MARXIST PARTY NO LONGER SUPPORTS LEVON TER-PETROSYAN
Panorama.am
13:49 27/06/2008
Yesterday a press briefing was given by Davit Hakobyan, the chairman
of Marxist Party of Armenia, who announced that the party no longer
supports Levon Ter-Peetrosyan. He also added that they would nominate
their own candidate in the next presidential elections. Davit Hakobyan
added that in contrast to Levon Ter-Petrosyan he isn`t ready to
negotiate with the authorities.
P.A.C.E. GIVES TIME TO THE ARMENIAN AUTHORITIES
Armen Tsatouryan
Hayots Ashkhar Daily
June 27, 2008
Armenia
While the opposition feels no better than at the start
As we know, in its summer session convened on June 25, the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe decided to give
additional time to our country for the implementation of Resolution #
1609 on the "Activities of the Democratic Institutions in Armenia". The
time-limit for the compliance with the Resolution requirements has
been extended till January 2009.
Although with regard to separate issues, particularly, the rights
of the detainees, the EU Commissioner for Human Rights is to submit
a report to the PACE Monitoring Committee much earlier – before
the fall session, the overall results of Armenia’s compliance with
its commitments will be summed up no sooner than at the beginning
of next year. The Azeri MPs, who stood out with their aggressive
behavior during the PACE hearings, considered the decision on giving
time to Armenia as the "successive evidence" of a partial attitude
towards our country. The fact was estimated in a likewise manner by
Mr. L. Zourabyan, L. Ter-Petrosyan’s representative.
Even though Mr. Zourabyan singles out both positive and the negative
elements in the Resolution, he too, is dissatisfied with the fact that
"the Armenian authorities were given too much time".
After hearing L. Ter-Petrosyan’s speech delivered during the June
20 demonstration, one may get an impression that the PACE is in
the ex-President’s "pocket", that’s why he offers our authorities
a specific kind of deal: to "mediate" and avert the danger of
depriving our country of the right to vote in return for releasing
the detainees. As we see, such "proposal for mediation" was ignored
not only by the Armenian authorities but also by the Parliamentary
Assembly.
Moreover, through the Resolution adopted in its summer session
on June 25, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
expressed regret that the Armenian opposition hadn’t recognized the
decision of the Constitutional Court with regard to the February 19
presidential elections.
This means that the intention to dispute the election results
in the European Court – a propaganda bluff disseminated by the
pro-Ter-Petrosyan activists, has vanished into the air.
If, after all this, Mr. Ter-Petrosyan and his team members do not
keep their propaganda-oriented promise, they will find themselves
in a ridiculous situation, ignoring those clauses which are not
advantageous to them and at the same time demanding the implementation
of the remaining part of the Resolution. And if the pro-opposition
activists nevertheless decide to apply to the court, they will find
themselves in a much more ridiculous situation because the court will
never "fly over" the assessments made by the European observers.
However, it is obvious that having extended the time-limits for
Armenia’s compliance with its commitments, the PACE has met the
opposition half-way with regard to many issues. In particular, the
Armenian authorities were offered not to prosecute individuals based
purely on police testimonies, as well as terminate the prosecution
of and grant pardon to those who neither committed violent crimes
nor made appeals for violence or otherwise had complicity in the
acts mentioned above. Such formulation which practically seems quite
acceptable gives way to ambiguous interpretations.
And Ter-Petrosyan will certainly try to take advantage of that in
the near future, since our ideas about the calls for violence or
the assistance provided to their authors very often stand in stark
contradiction to one another.
The PACE’s specific "prescriptions" for developing trust in the
activities of the parliamentary committee investigating the March
1-2 events give way to uncertainty as well. In particular, it is
proposed that decisions be made based on the principle of consensus;
furthermore, they demand that the principle be also applied to the
opposition representatives who were elected as committee members by
advisory vote.
One can only imagine how the members of the NA interim committee will
work with Gevorik from the Armenian Pan-National Movement, and what
the outcome will be.
The PACE Resolution also calls on the Armenian authorities not to
introduce "unnecessary restrictions" to the "Law on Demonstrations";
this too, gives way to uncertainty and ambiguous interpretations as it
enables the Armenian authorities and opposition to interpret the term
"unnecessary restrictions" in their own way.
Anyway, we believe that after the PACE summer session the opposition
will have no other choice apart from initiating a dialogue with
the authorities.
PRESS RELEASE
Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America
138 East 39th Street
New York, NY 10016
Tel: (212) 689-7810
Fax: (212) 689-7168
Email: [email protected]
Website:
Contact: Iris Papazian
JUNE 26, 2008
22nd ANNUAL ST. GREGORY OF DATEV INSTITUTE SUMMER PROGRAM BEGINS THIS WEEK
Seventy-five students (ages 13-18) from ten parishes, and seven
clergymen, will gather at the St. Mary of Providence Center in Elverson,
Pennsylvania, on Sunday, June 29, for the 22nd annual St. Gregory of Datev
Institute Summer Program, under the directorship of His Grace Bishop
Anoushavan Tanielian, the Vicar General of the Eastern Prelacy of the
Armenian Apostolic Church. Over forty of the participants will attend the
weekend retreat starting Friday, June 27.
Sponsored by the Armenian Religious Education Council (AREC) of the
Prelacy, the Summer Program offers a unique opportunity for our youth to
learn the essentials of Armenian Christianity in a wholesome and nurturing
environment. Each day the program begins with Morning Service from
7:15am-7:45am. Four classes are held from 8:30am to 12:30pm. In the
afternoons, the students enjoy recreational activities, such as volleyball,
soccer, basketball, and swimming. In the evenings, there is a general
lecture from 7:30 to 8:20, followed by three concurrent Bible studies from
8:30-9:30 for different age groups. The day comes to a close with the
Compline Service (Husgoom) from 9:45-10:30pm.
The Instructors of the Institute this year are: His Grace Bishop
Anoushavan Tanielian, Rev. Fr. Khoren Habeshian, Rev. Fr. Antranig Baljian,
Rev. Fr. Nerses Manoogian, Rev. Fr. Sarkis Aktavoukian, Rev. Fr. Stephan
Baljian, Dn. Shant Kazanjian, Ms. Nayiri Baljian, Mrs. Denise Borekjian and
Ms. Jeanette Nazarian.
