Author: Maral Chavushian

‘I couldn’t have imagined a more ridiculous accusation’: Armenian opposition activist released

Maral Chavushian
Panorama, Armenia

Jan 11 2021
 
 
Arsen Babayan from the opposition Homeland Party was released after being detained by police on Monday morning on his way to join other opposition activists in an attempt to prevent Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s trip to Moscow for a meeting with the Russian and Azerbaijani leaders.
 
“I was told at the police station that I was suspected of carrying out an act of arrogation under the Criminal Code. I couldn’t have imagined a more ridiculous accusation,” he wrote on Facebook.
 
“As soon as they were told at the police that the scoundrel traitor [referring to Nikol Pashinyan] had passed through dignified citizens and fled the country through the efforts of police and the National Security Service troops, they set me free,” Babayan said, decrying his detention.
 

Implementation of Moscow agreements can change the economic prospects of the region – Pashinyan

Maral Chavushian

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 19:48, 11 January, 2021

YEREVAN, JANUARY 11, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan highlighted the joint statement on the development of the region signed with the leaders of Russia and Azerbaijan in Moscow on January 11.

ARMENPRESS reports  in a briefing following the meeting with the Presidents of Russia and Azerbaijan the Armenian PM said that the implementation of the agreements enshrined in the joint statement can change the economic prospect of the region. According to him, the new economic situation can lead to more security guarantees.

‘’We are ready to make constructive efforts in that direction. I think it’s not possible to solve all the issues during one meeting, but I hope we will move forward. At the moment, the humanitarian issues remain priority, particularly, the exchange of war prisoners provided by our November 9 declaration’’, Pashinyan said.

Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan




Asbarez: Jan. 11 Moscow Statement Ignores Needs of Armenian Side, Says EAFJD

Maral Chavushian

January 15,  2020



From left: Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at a joint press briefing in Moscow on Jan. 11

BRUSSELS—The statement issued at the end of the meeting between Vladimir Putin, Ilham Aliyev and Nikol Pashinyan in Moscow on January 11 ignores the needs of the Armenian side and deepens the uncertainly concerning its security.

The European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy (EAFJD) expresses its deepest concerns over the outcome of this tripartite meeting which failed to achieve any progress regarding paragraph 8 of the ceasefire document of 9. November 2020 i.e. the release of the Armenian Prisoners of war (POW) and hostages.

Despite this, the Armenian side agreed on the implementation of paragraph 9 of the same document. This is all the more disappointing since prior to the meeting the Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had publicly announced that the issue of POWs was a priority for the Armenian government and that without significant progress in this field it would be extremely difficult to discuss any economic agenda.

Nevertheless, the Armenian Prime Minister signed the statement, stipulating the creation of a new transport link Turkey-Nakhichevan-Azerbaijan through the Armenian territory, thus opening the door to the implementation of Erdogan’s pan-Turkic Ottoman agenda. In “exchange” Armenia, which already has access to Russia via Georgia and a direct, open border with Iran, receives an imposed commercial route to these two countries with the railway links via Azerbaijan.

European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy (EAFJD)

Considering the state-driven Armenophobia in Azerbaijan targeting even Armenian children, the cruel war crimes committed by the Azerbaijani military against the Armenians only 2 months ago, the ongoing torture and abuse of the Armenian prisoners of war as well as the hostile rhetoric of the Azerbaijani authorities, imposing a commercial route at this stage raises numerous questions in terms of broader security and sovereignty of Armenia.

Armenia seems to be the only party to the conflict, which not only fulfills but over compensates for its obligations, stipulated by the ceasefire document signed on November 9. Thus,
the first paragraph of the aforementioned document states that the parties “shall stay at the positions they occupy”. Nevertheless, a few Armenian towns and villages in Nagorno Karabakh were ceded to Azerbaijan although the Azerbaijani armed forces had failed to take control of them during the war.

A hasty, unsubstantiated, and highly dangerous demarcation process started between the Republic of Amenia and Azerbaijan, endangering key infrastructure (such as an airport in the city of Kapan), resulting in a significant loss of property of Armenian villagers and creating existential safety concerns of the bordering settlements of the Republic of Armenia.

In the meantime, Azerbaijan has been refusing to fulfill its only obligation of releasing all the Armenian POWs, hostages and detainees. Instead, the Azerbaijani authorities have been abusing this humanitarian issue to elicit new gains and cause further physical and psychologically suffering. The Azerbaijani sources have been posting videos of humiliating Armenian hostages, including helpless elderly people. Several videos of desecration of Armenian cultural monuments have also emerged.

