Author: nina hovnanian

Targeted News Service
February 5, 2014 Wednesday 8:33 PM EST

Armenian Corrections Delegation Successful Training in Wisconsin

YEREVAN, Armenia

The U.S. Embassy issued the following news release:

Wisconsin Department of Corrections staff members continued sharing
instructional strategies with the Armenian correctional delegation in
January at the Madison Training Center. The training topics included
demonstrations; role plays; case studies; scenarios, presentations,
etc.

The Corrections Reform Program partnership between the Wisconsin
Department of Corrections and Armenia started in April 2012, and the
ongoing cooperation and training has led to many planned changes for
the new prison set to open soon in Armavir. One of the big changes
will be the implementation of unit management concepts and the use of
multi-disciplinary teams consisting of social workers, security, and
medical staff to effectively manage a prison population. This group of
eight Armenian delegates in Wisconsin now is developing curriculum to
use for training correctional staff.

Armenian delegates were presented with the theory, provided an example
of each strategy, and then used these strategies in their own
presentations. The trainers and delegates provided feedback on both
the successes and areas allowing for improvement.

“The delegation has demonstrated both a great interest in how we train
in Wisconsin and an ability to adapt some of the methods presented to
their own programs”, said Judy Smith, Warden at Oshkosh Correctional
Institution. “The delegates are meeting, and perhaps, exceeding their
goals for what they have accomplished to this point.”

The delegation of Armenian correctional officials conducting training
in Wisconsin became snowbound at their hotel on Jan. 14. Oshkosh
Correctional Institution, Madison Training Center and Central Office
staff took their show on the road and used the hotel facilities to
continue the program there. The group also travelled to Red Granite
Correctional Institution for a tour and to experience the missions of
the different housing units and the reclassification process. While at
Red Granite Correctional Institution the delegation made a
presentation to the staff on Armenian culture and history.

Later in the week the group visited Oshkosh Correctional Institution
where they made presentations based on what they learned the previous
day at Red Granite Correctional Institution. The remainder of the day
was spent in activities and discussion related to unit management,
multi-disciplinary teams and the strategies that could be employed to
introduce and train the concepts to Unit Management.

“Armenia is undergoing much change, especially in the penitentiary
system,” said Hamlet Aghoyan, leader of the delegation. “Our purpose
is to learn from the American experience and make that a basis for
penitentiary reform. We are very grateful to our American colleagues
for this exceptional opportunity; we appreciate the importance as do
all the people of Armenia.”

Armenian and American experts discuss crime laboratories

February 06, 2014 | 15:26

YEREVAN. – The Armenian National Bureau of Expertise’s (NBE) continues
taking part in the series of live online television links with the
American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors (ASCLD).

The first of such online talks was held on January 22.

The second seminar, which was convened on Wednesday, was devoted to
raising the effectiveness of the crime laboratories.

Adam Becnel, Crime Lab Manager at the US State of Louisiana, was the
keynote speaker at the event. Becnel presented their organization’s
outlook on the aforementioned matter.

The next live online television link will be held on February 26.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

FIFA supporting Armenia with its “Goal” Programme

18:25 06.02.2014

Armenia, FIFA

In 1999, FIFA introduced the Goal Programme, which enables beneficiary
member associations to implement projects designed to develop football
in their respective countries. One of these countries is Armenia.

The former Soviet Union may have set great store by its sporting
infrastructure during the 1960s and 1970s, but since the country
became independent in 1991, the Armenian Football Association has been
plagued by financial difficulties which have also affected the quality
of football development.

The existing infrastructure and the quality of coaching have proved to
be the major obstacles, with the development of young talent being the
biggest casualty. For the Armenian Football Association, and indeed
for every club, youth development is a fundamental aspect and one that
lays the groundwork for a successful national team.

The Video of the Week presents how FIFA has contributed towards a
brighter future for Armenian football.

Protest against pension reforms in Armenia’s capital (videos, photos)

13:35 * 06.02.14

The Armenian civic group protesting against the funded pensions
started Thursday afternoon a protest in front of the Government,
urging the citizens of Armenia to stand up for their rights.

The protesters were calling upon government officials to respect the
Constitutional Court’s decision on suspending the controversial
reforms and not to force their employees to pay salary taxes to
pension funds.

On January 24, the Constitutional Court issued a ruling to suspend the
controversial amendments to the pension law that made 5%-10% salary
deductions mandatory for all Armenian citizens born after 1973.