This year the Institute is privileged to have four guest speakers: Rev.
Fr. Paul Tarazi, Th.D., Rev. Kenneth E. Bailey, Th.D., Dn. Dr. Vahan
Kouyoumdjian, and Tom Samuelian, Ph.D.
For information about the Datev Institute click
ST. SARKIS (DOUGLASTON) CELEBRATES ANNIVERSARY
Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan explains one of the panels of the traveling
exhibit last Sunday at St. Sarkis Church, Douglaston, New York. The exhibit
was prepared by the Prelacy in celebration of the 110th anniversary of the
establishment of the Armenian Prelacy in America and the 50th anniversary of
the Prelacy’s affiliation with the Holy See of Cilicia.
Parishes interested in reserving dates for the traveling exhibit in
conjunction with anniversary celebrations should contact the Prelacy.
PRELACY’S YOUTH GATHERING IN SEPTEMBER
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Prelacy under the
jurisdiction of the Holy See of Cilicia, a youth seminar/retreat will take
place September 26-28, 2008. The retreat, open to anyone ages 18 to 35, will
take place at the St. Mary Coptic Orthodox Retreat Center in Charlton,
Massachusetts. The event is being planned and prepared for youth by youth,
in collaboration with the Prelate, the Vicar General, and the Prelacy
Executive Council. The agenda will feature a variety of excellent speakers
and two workshops on the Badarak, all aimed to educate and enrich the youth
of the Armenian Church.
For details click here. If you have any questions send an email to:
[email protected].
PRELATE WILL VISIT PARISH OF ST. ILLUMINATOR’S CATHEDRAL
This Sunday, June 29, Archbishop Oshagan preside over the Divine Liturgy
at the temporary home of St. Illuminator’s Cathedral in Woodside, New York.
MAJOR RENOVATION UNDERWAY AT ST. ILLUMINATOR CATHEDRAL
Major renovation of St. Illuminator’s Cathedral in New York City has
begun. Until the renovation is completed the Divine Liturgy will be offered
every Sunday at 10:40 a.m. at the Armenian Center, 69-23 47th Street,
Woodside, New York.
YEAR OF CHRISTIAN EDUCATION
His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, has
designated the year 2008 as the "Year of Christian Education."
To read His Holiness’ message in Armenian click
tifical%20Messages/messages58.htm.
To read His Holiness’ message in English click
.
PAN-DIASPORA YOUTH CONFERENCE
A pan-Diaspora youth conference will take place in Antelias, Lebanon, on
August 14-16. Under the theme, "The Armenian youth face the challenges of
the 21st century," the conference will feature lectures, and round table and
group discussions. More than 100 youth from the various dioceses within the
Catholicosate of Cilicia will participate. Travel subsidies are available.
For information contact your local parish or the Prelacy office,
212-689-7810.
DAILY BIBLE READINGS
Bible readings for today, Thursday, June 26, are: Romans 15:30-16:16;
Matthew 15:29-38
I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by
the love of the Spirit, to join me in earnest prayer to God on my behalf,
that I may be rescued from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my ministry
to Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, so that by God’s will I may
come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company. The God of peace be
with all of you. Amen. I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon of the
church at Cenchreae, so that you may welcome her in the Lord as is fitting
for the saints, and help her in whatever she may require from you, for she
has been a benefactor of many and of myself as well. Greet Frisca and
Aquila, who work with me in Christ Jesus, and who risked their necks for my
life, to whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the
Gentiles. Greet also the church in their house. Greet my beloved Epaenetus,
who was the first convert in Asia for Christ. Greet Mary, who has worked
very hard among you. Greet Andronicus and Junia, my relatives who were in
prison with me; they are prominent among the apostles, and they were in
Christ before I was. Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord. Greet Urbanus,
our co-worker in Christ, and my beloved Stachya. Greet Apelles, who is
approved in Christ. Greet those who belong to the family of Aristobulus.
Greet my relative Herodion. Greet those in the Lord who belong to the family
of Narcissus. Greet those workers in the Lord, Tryphaena and Tryphosa. Greet
the beloved Persis, who has worked hard in the Lord. Greet Rufus, chosen in
the Lord; Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the
brothers and sisters who are with them. Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and
his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them. Greet one
another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you. (Romans
15:30-16:16)
For listing of the week’s Bible readings click
FE AST OF TRANSFIGURATION
This Sunday, June 29, the Armenian Church celebrates one of her five
Tabernacle Feast days, Transfiguration (Aylakerputiun / Vartavar). The Feast
of Transfiguration is marked fourteen weeks after Easter, and therefore can
fall between June 28 and August 1. It commemorates an episode in the New
Testament recorded by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Peter.
The Transfiguration took place on the "holy mountain" (believed to be
Mt. Tabor) where Jesus had gone with Peter, James, and John to pray. As He
was praying, "His face shone like the sun and His garments became white as
light." The Patriarch Moses and Prophet Elijah appeared at His side (Mt.
17:1-8). It was at this moment that His appearance was "transfigured"
revealing Himself as God to His disciples as a voice from above said, "This
is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. Listen to him."
As in other instances, a pagan feast was joined with the new Christian
holiday. In this case, the feast of Vartavar, when Armenians would decorate
the temple of the Goddess of Asdghig with roses, doves would be released,
and people would engage in water games, was combined with the Feast of the
Transfiguration. Asdghig was the goddess of love, beauty, fertility, and
water.
According to tradition, the fifth century historian Yeghishe, wrote the
prayer that is read in the church on this feast day: "O Lord, bless the
harvest of this year and defend from all the perils, and may Your Right
Hand, O Lord, protect us for the whole year."
Vartavar was a traditional day of pilgrimage to churches named in honor
of John the Baptist. The most popular destination was the Monastery of Sourp
Garabed of Moush, whose main church was named in honor of St. John the
Baptist.
Vartavar is the name day for those named Vartkes, Vartavar, Vart,
Alvart, Zevart, Lousvart, Nevart, Baidzar, Vartanoush, Vartiter, Varvar.