Commenting on the January 11 statement, stated: “This declaration is unfortunately a new failure for the Armenian side to defend its basic security, humanitarian needs and achieve the fulfillment an important requirement of the November 9 statement, namely the return of the hostages,” said EAFJD President Kaspar Karampetian.

“As a matter of fact, The Armenian side signed a new document despite not having achieved the fulfillment of its only urgent and crucial requirement. Considering the current circumstances, the unresolved security concerns, the strong Armenophobia in Azerbaijan and the pan-Turkic aspirations of Erdogan’s Turkey, the reached arrangement creates major security concerns for the South of Armenia and for country’s sovereignty overall,” added Karampetian.

“We were expecting Russia to play its role as a just mediator and put more pressure on Azerbaijan so that the latter fulfills its obligation of returning the POWs and hostages. It is disappointing that there were no tangible results in this sense. The other two Co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk group, the European Union and the international human rights organizations must also intervene, to stop the torture and abuse of the Armenian hostages by the Azerbaijani authorities and ensure their return,” Karampetian said regarding the return of POW issue.

Putin, Macron discuss upcoming trilateral meeting of Armenian, Azerbaijani and Russian leaders

Maral Chavushian
Public Radio of Armenia
Jan 10 2021
Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke on the phone with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, the parties discussed issues related to the meeting of Russian, Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders, which will be held in Moscow on January 11, Kremlin said.
 
“Taking into account the consistent implementation of the joint Statement of November 9, 2020 and the stabilization of the situation around Nagorno-Karabakh, it was noted that, first of all, at this meeting it is meant to consider further steps to establish a peaceful life in the region,” the Kremlin said.
 
The French President supported Russia’s efforts to promote the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement.
 
“The emphasis was placed on the importance of urgent humanitarian assistance to the population affected by the clashes, including through specialized international organizations,” the press service said.
 
Trilateral talks between the leaders of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan will be held in Moscow on January 11.
 
Vladimir Putin will hold separate talks with Ilham Aliyev and Nikol Pashinyan.
 

Authorities deprive citizens of their right to receive information – Media Advocate

Maral Chavushian
Panorama, Armenia
Jan 8 2021

The Armenian authorities deprive citizens of their right to receive information, Media Advocate initiative said in a statement on Friday. The full text of the statement is below.

“There is an information collapse in Armenia. State agencies hardly comment on the events taking place in the country, furthermore, some politicians give interviews only to the media outlets of their choice. The impression is created that with such a step the politicians simply avoid unfavorable questions.

Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Alen Simonyan and MP Andranik Kocharyan always stand out in terms of splitting and targeting the mass media, deputy Mikayel Zolyan and some others also stood out with such a step recently. These people not only split the media, but also utter inappropriate expressions regarding the media, which is an improper policy by the officials.

Media Advocate initiative condemns such behavior. In this way, the authorities deprive citizens of their right to receive information. Such behavior will lead to nothing but an information crisis. In information warfare, the absence or misrepresentation of information is beneficial only to the enemy. Media Advocate urges to take a more responsible approach to the issue and cooperate with the media.”


Armenian President tests positive for COVID-19

Maral Chavushian

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 15:34, 5 January, 2021

YEREVAN, JANUARY 5, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian has celebrated New Year holidays in London with family and grandchildren, the Presidential Office told Armenpress.

On January 3 the President has underwent a successful leg surgery, however, he showed symptoms for the novel coronavirus. The result of his test for the coronavirus was positive.

The Armenian President will temporarily work remotely.

Facebook banned Holocaust denial from its platform in October. Anti-hate groups now want the social media giant to block posts denying the Armenian

Maral Chavushian
Business Insider
Dec 31 2020
Isabella Jibilian
  • In October, Facebook announced changes to its hate speech policy and insituted a ban on posts denying the Holocaust. 
  • However, the ban did not include the denial of other genocides, such as the Rwandan or Armenian genocides.
  • Now, advocates are calling for Facebook to ban posts denying the Armenian genocide, too.
  • From 1915 to 1923, the Ottoman Empire killed 1.5 million Armenians and expelled another half a million. Turkey still falsely claims that the genocide never happened.