The protesting activists were chanting slogans “Shame”, “We are
Against”, “We are the Masters of this Country”.

Addressing the crowd, Gerasim Vardanyan, the leader of the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation-Dashnaksutyun’s Nikol Aghbalyan student
union, said the Government fails to take any measure to ensure the
protection of the citizens’ rights.

Plans for launching IT learning center in Karabakh discussed in UK

18:46 * 06.02.14

The prime minister of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh), who was recently in
the United Kingdom, has discussed possibilities of opening a branch of
the Tumo Center for Creative Technologies in the second Armenian
republic.

Ara Harutyunyan addressed the issue at a meeting with leaders of the
Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU). He told the benefactors that
the center will operate on temporary premises before the construction
of the headquarters, says to a press release by a spokesperson.

Apart from charity projects, the businessmen were also interested in
investments opportunities in the hydro-energy sector and economy of
Karabakh.

Harutyunyan was in the United Kingdom from January 30 to February 4 to
attend the AGBU annual assembly.

The Tumo Center for Creative Technologies offers students aged 12-18
an after-school learning environment for developing new skills in the
IT sector under the guidance of highly trained educators and media
professionals. It was launched in Yerevan in 2011.

The Armenian General Benevolent Union is a non-profit pan-Armenian
organization whose mission is to promote the Armenian identity and
heritage through educational, cultural and humanitarian programs,
annually serving some 400,000 Armenians in 35 countries.

Armenian News – Tert.am

A PROPOS DE L’ARRÊT PERINCEK DE LA CEDH
Ne trahissons pas René Cassin par Nicolas Zomersztajn

Lu sur le site du Centre communautaire laïc juif de Belgique :

Largement cannibalisée par les provocations antisémites de Dieudonné
et de Laurent Louis, son grotesque épigone belge, l’actualité de ces
dernières semaines n’a guère accordé d’importance à un arrêt de la
Cour européenne des droits de l’Homme en matière de liberté
d’expression et de négationnisme.

Dans cet arrêt rendu le 3 décembre 2013, la Cour estime que les
tribunaux suisses ont violé la liberté d’expression d’un propagandiste
turc en le condamnant pour avoir nié publiquement le génocide des
Arméniens qu’il qualifiait de > lors de
conférences qu’il a données sur le territoire suisse. Selon la Cour de
Strasbourg, cet idéologue négationniste ne serait qu’un scientifique
contribuant au débat historique et usant pour ce faire de sa liberté
scientifique. Par ailleurs, la Cour considère aussi que la
pénalisation du négationnisme ne se justifie pas dans cette affaire,
car elle ne répond pas à >.

Les juges de la Cour européenne des droits de l’Homme ne peuvent se
revendiquer de l’universalité des droits de l’Homme et considérer que
des négationnistes d’un génocide reconnu par les instances européennes
puissent s’exprimer en toute impunité. Cette conception de la liberté
d’expression semble radicalement contraire au regard exigeant de René
Cassin (1887-1976), dont les juges de cette juridiction prétendent se
revendiquer dans leur action.

La suite sur le lien plus bas.

jeudi 6 février 2014,
Ara (c)armenews.com
– 110

SOCIAL
Une Arménienne enceinte de sept mois sous le coup d’une expulsion d’un foyer

LILLE, 05 fév 2014 (AFP) – Une Arménienne enceinte de sept mois et sa
famille pourraient être expulsées d’un foyer d’accueil à Senlis (Oise)
après avoir été déboutées d’une demande d’asile, ce qui suscite
l’inquiétude d’un comité de soutien, a-t-on appris mercredi de sources
concordantes.

“La loi de la République s’applique à tout le monde, cela ne me gêne
pas qu’on les renvoie en Arménie mais, en attendant, on ne met pas une
femme enceinte à la rue !”, a déclaré à l’AFP Léo Nicolian, président
du comité de soutien à la famille Manoukian, composée des deux parents
et de leurs deux enfants scolarisés de 17 et 18 ans.

“On célèbre les 60 ans de l’appel de l’abbé Pierre”, a-t-il ajouté,
précisant qu’il avait été en contact avec le cabinet de la ministre
des Droits des femmes, Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, au sujet de cette
affaire, qu’il présente comme “la future affaire Leonarda”. La
préfecture de l’Oise a indiqué de son côté que la famille Manoukian,
arrivée à Senlis en mars 2012, a vu le rejet de sa demande d’asile
confirmée par la Cour nationale du droit d’asile (CNDA) le 3 janvier
et qu’elle devait quitter “impérativement” le foyer d’hébergement pour
demandeurs d’asile de Senlis au 3 février.