In the Armenian tradition, the day after each of the five major feast
days is designated as Memorial Day or Remembrance of the Dead. The faithful
visit the cemeteries to venerate their departed loved ones.
FROM THE BOOKSTORE THIS WEEK..
LIMITED SUPPLY AVAILABLE OF THIS GREAT CD ROM
DISCOVER ARMENIAN
A rich language gateway to the Nation’s Memory and History.
More than 3,000 words, over 5,000 exercises, phrases for everyday life,
reference grammar, online and talking dictionary, interactive graphics
interface, audio, traditional Armenian songs, history, culture, art, music,
religion and literature, comprehensive primer, easy to navigate. $49.99,
plus shipping and handling.
FOR INFORMATION ABOUT THESE AND OTHER ITEMS AT THE BOOKSTORE VISIT THE
PRELACY’S WEB SITE, OR CONTACT THE BOOKSTORE BY
EMAIL AT [email protected] OR BY TELEPHONE 212-689-7810.
FROM OUR ARCHIVES
This year we are marking the dual anniversaries of the 110th anniversary of
the establishment of the Armenian Prelacy of America by Catholicos Mgrditch
(Khrimian Hairig), and the 50th anniversary of the Prelacy under the Holy
See of Cilicia. We continue to seek any type of memorabilia and photographs.
Please contact us by email at [email protected] or by telephone
212-689-7810, Extension 23. We thank many of you who have already responded.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
June 27 to July 6-St. Gregory of Datev Institute, Summer Christian Studies
Program for youth ages 13-18 at St. Mary of Providence Center in Elverson,
Pennsylvania, organized by the Armenian Religious Education Council. For
more information click
June 29-St. Gregory Church, Philadelphia, celebrate summer at Seroonian
Community Center, "Vartavar Family Picnic," at 1 pm.
June 29-St. Hagop Church, Racine, Wisconsin, 70th year of "Madagh" and
parish picnic, 10:30 am to 7 pm at Johnson Park, Racine. Madagh will be
blessed at 11 am and served at 12 noon. Armenian food and desserts available
for purchase. Music and children’s entertainment beginning 2 pm; raffle
drawing at 7 pm.
July 7 to July 18-Summer Camp at St. Sarkis Armenian Church, Douglaston, New
York. For children age 5 to 12. 10 am to 3 pm Monday to Friday, lunch and
snack included. Minimum donation is $150. Summer camp is sponsored by Mr. &
Mrs. Antranig and Marion Boudakian. For information contact the church
office, 718-224-2275.
July 14 to August 1-St. Illuminator’s Day School Summer Program, July 14
through August 1, for children ages 3 to 10, Monday through Friday, 9 am to
2 pm. Armenian language, history, Bible readings, arts and crafts, sports
and much more. For information and registration contact the school office
718-478-4073 or the Cathedral office 212-689-5880.
July 19-"A Hye Summer Night 3," dance hosted by Ladies’ Guild of Sts.
Vartanantz Church and ARS Ani Chapter, Providence, Rhode Island. For details
401-434-4467.
August 5-St. Asdvadzadzin Church, Whitinsville, Massachusetts, 9th annual
golf outing at Blackstone National Golf Club, Summon, Massachusetts.
Information: 508-234-3261.
August 17-St. Asdvadzadzin Church, Whitinsville, Massachusetts, picnic and
blessing of the grapes, officiated by Archbishop Oshagan and New England
area clergy. On church grounds, beginning at 12 noon. For information:
508-234-3677 or
August 17-St. Illuminator’s Cathedral, Feast of the Assumption of the Holy
Mother of God and Blessing of the Grapes, and picnic, at the Armenian
Center, Woodside, NY. For information 212-689-5880.
September 7-Annual picnic Festival of St. Gregory Church, North Andover,
Massachusetts, at American Legion Grounds, Haverhill, Massachusetts,
beginning at 12 noon.
August 3-Sts. Vartanantz Church, Providence, Rhode Island, Blessing of the
Grapes picnic. Camp Haiastan, Franklin, Massachusetts, noon to 6 pm, rain or
shine.
August 10-Holy Trinity Armenian Church, Worcester, Massachusetts. Annual
picnic on church grounds. Free admission; free parking.
August 17-Sts. Vartanantz Church, Ridgefield, New Jersey, annual church
picnic and blessing of the grapes at Dunkerhook Park, Pavilion D, Paramus,
NJ. For information 201-943-2950.
September 14-Sts. Vartanantz Church, Ridgefield, New Jersey. Celebration of
the Holy Cross and Madagh. For information 201-943-2950.
September 21-Holy Trinity Armenian Church, Worcester, Massachusetts, annual
church banquet. Details to follow.
September 25-Sixth annual golf outing hosted by Sts. Vartanantz Church,
Ridgefield, New Jersey, at River Vale Country Club, River Vale, New Jersey.
For information contact Richard Krikorian 201-784-2236 or church office
201-943-2950.
September 26-28-National Youth Conference at Holy Virgin Mary Spiritual
Vineyard, Charlton, Massachusetts.
September 29-30-Clergy conference at the Holy Virgin Mary Spiritual
Vineyard, Charlton, Massachusetts.
October 17-18-Annual Fall Fair of St. Gregory Church, North Andover,
Massachusetts, Jaffarian Hall.
October 21, November 1 and 2-Sts. Vartanantz Church, Ridgefield, New Jersey,
Annual Bazaar and Food Festival. For information 201-943-2950.
November 9-38th anniversary of St. Gregory Church, North Andover,
Massachusetts, and 50th anniversary of the Prelacy under the Holy See of
Cilicia, presided over by His Grace Bishop Anoushavan at Jaffarian Hall
following Divine Liturgy.
October 25-Gala celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Prelacy of the
Armenian Apostolic Church of America under the jurisdiction of the Great
House of Cilicia and the 110th anniversary of the establishment of the
Armenian Church of America. Marriott at Glenpointe, Teaneck, New Jersey.
Details to follow.
November 21 and 22-Holy Trinity Armenian Church, Worcester, Massachusetts,
Fall Food Festival.
Web pages of the parishes can be accessed through the Prelacy’s web site.
To ensure the timely arrival of Crossroads in your electronic mailbox, add
[email protected] to your address book.