  • Anti-hate advocates are calling on Facebook to ban posts denying the Armenian genocide, which led to the deaths of over 1.5 million ethnic Armenians, saying the social media giant’s policy on hate speech fails to address crimes against humanity.

    The call to action follows Facebook’s October announcement that it would ban posts denying the Holocaust, which came after pressure from human rights groups, Holocaust survivors, and a 500-plus company ad boycott. However, the change did not include the denial of other genocides, such as the Rwandan and Armenian genocides, Bloomberg reported.

    “They have an obligation to responsibly address all genocide,” said Arda Haratunian, board member for the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU), the largest non-profit dedicated to the international Armenian community.  “How could you not apply the same rules across crimes against humanity?”

    Now, voices from across the Armenian diaspora and anti-hate groups are calling for the company to change its policy. In November, the Armenian Bar Association penned a letter to Facebook and Twitter (which banned posts denying the Holocaust in the days after Facebook did), proposing that they expand their ban to posts denying the Armenian genocide, too. 

  • “It made us hopeful, because it was a sign that Facebook is taking steps towards fixing its speech problem,” said Lana Akopyan, a lawyer specializing in intellectual property and technology, and member of the Armenian Bar Association’s social media task force. The Armenian Bar Association has yet to receive a response from either company, Akopyan told Business Insider.

    The calls to expand hate speech policies come as social media platforms face a wider reckoning on how they regulate speech. Politicians on both sides of the aisle have criticized section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, a legal provision that shields internet companies from lawsuits over content posted on their sites by users and gives companies the ability to regulate that content. 

    In recent years, Facebook has struggled with human rights issues on the platform. In 2018, a New York Times investigation found that Myanmar’s military officials systematically spread propaganda on Facebook to incite the ethnic cleansing of the country’s Muslim Rohingya minority population.  Since 2017, Myanmar’s military has been accused of carrying out a systemic campaign of killing, rape, and arson against Rohingyas, leading over 740,000 to flee for Bangladesh, according to the United Nations Human Rights Council. 

    Facebook’s current hate speech policy prohibits posts that directly attack a protected group, including someone of a racial minority, certain sexual orientation or gender, or religion. But the platform lacks a cohesive response to other “harmful false beliefs,” like certain conspiracy theories, said Laura Edelson, a PhD candidate at NYU who researches online political communication. Rather than a systematic approach to harmful misinformation, Edelson likened Facebook’s strategy to a game of “whack-a-mole.” 

  • “You are allowed to say, currently, the Armenian genocide is a hoax and never happened,” said Edelson. “But you are not allowed to say you should die because you are an Armenian.”

    From 1915 to 1923, the Ottoman Empire killed 1.5 Armenians and expelled another half a million. However, Turkey still falsely claims that the genocide never happened. 

    “Holocaust denial is typically done by fringe groups, irrational entities. The denial of the Armenian genocide is being generated by governments… which makes it a far greater threat,” said Dr. Rouben Adalian, Director of the Armenian National Institute in Washington, D.C. 

    It also makes enforcement a thorny issue for Facebook, since it may involve moderating the speech of political leaders.

  • “Facebook doesn’t want to wrangle with this issue, not because it’s technically difficult, because it isn’t, but because it is difficult at a policy level,” said Edelson. “There’s a government agent here, that you are going to have to make unhappy. In the case of the Armenian genocide, it’s the Turkish government.”

    Facebook did not respond to Business Insider’s requests for comment. Twitter said hateful conduct has no place on its platform and its “Hateful Conduct Policy prohibits a wide range of behavior, including making references to violent events or types of violence where protected categories were the primary victims, or attempts to deny or diminish such events.” The company also has “a robust glorification of violence policy in place and take action against content that glorifies or praises historical acts of violence and genocide,”a spokesperson said. 

    Yet online the falsehoods proliferate, advocates told Business Insider. On Facebook, the page “Armenian Genocide Lie” has thousands of followers, and screenshots of tweets shared with Business Insider show strings of identical posts that appear to be posted by bots, calling the Armenian genocide “fake.” 

    And stateside, Armenians point to a string of hate crimes, including the arson of an Armenian church in September and the vandalism of an Armenian school in July, as evidence that anti-Armenian sentiment is a growing issue.

    The calls for change come amid international conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the region of  Nagorno-Karabakh in the South Caucasus, which is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan and is populated by many ethnic Armenians. War broke out in September. In November, Armenia surrendered and Russia brokered a peace deal. Tensions continue to flare in the area and videos of alleged war crimes have surfaced online.