“Les services de l’Etat se sont engagés à héberger Madame Manoukian et
ses enfants dans le dispositif hôtelier départemental. Des
propositions d’accompagnement leur ont été faites tout au long du mois
de janvier mais ont été refusées par les intéressés”, a ajouté la
préfecture dans un communiqué.

“Ils vont se retrouver à quatre dans une chambre d’hôtel dans un état
de vétusté absolu. Tant qu’ils sont au foyer, ils ont plus de confort.
J’ai demandé à la famille de rester au foyer mais ils ont peur de la
+milice+ (la police, ndlr). Ils ont deux enfants scolarisés, un garçon
de 17 ans et une fille de 18 ans. Et on leur proposait un hébergement
à Compiègne”, a expliqué Léo Nicolian.

“Et avant que je n’intervienne lundi matin on leur a dit : +Vous
quittez le foyer et une fois que vous serez dehors, appelez le 115+”,
a-t-il ajouté. M. Nicolian a indiqué que la famille Manoukian n’avait
“toujours pas reçu la notification écrite de demande de quitter le
territoire national” mais qu’elle la recevrait “dans les jours qui
viennent”.

jeudi 6 février 2014,
Ara (c)armenews.com
– 112

PRESS RELEASE
Caucasus Environmental NGO Network
28, Chovelidze street
Tbilisi, 380008, GEORGIA
Tel: ++ 995 32 99 63 28, 995 99 57 77 22
E-mail: [email protected], [email protected]
Web:

Regional Workshop in the framework of the project

Eco- migration: dialogue and cooperation in the South Caucasus countries
for better life

On January 30-31, 2014 in CENN Bulachauri Green Centre in the framework
of the regional project `Eco- migration: dialogue and
cooperation in the South Caucasus countries for better life’
was organized regional workshop dedicated to the discussion of
ecomigration related issues in regional context. Project national and
local coordinators from three South Caucus countries attended the
meeting, as well as the members of Open Environmental Civic Initiative
(OECI) from Armenia and Azerbaijan that were formed in both countries in
the frame of the project.

In Armenia and Azerbaijan the project is implemented in close
cooperation with the `Green Lane’ Agricultural
Assistance NGO and Ecological Society `Ruzgar’,
respectively.

The project is being implemented by CENN with the financial support of
the European Union and covers in the South Caucasus countries. The
overall objective of the initiative is to support initiation and
successful systemic reform implementation in the field of ecomigration
in the South Caucasus countries via strengthening the capacities of the
civil society actors and enhancing structured and inclusive
multi-stakeholder dialogue at the national and regional levels.

During the workshop were presented studies on trends, dynamics and
challenges of ecomigration that are presenting situation in terms of
ecomigration in all three South Caucasus countries, issues and
challenges that are facing counties in terms of ecomigration.

The local coordinators of the project made presentations on the key
findings of the field visits conducted by them in target regions of the
project in all three South Caucasus countries. During their
presentations they highlighted the most urgent issues that are being
faced by ecomigrants in new settlements and what kind of activities
should be conducted in donor regions to prevent ecomigration from risk
areas.

Based on the findings of the field visits as well as on the
recommendations of the above mentioned studies were planned future steps
within the project.

For more detailed information about the Project please contact:
Nino Tevzadze
Caucasus Environmental NGO Network (CENN)
T +995 32 75 19 03 / 04
F +995 32 75 19 05
M +995 93 368166
[email protected]

COE, DANISH GOVERNMENT FUND LOCAL GOVERNANCE STRENGTHENING PROJECT IN ARMENIA

14:46 05.02.2014

A new three-year project in the field of local democracy was launched
today as part of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Armenia
2012-2014. The project is funded by the Government of Denmark and
enjoys support of the Government of Armenia.

The project “Support to Consolidating Local Democracy in Armenia”
was presented in Yerevan by Armen Gevorgyan, Deputy Prime Minister
and Minister of Territorial Administration, and by Council of Europe
representative Knud Andersen, Vice-President of the Congress of
Local and Regional Authorities, Alfonso Zaedi, Head of Democratic
Governance and Institutions Department, and Olexander Pavlyuk, Head
of the Council of Europe Office in Yerevan.