Items in Crossroads can be reproduced without permission. Please credit
Crossroads as the source.
Parishes of the Eastern Prelacy are invited to send information about their
major events to be included in the calendar. Send to:
[email protected]
ELECTION OF NEW CHAIRMAN ENVISAGED AT OSCE PA ANNUAL SESSION
NOYAN TAPAN
JU NE 25
The main subject of the annual session of OSCE Parliamentary Assembly
(PA) annual session to be convened from June 29 to July 3 in the
capital of Kyrghyzstan, Astana is Transparency in OSCE.
According to individual spheres, discussions on the subject are also
envisaged in three PA General Commissions, on issues of Politics and
Security, Economy, Science, Technologies and Environment, Democracy,
Human Rights, and Humanitarian issues. Noyan Tapan correspondent
was informed about it by Armen Ashotian, a member of the Armenian
delegation in PA, a representative of the NA RPA faction.
According to him, discussions dedicated to issues of environment,
migration, cybersecurity, as well as fighting children’s trafficking
and sexual exploitation, violence to women are also envisaged. Besides,
regional issues, as well as the possibility of avoiding dual standards
by OSCE observation missions in the elections will be discussed. The
resolutions to be adopted on all discussed issues will be summed up
in the PA declaration.
Election of PA Chairman is also envisaged, as the term of two-year
tenure of current Chairman Goran Lenmarker is expiring.
Among 56 countries, a delegation led by Aram Safarian, the Secretary
of the RA National Assembly Bargavach Hayastan (Prosperous Armenia)
faction, will also take part in PA work. Besides A. Ashotian, Khachik
Haroutiunian, the Secretary of the Orinats Yerkir (Country of Law)
faction, is also a member of the delegation.
THE HELL OF BEING AN ASYLUM SEEKERMEET SERGEY.
The Observer,
June 15, 2008
He’s a doctor. He’s also an asylum seeker who is forced to survive
on £35 of Asda vouchers a week.
Award-winning novelist Mark Haddon discovers the horror of being a
refugee in the UK today
Last year Oxfam asked whether I’d visit one of the projects they help
fund, then write about it for The Observer. It’s exactly the kind of
thing a liberal, Guardian-reading novelist should be doing. Except
that I don’t fly.
Because I know with absolute certainty that I’ll die in a fireball
of aviation fuel shortly after take-off. And visiting one of the
projects that Oxfam helps fund would doubtless mean landing at some
jungle airstrip in a 30-year-old Tupolev, possibly dodging mortar
rounds on the descent. The amount of Valium I’d have to take to get
me there would probably eradicate all memory of the trip.
So they put me on a bus instead. To Victoria. In London. So that I
could visit the Migrants Resource Centre and meet a group of asylum
seekers.
Victoria not being Cambodia I wouldn’t get much exotic local colour
(run-down boarding houses round the corner from green squares ringed
with large, cream Georgian town houses, if you’re interested). But
the bus was going to stay on the ground the whole way, which was good
for me.
I had a rough idea of what we’d be talking about. I knew a number
of refugees who’d come to the UK in the past. And I knew something
about the UK’s current asylum system, from newspapers, from TV and
from the radio. In particular I knew that it was neither generous
nor efficient. But I’d never met anyone on the receiving end.
Now I have. And nothing has made me this angry in a long time. We
bellyache about the abuse of human rights overseas. But there are
thousands of people living here, right now, in one of the richest
countries in the world, forced to live in poverty. They are denied
basic rights and services which the rest of us take for granted. And
this is not an accident. This is government policy. And we should be
ashamed of it.
The first person I get to meet is Sergey. Sergey is a doctor
from Armenia, 47 years old, a married man with two sons, aged
10 and 11. I’ve seen photographs of Sergey before we meet. He is
square-jawed and good-looking, with close-cropped black hair. But the
photographs were taken a year ago and when he comes into the room I
don’t recognise him. He has lost several stone. He walks slowly and
has trouble breathing. Every so often he has to pause and gather his
energy before carrying on. When he talks, however, his eyes light
up. He is passionate and a lot funnier than most of us would be in
his position. He is not only a good man, but good company, too. He
apologises repeatedly for his poor English and tells me that he would
not be here were it not for the kindness of the staff at the centre.
This is his story.
‘When I was in Armenia I was very happy. Everything was OK for me,
for my family, thank you God. I have a new car. In the city I have
a good home. I have four hectares of land. I have horses. With my
friends every week I have a picnic, a barbecue. I was lucky, lucky,
lucky. I had popularity because I help many people to survive. It is
my duty as a doctor. So everybody knows me. In the street they say,
"Hello, Doctor." The police know me. They say, "Hello, Doctor." Even
the Russian KGB, they say, "Hello, Doctor."
‘But after Soviet Union break up, there is life without law. There
is mafia.
There is killing, many times. My friends. My neighbours. Tomorrow
maybe me.’
Quite by chance Sergey was witness to the murder of a politician. He
tells me the details but asks me not to print them in case it puts
his family in danger.
‘Police officers, they come to me and ask what I see. I say nothing. I
am afraid. I have wife and children. I cover everything up. After that
my life was worst, worst, worst. My friends tell me, KGB looking for
you. And if KGB want to kill you, they will kill you.’
With the help of friends, Sergey managed to escape from Armenia hidden
in a truck, sending his wife and children to stay with relatives. He
reached England after nine days and assumed that he would finally be
safe. He was refused asylum and became homeless.
‘I sleep in road. I sleep in park. In playground for children. And I
catch this killer illness. One time, this person wake me up and say,
"Hey, how are you doing?" I look down and see all this blood. Ambulance
come and take me to hospital.’
While sleeping rough, Sergey had contracted Hepatitis C, one of the
10 per cent of sufferers who get the disease for unknown reasons,
though living on the street cannot be good for anyone’s health. He
got no treatment and, as often happens, the disease led to cirrhosis
of the liver. Sergey will be dead within two years. A transplant
could save his life, but he doesn’t qualify for one because of his
asylum status. Eventually, Sergey found his way to the Hounslow
Law Centre. They got him registered with the National Asylum Support
Service. He was given a room in a shared house and seen by a doctor who
told him he should eat three meals a day, with plenty of fresh fruit
and vegetables. Sergey has to do this on £35 of vouchers each week.
