge Tribunal Public Forum: Speakers, panels, film showings
and musical performances April 27-28. Sponsored by the Cambodian
American Community of Oregon, 6-9:30 p.m. April 27, Immigrant and
Refugee Community Organization, 10301 N.E. Glisan St. 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
April 28, Portland State University, Smith Memorial Ballroom, 1825
S.W. Broadway,

SUSAN GREEN

AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENT LEADS THE CABINET’S MEETING ON OVERALL RESULTS OF FIRST TERM

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
April 13 2007

Azerbaijan’s President led the Cabinet’s meeting on overall results
of the first term, APA reports. Ilham Aliyev underlined that the
development observed in the country recently continued in the first
term of 2007.

"The amount of GDP rose by 26% in 2005 and 35% in 2006. This figure
was 40% in the first term of 2007. Industrial production increased
39%. Our state policy is social-oriented. Minimum salary increased
by AZN50, pensions by AZN70m 55,000 families involved in the program
of targeted social aid," he said.

Noting that Azerbaijan’s monetary resources are $41bn Ilham Aliyev
said there is social imbalance in the countries rich in oil.

"But as principles of justice and transparency are strictly observed
in Azerbaijan every citizen can make use of oil revenues," he said.

Azerbaijani President noted that Oghuz-Gebele-Baku water pipeline
was also constructed at the expenditure of oil revenues. Azerbaijani
president mentioned important events in the first term of the year,
full capacity operation of Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, transportation
of natural gas from Shah Deniz gas field, signing the contract on
the construction of Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway project.

"All these factors will contribute to Azerbaijan’s image in the region
and international arena," the president said.

President said Armenia’s non-constructive position on the settlement
of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict will surely fail and noted that
negotiations on the settlement of the conflict are being carried out
in the framework of the Prague process.

"Armenians should understand that Nagorno Karabakh will not gain
independence," he said.

Following this, Finance Minister Samir Sahrifov, Economic Development
Minister Heydar Babayev, Taxes Minister Fazil Mammadov, Youth and
Sport Minister Azad Rahimov, Chairman of the Board of the National
Bank Elman Rustamov, president of State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan
Republic (SOCAR) Rovnag Abdullayev reported about the overall results
of the first term of the year.

Azerbaijani President spoke about the existing problems in economic
and social sphere and underlined the importance of paying special
attention to the solution of these problems. He gave orders on
minimizing inflation rate. Touching upon the subjective causes of the
increase of prices, the president linked it with lack of strong rivalry
and existence of monopoly. Ilham Aliyev underlined the necessity of
attaching importance to the development of entrepreneurship.

RESOLUTION PROCLAIMING APRIL 24 AS A DAY OF REMEMBRANCE OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

Arminfo
2007-04-12 13:16:00

The American Delaware state will mark April 24 as a day of remembrance
of the Armenian Genocide, the General Assembly of Delaware resolved,
ANCA told ArmInfo.

Every year Armenians throughout the world honor those who perished
from 1915 to 1923, and all the world’s people should commemorate the
Armenian genocide because it stands as an ugly testament to man’s
inhumanity to man; and it is essential to raise awareness about
this undeniable chapter of world history, as this will further
our understanding of the need to eliminate hatred from our own
communities. One and a half million of men, women, and children of
Armenian descent were victims of the genocide perpetrated by the
Ottoman Empire in 1915 and thereafter. The killing of the Armenian
people was accomplished by the systematic destruction of churches,
schools, libraries, treasures of art, and cultural monuments in an
attempt to eliminate all traces of a noble civilization with a history
of more than 3,000 years.

Now, therefore, be it resolved by the House of Representatives
that April 24 is proclaimed as a day of remembrance of the Armenian
Genocide.

To note, the Secretary of Delaware State shall forward copies of this
resolution to the President of the United States and the members of
the Delaware Congressional delegation.

OPINIONS OF MONITORING ORGANIZATIONS COINCIDE

Panorama.am
16:13 12/04/2007

"Despite methodological differences the results of monitoring of
electronic mass media conducted by our institute, almost coincide with
the data received from other organizations", Alexander Iskandaryan,
Director of Caucasian Media Institue, declared during the meeting
with journalists. To remind, by an order of the Council of Europe in
the pre-election period this organization is conducting a monitoring
of mass media in Armenia.

According to A. Iskandaryan, before the start of the official election
campaign, the monitoring implemented from March 26 to April 6, showed
that from the point of view of coverage, as compared with other parties
the advantage of the Republican Party is general. The Republican
has not been a leader on the air of ALM For clear reasons. Tigran
Karapetyan sets the mood here.

On the air of the remaining five TV companies (Public TV, "Armenia",
"Shant", "Erkir Media", "Center") and two radio companies Public radio
and "Liberty", liable to monitoring, the leader was the Republican
party.

50% of the time of being on air was provided to that party.

Alexander Iskandaryan explains similar results with the circumstance
that the coverage of the political forces in Armenia is oriented to
information. In the words of Alexander Iskandaryan, the preliminary
monitoring was held further, during the election campaign, for
accumulating a basis and experience of holding a monitoring. Within
the coming month the organization will submit the results of its
implemented work to the society. The results will be submitted to
the mass media once in 10 days. "The objective of the observers is to
receive information by applying the scientific method. Nevertheless,
our institute will not analyze the information. The society, more
precisely you – the journalists must make the analysis", he reminded.

Nevertheless, as a result of preliminary monitoring the politician
Iskandaryan as made some conclusions.

"The provided time for political air is too little", he underlined,
saying that in the monitored period total duration of political
programs made up 500,000 seconds. Meantime, in average each TV company
has provided 1.5 hours for coverage of political problems.

We shall remind that recently Boris Navasardyan, President of Yerevan
Press Club, who was engaged in monitoring of the mass media, also
noted that national electronic mass media allot little time for the
coverage of the political problems.