While providing support to the central government on the local
self-government reforms, including the territorial-administrative
reforms, the project will assist in parallel the local communities
through activities on public ethics, citizen participation, human
resource management and leadership development for mayors. It
ultimately aims at spreading knowledge of good practice and European
standards in local democracy in Armenia.

“Today local authorities have the primary responsibility to respond to
the needs and issues of concern of the citizens,” stated Knud Andersen,
Vice-President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities. “The
Congress is deeply committed to provide assistance to local authorities
in their daily effort not only to provide services to the citizens,
but also to inspire the life of the community and shape their
values. This project is designed to reinforce the standards of local
democracy in Armenia and to disseminate principles of good governance,”
he continued.

“The Council of Europe acknowledges that the Government of Armenia
resolves its commitment to local government reform and is happy to
contribute to it through legal assistance and capacity building
initiatives. We will continue providing expertise based on best
European practices and innovation, said Mr. Zardi, Head of the Council
of Europe Democratic Governance and Institutions Department.

The project will develop over a period of three years and is expected
to involve several dozen Armenian communities throughout the country.

PRESIDENT OF MASHDOTS COLLEGE IN GLENDALE TO LEAD VISIT TO WESTERN ARMENIA

12:24 05.02.2014

Later this year, Mashdots College President Garbis Der Yeghiayan will
take nearly 30 people to visit historic Western Armenia — which now
lies within Turkey’s boarders — on a pilgrimage that leads Armenian
descendants back to their roots, Glendale News-Press reports.

He has led people on the pilgrimage for several years, witnessing them
encounter for the first time the home of their parents or grandparents
that they had long heard about.

“It’s a dream come true. They always dream about their parents’
and grandparents’ cities — where they were raised, where they were
educated, where they walked,” he said.

For Glendale resident Hovsep Fidanian, who traveled with Der Yeghiayan
to the area last year, the pilgrimage was both enlightening and
heartbreaking.

“It was a pilgrimage that evoked a lot of happiness on one hand and
sadness on the other,” he said.

Along his travels, he saw old Armenian architecture, and particularly
many churches, in ruins.

“You see all these windows broken and properties abandoned and there’s
no way — if you have any sense of being a human being — not being
affected by these things,” he said.

Der Yeghiayan encountered his own family’s ancestral home in Kharpert
and the church where his great-grandfather served as a priest before
he was killed in the Armenian Genocide of 1915.

Der Yeghiayan was born and raised in Beirut, named after his
grandfather, his family’s sole survivor of the genocide. His
grandfather had moved to Wisconsin in 1912, working in a factory and
sending money home to more than 40 members of his family in Kharpert.

But by the time his grandfather returned to the village where he grew
up, everyone had been killed.

Der Yeghiayan, who said he carries the legacy of his family, enjoys
bringing others of the Armenian Diaspora closer to their ancestral
roots. As a peacemaker, he said he is known to befriend the Los
Angeles counsel generals working for Turkey

Once in 2004, as a regional district governor for Rotary International,
he prayed at the Martyrs Monument to honor the 1.5 million genocide
victims in Yerevan alongside Erhan Ciftcioglu, who served then as a
Rotary district governor in Turkey. The next year, he was invited by
Erhan Ciftcioglu to serve as a keynote speaker in Ankara at a peace
conference, and there he urged Turkey political leaders to renovate
old Armenian churches.

“I make no enemies whatsoever — not as a Rotarian but as a Christian.

It says in the Bible, ‘Love your enemies.’ That has to be implemented
through my deeds, my actions, my words,” he said, adding, “I plant
seeds of love and compassion, not seeds of hatred.”

At MashdotsCollege in Glendale, Der Yeghiayan teaches several
educational courses. The campus also offers certificate programs
spanning from paralegal studies to early childhood education and
career technical classes in computers and medical billing.

He strives to counsel the students, many of whom who are of Armenian
descent and new to Glendale. Even more recently, he serves refugees
from Syria.

“It’s not just a college, it’s a second home,” he said.

For the upcoming 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide, Der
Yeghiayan is serving on a committee that plans to honor the centennial
at the Rose Bowl. He also plans to return to Western Armenia in 2015
for another pilgrimage.

Of the year 2015, he said, “This is a great opportunity for Turks to
extend their hand of friendship and tell Armenians, ‘This is what we
owe to you,'” he said. “If we don’t resolve our differences, the next
generation will have a very hard time resolving the differences.”