These have to be spent on food and basic toiletries and nothing
else. They have to be spent in one supermarket and that supermarket
is not allowed to give him any change. He is not allowed to earn any
more money.
Some time after he escaped from Armenia, Sergey’s wife managed to
get to Italy. She works as a cleaner there and lives in a single
room with their sons. They are forbidden from visiting their father,
and Sergey is forbidden from visiting them.
Sergey could be saving people’s lives. He is not asking for money. He
wants to work. He is an innocent man who has committed no offence. His
only mistake was to hope that when he reached the UK he would be
treated like a human being.
And Sergey is not alone. My host at the Migrants Resource Centre
(MRC) is the indefatigable Nazek Ramadan, who herself fled the war
in Lebanon in the mid-Eighties and runs many of the projects at the
centre. Nazek is like a particularly efficient big sister, and when
Sergey lists the people to whom he is most grateful over the past
few years, Nazek comes in just behind God, and just in front of Mario
Marin Cotrini, the MRC’s legal adviser.
The centre does exactly what it says on the tin. It offers refugees
and asylum seekers advice, practical help, language lessons, a crèche,
computer access and a place to meet other people in the same boat.
Nazek and her colleagues, however, realise that one of the biggest
problems asylum seekers have to face is the way they are portrayed
in the media.
Everyone I spoke to at the centre said they were treated well by
the public until they admitted that they were asylum seekers. One of
them said he was relieved when he became destitute because the public
treated homeless people better than they treated asylum seekers.
Most of those who write about asylum seekers have never met one. So
Nazek set up a media group, in order that journalists could talk
to asylum seekers, and asylum seekers who wanted a voice could talk
to journalists.
Nazek hasn’t yet risked exposing the members of the group to anyone
from the tabloid press, but they have had a fair number of cynics
through their doors, all of whom have gone away converted, one of
them so moved that they asked a homeless refugee to come and live
in their spare room. Most of what we read and hear about asylum
seekers is wrong. For a start, there is no such thing as a ‘bogus’
or ‘illegal’ asylum seeker, no more than there is a bogus or illegal
mortgage seeker. Everyone has the right to apply for asylum. If they
have a justified fear of persecution then the host country is obliged
to protect them. This is set down in the 1951 UN Refugee Convention. No
country has ever withdrawn from the convention.
Consistently, however, the British government and its officials
attempt to define its obligations to refugees as narrowly as
possible. Sometimes they do this with breathtaking frankness, as
in this refusal letter from the Home Office to an Algerian woman:
‘You claim that you were ill-treated during detention, tortured
and raped. The secretary of state does not condone any violations
of human rights which may have been committed by members of the
security forces… [but]… to bring yourself within the scope of the
UN Convention, you would have to show that these incidents were not
simply the random acts of individuals, but were a sustained pattern
or campaign of persecution directed at you by the authorities.’
It’s worth reading that paragraph again. The Home Office is telling
this woman that they don’t care if she has been raped, tortured
and imprisoned.
It will help her only if she can prove that this was done repeatedly
and according to some kind of plan.
Sometimes the government mounts legal battles to rid itself of
refugees, as it did recently when it was condemned by the UN for
winning a high court case to return refugees to Baghdad and Basra,
thereby setting a precedent for removing refugees to other war zones.
Sometimes, the government alters the law itself to make it easier
to remove asylum seekers. In 2004, for example, it became an offence
for asylum seekers to fail to provide a proper immigration document
to establish their identity and citizenship. This was hugely
controversial. It is almost impossible to obtain a passport in
countries such as Somalia, Afghanistan and Iraq. Many asylum seekers
have no choice but to travel using false documents. And most have no
knowledge of UK asylum law.
The second person I talk to is Mariam from Ethiopia. Mariam does
this rather unnerving thing that Philip Pullman’s witches do. She’s
in the room for a good 10 minutes before I realise she’s there. And
it’s not because she’s shy and retiring, either, because when she
finally appears from beneath her headscarf she radiates warmth. I
suspect it’s a combination of personal talent and a skill that’s been
acquired by all the asylum seekers I talk to, the ability to blend
into the background, to become invisible, to avoid trouble.
Mariam’s daughters reached the UK long before she did and she spent
the first few weeks in this country tracking them down, with help from
the Red Cross. I ask her why the three of them chose to come here as
opposed to anywhere else. ‘Outside the UK, you ask people and they
say the UK is the father of the world, the carer of the world.’
After all she has been through, Mariam still thinks highly of this
country.
‘There are human rights here. There is democracy here. The government
is also a good government. The law is good. But when they put it
into practice…’
The supposed reason for a tough asylum policy is to prevent the UK
from becoming a soft option for people seeking asylum. But Mariam is
no different from anyone else I talk to. She simply had no idea how
asylum seekers were treated here. Just as you or I have no idea how
asylum seekers are treated in Ethiopia, or Armenia. Neither Mariam
nor Sergey came here expecting to be supported by the state. But
neither did they know that the state would stop them working to support
themselves. In truth, the numbers of asylum seekers who come to the UK,
or to any other country, rises most dramatically when major conflicts
erupt around the world, the break-up of Yugoslavia, for example,
or the war in Iraq.
Mariam found her daughters and applied for asylum. Soon after this
she was told by the Home Office that she was being ‘dispersed’ to
Glasgow with only one of her daughters. Dispersal is intended to be
a way of sharing the job of housing asylum seekers among councils
throughout the UK. But it is often used in a way that seems designed
to make staying in this country as uncomfortable as possible.
Mariam is not allowed to do paid work, but not working is clearly
impossible for her and she devotes much of her time to voluntary
organisations around London. She is also known as a source of good
advice, and while we are talking a young man from Zimbabwe shows
her his own letter from the Home Office saying that he, too, is being
dispersed to Glasgow in two weeks’ time. Mariam, being an indefatigable
optimist, tries to get him to look on the bright side. Yes, it rains
in Glasgow. It’s cold. But the Scottish legal system is slightly less
draconian and there are some activities laid on for asylum seekers. If
you are positive you’ll find people to talk to and things to do. Later
in the day I find myself remembering this conversation when Nazek
tells me about a string of attacks on asylum seekers in Glasgow over
the past few years, including two separate murders.