    “Facebook has a responsibility, first and foremost, to its users, to protect them against harmful misinformation. The idea that the Armenian genocide did not happen pretty clearly falls into that category,” said Edelson. 

    The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which successfully lobbied for social media companies to ban Holocaust denial, is also supporting the calls for change. 

    “ADL believes that tech companies must take a firm stance against content regarding genocide and the denial or diminishment of other atrocities motivated by hate,” said an ADL spokesperson in a statement to Business Insider.  “Tech companies should, without doubt, consider denial of the Armenian genocide to be violative hate speech.”

  • Dr. Gregory Stanton, founding president of human rights nonprofit Genocide Watch, says that denial is a pernicious stage of genocide, since it seeks to erase the past and can predict future violence. 

    “Denial occurs in every single genocide,” said Stanton. “I think it’s irresponsible…. with Facebook’s incredible reach, it absolutely should be taken down.” 

    As for Akopyan, her fight to change Facebook’s policy is personal. Her family survived the Baku Pogroms in Azerbaijan, a campaign in 1990 in which Azeris killed ethnic Armenians and drove them from the city. Akopyan’s family left all their belongings behind and fled in the night, Akopyan said. The International Rescue Committee sponsored her family, and she relocated to Brooklyn, New York, at 10-years-old. 

    “I grew up in that tension as a child, where Azerbaijani mobs tried to kill me and my family, and I escaped,” she said in an interview. “How many times [do] our people have to lose everything and be driven away from their homes to start over?” 

    “And it continues to happen,” she added.  “I can’t help but think it’s because there’s constant denial of it ever happening to begin with.” 

    • A group of YSMU lecturers to join nationwide strike called by opposition

    Maral Chavushian
    Panorama, Armenia

    Dec 21 2020

    A group of lecturers and other employees of the Yerevan State Medical University (YSMU) will join the nationwide strike called by Armenia’s opposition forces on Tuesday, December 22, YSMU Chief of Staff Shushan Danielyan said on Monday.

    “Several lecturers and employees at the Yerevan State Medical University have informed that they will join the December 22 strike. It’s their constitutional right, which no one is entitled to take away from them,” she wrote on Facebook.

    “The most important thing is that the university is an apolitical structure. The university administration has never used and will never use administrative leverage against its employees,”  Danielyan said, adding people are free to exercise their rights. 



    Over 41 thousand refugees return to Artsakh

    Maral Chavushian

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     20:04,

    YEREVAN, DECEMBER 18, ARMENPRESS. 457 refugees returned to Artsakh on December 18 accompanied by the Russian peacekeepers and military police who had left their homes earlier because of the war, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Defense Ministry of Russia.

    ”A total of 41 thousand and 275 people have returned to Artsakh”, the Ministry said.

    Armenia Ombudsman: Azerbaijani soldiers have maps showing major part of Armenia as historical territory of Azerbaijan

    Maral Chavushian
    News.am, Armenia

    Dec 17 2020
    23:35, 17.12.2020

    Human Rights Defender of Armenia Arman Tatoyan posted on his Facebook page maps of Azerbaijani soldiers presenting a major part of the Republic of Armenia as historical territory of Azerbaijan, adding the following:

    “The maps also feature texts that clearly don’t correspond to reality and directly underlie the Armenophobic and enmity propaganda of the Azerbaijani authorities. All this is directly linked to the jurisdiction of the Human Rights Defender of Armenia since it concerns the guaranteeing of the life, properties and all other rights of the population of Armenia and the Armenian people and their protection from tortures and inhuman treatment.

    The examination by the Human Rights Defender shows that these are among the main reasons why the Azerbaijani Armed Forces committed war crimes and crimes against humanity and cruelties during the Four-Day Artsakh War in April 2016 and during the war in September-November 2020 and still commit them (beheadings, executions, tortures, etc.).

    All this is enshrined in the real and concrete proofs obtained by the Human Rights Defender of Armenia.

    The international community and especially international organizations with the mandate to protect human rights must take resolute steps to help prevent the condemnable propaganda of hatred and enmity against the Armenians on the ground of ethnic belonging.

    After an analysis, the Office of the Human Rights Defender of Armenia will sum up all this and send it to international bodies and will provide the information to the relevant organizations in Armenia.”