Mariam and I talk about politics and I ask who she’d vote for if
she was eligible. She says, ‘Labour. Because I am on the side of
people, of the working class.’ It sounds odd, coming from Mariam,
because there is something of the old-fashioned conservative about
her. As there is about Sergey. As there is about all the people I speak
to. These are people who believe in the importance of family, of duty,
of self-reliance, of hard work. I am reminded of Norman Tebbit saying,
‘I grew up in the Thirties with an unemployed father… He got on his
bike and looked for work, and he kept looking till he found it.’ These
people have done something a great deal harder than getting on their
bikes and I can’t help thinking that if they were a few shades whiter
and born this side of the Channel then Norman Tebbit would hold them
up as shining examples to the rest of us.
Getting to the UK takes money. It takes connections. It takes
determination.
The sheer difficulty of the process acts as a brutal filter. These are
not just ordinary people in trouble who deserve our sympathy. These
are extraordinary people who have done something momentous to save
their lives, or the lives of their families, and who deserve our
admiration for it. Nazek sometimes looks around the room during classes
and meetings and is amazed by the qualifications of the people she is
looking at. There are journalists, dentists, engineers, teachers, civil
servants. Some are homeless. All of them are desperately poor. None
of them is allowed to work. Forget that they’re human beings for a
moment. In purely economic terms this is a ridiculous waste of money
and skills.
The third person I meet is Margaret. She is broken and sad and I feel
bad that she’s travelled across London leaving her children with a
friend in order to see me. She is nervous and can’t bring herself
to meet my eye. She stares at her hands or glances over to Nazek
for reassurance.
I start by asking why she had to leave Uganda and I regret it
immediately.
It’s a horrible story and she has to stop several times because she is
crying. I tell her we can talk about something else, but she insists.
I realise later what a stupid question it is. It’s the one every
refugee gets asked when they apply for asylum. It’s the one asked in
every newspaper article about the subject, every television report,
every radio programme.
Is this person’s claim justified? Did these things really happen
to them?
You couldn’t spend five minutes with Sergey, or Mariam, or Margaret
without believing their stories. But to ask whether they might be
lying is to miss the point. The point is this… Imagine what it
must be like to live this kind of life, to leave everything behind,
your job, your family, your home.
To travel to Stuttgart in the back of a truck. Or Oslo. Or
Rotterdam. Any place where you don’t speak the language. You have
no friends. You sleep in the street, or share a house with strangers
who speak yet another language.
Imagine living on £35 of Asda vouchers a week. Imagine not being
able to see your family. Then ask yourself what kind of experience
would make this kind of life preferable to going home?
This is the situation in which asylum seekers find themselves. For
those with children it is worse.
In 2005, Margaret and her two children were taken to Yarl’s Wood
detention centre. Her youngest was a year old. ‘They told me they
were deporting me. I didn’t know what was going on. My daughter was
taken out of school. It was a very difficult time for us because they
don’t tell you when you are going to come out of detention. You have
to communicate through a solicitor. It was like a prison. If you
have kids it is difficult because you cannot go outside. They can
only play in this one big room with everyone. But kids need to run
around. They need their freedom.
‘There was no education and the food was really horrible. Burgers
and chips almost every day. And it was served at one time, so if your
child is sleeping they don’t eat. And when my baby was sick I was not
allowed to have Calpol in the room because they said I might kill him.’
Margaret’s lawyer applied for judicial review and after six weeks she
was finally released. The following year she was detained again. By
this time she was receiving psychiatric treatment. ‘They came to my
house very early in the morning and they packed everything I owned. I
told them I was sick.
They said, "We are not here for a joke." They took my kids to another
room and called the police to help them take us to Harmondsworth
detention centre. I was there for 10 days. They took my kids away and
didn’t say where they were taking them. Then they locked me up. They
don’t speak to you. They just bring you food. They think you can eat
without seeing your children. I told them I wanted to see my children,
but they would not talk to me.’
Margaret was eventually told that she would be reunited with her
children at Gatwick airport on the flight which was to take her
back to Uganda. ‘There were five big men and two women who came
carrying my children. When we reach the plane I tell them I am not
going. They start abusing me, using all kinds of words. They wanted
to put handcuffs on me, but I refused. I was screaming and the kids
were crying because they did not understand what was happening.
One man got hold of my head and another sat on my back and forced
me down.
Then the pilot came and told them to offload me.’
Pilots have intervened in this way on a number of occasions. Many
people, when they are manhandled on to a plane, become distraught,
as well you might if you were raped, tortured or imprisoned in the
country you’re being sent back to. But people who act in this way
can be charged with various offences, resulting in criminal records
which will seriously undermine any asylum claim.
Margaret was put into a van and driven to a police station. ‘I could
not even sit because of the pain in my neck and my back. They were
using all this kind of language: "You fucking idiot. Why did you refuse
to go?" They said they would tell the police I had hit them. They said
I would be arrested and get a criminal record. We got to the police
station and they said I had assaulted them. But the police were so
good to me. They said, "We are going to listen to both sides. And we
have to take you to a hospital to get photographs of your injuries
in case there is a court case."’
Margaret and her children were taken back to Yarl’s Wood and kept there
for another four months. ‘The place was so dirty. It was horrible. My
kids used to cry. My daughter kept on asking when we would leave. I
did not know what to tell her.’
When she was eventually released Margaret was given accommodation by
the National Asylum Support Service (NASS) and she found her daughter a
place at a local school. NASS then told her they were going to move her
to new accommodation in another borough. This would mean removing her
daughter from school all over again. Margaret decided her daughter’s
life had been disrupted enough. So she and her daughters now live on
a friend’s floor.
How did we end up treating human beings in this way?
Mario, the MRC’s legal adviser, came to the UK in 1978, with his wife
and sister-in-law, after escaping from Colombia, where the government
had 68,000 of its opponents behind bars. They were terrified and knew
nothing about asylum law. All the immigration officials who dealt
with their claim, however, were helpful, courteous and surprisingly
knowledgeable about Colombian politics. The three of them were granted
temporary admission. The following year they were given full refugee
status. ‘I can only be grateful to the UK for the protection offered to
me and my family during those difficult days… After nearly 30 years
here, I have two children and one granddaughter. We feel British. When
I come back to the UK after visiting my elderly parents I always feel
as if I am coming home.’
Mario’s is not an isolated case. I’ve spoken to a number of refugees
who arrived in the UK 10, 15, 20 years ago. Most were impressed and
surprised by the warmth of the welcome they received, and none of
them went through the demeaning experiences that many of today’s
asylum seekers go through.
What happened during those intervening years? Of course, there has
always been racism and intolerance, but only in recent times have these
sentiments been allowed to drive and shape official government policy.
Most people don’t know the number of refugees seeking asylum in this
country (in 2007 there were 23,000; a tiny fraction of the 700,000
people from overseas who were allowed to register for work in the
UK). Most people don’t know an asylum seeker. Most people can’t point
to a way in which the presence of asylum seekers has affected their
lives in any way, for better or worse. Consequently the prejudice
asylum seekers face is based on almost total ignorance.
The government could change this. It could treat asylum seekers well
and present this as a badge of national pride. It could let them
work and celebrate their contribution to the economy. It would be
cheaper. And it would have little effect on the numbers of people
seeking asylum here.
The government does not do it, in large part, because it wants to
curry favour with the editors and readers of the tabloid press. And the
Mail, the Sun, the Express, the News of the World, together with their
competitors, have done more than any other body to stir up hatred of
asylum seekers. Here is a tiny selection of ‘asylum’ headlines from
the past 12 months: ‘Asylum seekers turn to attacking Britain’,
‘Asylum rejects to get NHS for free’, The Asylum Seeker Opera’,
‘Asylum per left in the UK to attack girl, 7’ , ‘100 years to sort
asylum’, Now even yanks claim UK asylum’.
It’s not simply that many of the stories are false, and that most of
them are deliberately misleading. It is the relentless negativity of
the whole campaign. And the depressing fact that this is where the
majority of people get their information about asylum seekers from.
We have become so used to this kind of rhetoric that it seems almost
normal.
But turn the clock back 40 years and replace the words ‘asylum seekers’
with ‘blacks’, or turn it back another 30 and replace them with the
word ‘Jews’, and you start to see how poisonous it really is.
There have been a number of sympathetic headlines in the past
year. Most of them sat above articles about Gurkhas who had
been refused the right of resettlement in Britain, articles about
interpreters working for the British army whose lives were in danger
if they remained in Iraq, and articles about Al Bangura, who plays
for Watford FC and was threatened with removal to Sierra Leone. All
of these articles talked about injustice. All of them treated their
subjects as honourable people. And all of them demonstrated how
simple it is to transform an abstract hate figure into a living,
breathing human being.
At no point has the government made serious efforts to do something
similar.
On the contrary, it has consistently tried to keep the most influential
tabloids onside. These papers would have us believe that this is a
story of ‘us’ and ‘them’, of British citizens besieged by foreigners
wanting a share of our hard-earned wealth. But there is no ‘us’ and
‘them’. There have been refugees coming to this country for as long as
records have been kept: Huguenots, Jews, French Catholics, Russians,
Poles, Hungarians, Ugandan Asians… If you can’t find any in your
family you’re probably not looking hard enough.
We forget about these people because yesterday’s refugees no longer
look like refugees. They’re our neighbours, our colleagues, our
grandparents, our in-laws.
When I came home from my day at the Migrants Resource Centre I got
out a large sheet of paper and wrote down the names of all my friends
and family.
Then I imagined an alternative world in which no one had ever been
granted asylum in the UK. One by one, I began crossing people out. More
than a quarter of them vanished. Most of them dead in concentration
camps. Or unborn because their parents had died in concentration
camps. Shortly after Sergey was told that he had a fatal illness
he received a letter from the Home Office informing him that he was
being removed from the country. The MRC got in touch to explain that
he was seriously ill. The Home Office wrote back saying that this
was no problem. They would provide a medical team to fly with him
back to Armenia.
Sergey was taken to Colnbrook detention centre where he was put in
a room measuring 8ft x 12ft. He was locked up for twenty three and
a half hours a day and let out for 30 minutes to exercise. There was
a camera in one corner monitoring his movements.
With only days to go before Sergey was put on a plane, Mario Marin
Cotrini threatened the Home Office with judicial review and they
released him.
Until a couple of weeks ago, Sergey was living in a shared house with
two other men. One of them had serious mental health problems. When
this man received a letter saying that he was going to be evicted he
became distraught and decided to set light to the house. This happened
at night.
Sergey was sleeping. He had been prescribed tranquillisers to help
with the constant anxiety from which he suffers. Thankfully, being
a doctor, he knew that the pills were bad for his damaged liver,
so he refused to take them.
Consequently, when he smelt smoke he woke up immediately and was
able to get out of the house in time. He rang 999 and two policemen
arrived along with the fire engine. They asked him to come back to
the station to answer a few questions. He was more than happy to
help. They handcuffed him, locked him in a cell overnight and told
him to report back with a solicitor.
I ask Sergey what he wants from life. ‘For myself I want to be
kind. If you are cold I can give you this jacket. But this jacket,
it is rubbish. If you say you need money I have no money to give
you. What has happened to me? I try to be kind, to be kind, to be
kind. I want my two sons learning that. To be kind. To be polite. To
be gentlemen. I am their father, I am the head of the family, but I
cannot help. I am like a dead man here.’
Just before I leave the Migrants Resource Centre, Mariam comes up to
me with a folder with all the certificates and awards she has received
for her voluntary work. We look through them together. At the back of
the file, however, are all her letters from the Border and Immigration
Agency concerning the progress of her asylum case. I ask if I can read
them. She tells me to go ahead. They are mostly boilerplate stuff,
acknowledging the receipt of papers and informing her of delays. But
I notice that at the bottom of every letter is a slogan written in
capital letters: ‘WORKING FOR A SAFE, JUST AND TOLERANT SOCIETY’.
–Boundary_(ID_5u9TiziNnAwKSnx+eo5/Lg)- –
EVERYTHING WILL BE KNOWN IN THREE DAYS
A1+
23 June, 2008
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) will hold an
urgent debate on the functioning of democratic institutions in Armenia
and implementation of PACE Resolution 1609 on June 25. The question was
involved in the agenda without any objection during today’s session.
Reminder, progress made so far by the Armenian authorities in meeting
the Assembly’s demands following the February 2008 post-election
violence has been judged insufficient by the committee’s co-rapporteurs
Georges Colombier (France, EPP/CD) and John Prescott (United Kingdom,
SOC).
During its April session the PACE gave Armenia three months to
implement the resolution otherwise Armenia might be devoid of the
right to vote in the structure.
PRESS RELEASE
Azat Artsakh Daily,
23 June 08
Republic of Nagorno Karabakh [NKR]
Comments of the Foreign Minister Edward Nalbadnian to `Armenpress’ News
Agency Question: Minister, would you comment on the June 18
incidents at the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, which resulted in the
killings of two residents of Chinari village. Answer: I want to
first express my most sincere condolences to the families of the
victims. Attacks against the civilian population, killings of
innocent people and the recent steps of Azerbaijani side, in general,
are directed towards the deterioration of the situation. I believe that
all these attempts, which include the incident in the Martakert region
of Nagorno Karabagh in the first days of March; persistent refusal,
since April, to return four Armenian citizens; killing of an Armenian
serviceman in Tavush region and now the killing of two civilian
residents of Chinari village, must be strongly condemned. Such steps
endanger the peace process. One wonders whether the real goal of the
Azerbaijani side is to create additional obstacles to the continuation
of the peace talks. The demands of a number of Azerbaijani NGOs to stop
the negotiations can only be seen as an evidence of this. It is obvious
from where those NGOs are directed. These steps raise serious concern
and have to be denounced. Question: There have been statements
from the Azerbaijani side about the alleged change of Armenia’s
position with regard the resolution of the Nagrono Karabagh conflict.
Could you clarify Armenia’s position? Answer: Just and peaceful
resolution of Nagorno Karabakh conflict remains a priority of Armenia’s
foreign policy. The recognition and exercise of the right of
the people of Nagorno-Karabakh for self-determination is in the core of
the conflict. Armenia believes that the resolution of Nagorno
Karabagh conflict should be based on the following principles:
– Nagorno Karabakh cannot be under the authority of Azerbaijan;
– Nagorno Karabakh must have a permanent land link to Armenia, which
should be under the jurisdiction of Armenian side. – Security
of the Nagorno Karabakh population must be guaranteed.
Acceptance of these principles and their assertion in an agreement will
allow to surmount the consequences of the conflict. The
agreement in this regard should, naturally, be approved by the Karabakh
side. Armenia remains committed to the resolution of the
conflict only through peaceful means and believes that the creation of
a confidence environment is essential for the continuation of
negotiations in a constructive manner. The sides should refrain from
steps, which might generate additional tension and create obstacles on
the way of the peace process. The militaristic propaganda and
threats of a possible military solution voiced at the highest level in
Azerbaijan contradict the UN Charter and the OSCE Founding Document,
the 1975 Helsinki Final Act, as well as the main principles of
international law. Any attempt of a military solution can have
unpredictable consequences not only for the parties themselves but for
the entire region. Negotiations on the resolution of Nagorno
Karabakh conflict are held within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group
— between the Presidents and Foreign Ministers of Armenia and
Azerbaijan. Armenia values the mediation of Minsk Group Co-chairs as an
effective framework for the process of negotiations. While
being engaged in the negotiations process within the OSCE Minsk Group,
Azerbaijan, at the same time, is making attempts to transfer the
resolution of Nagorno Karabakh conflict to other international fora,
continues to distort the essence of the conflict, and carries on the
anti-Armenian propaganda at various international organizations. This
has seriously impeded the resolution of the conflict and continues to
impede. Armenia is determined to continue negotiations in the
framework of OSCE Minsk Group in order to achieve a final resolution of
the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.
Interfax News Agency, Russia
June 20 2008
Police seal off Yerevan center to stop opposition rally
YEREVAN June 20
Freedom Square in downtown Yerevan has been sealed off with a
deployment of special gear, water cannons and riot police, an Interfax
correspondent reports from the scene.
All cafes and shops located near the square are closed.
Meanwhile, several hundred supporters of former Armenian President and
opposition leader Levon Ter-Petrossian have gathered on Severny
Prospect, near Freedom Square, to chant: "Independent, free Armenia"
and "Levon-president." They also shout insults at police officers.
Law enforcement officers occasionally warn protesters through
loudspeakers that their action is illegal and urge them to disperse to
avoid unforeseen consequences.
Supporters of the opposition are moving towards the area adjacent to
the museum of ancient scripts (Matenadaran), where a rally of the
opposition Pan-Armenian National Movement led by Ter-Petrossian is due
to begin at 6 p.m. local time.
THE UNITED STATES TO RECOGNIZE THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
Hayots Ashkhar Daily
Published on June 21, 2008
Armenia
Barrack O’bama’s Advisors on Foreign Policy Issues have informed
Turkish Foreign Minister A. Babajan that Turkey should have no doubts
that the United States will recognize the Armenian Genocide.
The military and diplomatic officials and congressmen having close ties
with Mr. O’bama have expressed their concerns over Iran’s increased
influence on Armenia.
`The opening of Armenia’s border with Turkey will remove the
discussions on the Genocide from the agenda, as well as lay obstacles
to the extension of Iran’s sphere of influence. We are thinking about
the necessity of Turkey’s having a more active role in the Caucasus,’
they said.
PROSECUTOR GENERAL PERMITTED THE LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION NEW TIMES PARTY, BEING ON REMAND, TO LEAVE ARMENIA
arminfo
2008-06-20 14:34:00
ArmInfo. Today the leader of the opposition New Times party Aram
Karapetyan left for Moscow for the three-month treatment, New Times
party told ArmInfo correspondent.
Today press-secretary of Armenian prosecutor general, Sona Truzyan,
told ArmInfo correspondent tat Aram Karapetyan applied in a written
form to Armenian Prosecutor General Agvan Hovsepyan and asked him
to permit to depart to Moscow for treatment and his request was
entertained.