Author: nina hovnanian

LES AVOCATS ENVISAGENT UNE GRAVE DE DEUX JOURS POUR PROTESTER CONTRE ” L’ARBITRAIRE ” DE LA COUR DE CASSATION

Plus de 150 avocats envisagent de faire deux jours de grève en Armenie
dans la semaine a venir pour attirer l’attention de toutes les branches
du pouvoir ainsi que la societe civile sur ce qu’ils decrivent comme un
” comportement inacceptable ” de la Cour de cassation.

Les avocats disent que la raison de leurs manifestations, c’est que
pour accepter ou ne pas accepter une affaire pour un examen la Cour
de cassation ne fournit pas d’explications de ses decisions.

Pendant les grèves prevues les 10 et 11 juin les avocats ne
participeront pas aux audiences et autres procedures judiciaires.

” Deux poids deux mesures continuent d’etre appliquees dans le
système de la justice – les actes judiciaires emis par les differentes
instances judiciaires sont souvent en conflit les uns avec les autres,
et les pourvois en cassation formes contre les uns sont retournes
regulièrement sans aucune raison fournie ou une explication. En
consequence, les actes judiciaires se contredisent les uns les autres
ce qui porte atteinte au principe de securite juridique qui est une
règle de l’Etat de droit ” a declare un groupe de 46 avocats dans
un communique.

Les avocats ont commence leurs protestations sur la question en 2011,
quand environ 200 d’entre eux ont organise une manifestation près
la Cour de cassation suite a l’arret de l’activite d’un juge a la
demande de la Cour de cassation. A cette epoque, les avocats ont dit
que la justice en Armenie est faussee et que la prise de decisions
des juges etait contrainte par la Cour de cassation.

En 2012, plus d’une centaine d’avocats n’ont pas travaille le 11 Juin,
exprimant ainsi leur protestation contre les ” doubles standards ”
et ” l’arbitraire ” de la Cour de cassation, mais ils disent qu’aucun
changement positif n’a suivi après l’action de l’an dernier.

Membre de la Chambre des avocats Samvel Jaghinyan declare lors d’une
conference de presse que l’omission d’enregistrer des sessions de la
cour est egalement un problème majeur dans le système.

” Des recherches et audiences d’enquete ne sont pas enregistrees
deliberement. J’ai souleve cette question depuis environ un an,
mais aucune solution n’a ete prevue ” a declare l’avocat.

Un autre membre de la Chambre des avocats, Hayk Alumyan, a decrit la
situation dans le système judiciaire d’Armenie en tant que perplexe,
car la Cour de cassation peut prendre des decisions qui contredisent
les precedentes.

” Le problème est egalement source de preoccupation pour nos clients
car ils ne comprennent pas pourquoi la Cour de cassation laisse leurs
plaintes sans reponse et sans examen tandis que la Cour europeenne des
droits de l’homme les accepte et se prononce en faveur du plaignant
” a declare Hayk Aloumyan.

Pendant ce temps, selon le chef de la division des relations publiques
et internationales au ministère Arsen Babayan faire grève ne va pas
aider a resoudre les problèmes des clients des avocats.

” Il y a une possibilite d’appel et si les instances judiciaires
armeniennes ne resolvent pas le problème, ils peuvent se tourner vers
la Cour europeenne des droits de l’homme. Dans ce cas, la grève des
avocats est la meme que les medecins se mettent en grève quand il y
a des patients qui ont besoin d’un traitement “, a declare Babayan.

Le juriste Ara Ghazaryan pense que les avocats feraient mieux de se
concentrer sur leurs affaires dans les juridictions inferieures.

” Faire une demande a la Cour de cassation devrait etre une option
pour les avocats, car il s’agit d’un tribunal special. Pendant ce
temps, les avocats devraient principalement se concentrer sur leurs
dossier devant le tribunal de première instance ou devant les cours
d’appel sans laisser la question atteindre la Cour de cassation “,
a-t-il explique.

Gohar Abrahamyan

ArmeniaNow reporter

mardi 11 juin 2013, Stephane ©armenews.com

OPPOSITION FORCES NOT TO ATTEND YEREVAN MAYOR’S INAUGURATION CEREMONY

22:07 ~U 10.06.13

The inauguration ceremony of the newly elected Yerevan Mayor Taron
Margaryan is to take place on June 11.

The inauguration ceremony is normally attended by ex-mayors and public
figures. Invitations have also been sent out to the ex-candidates in
the elections to Yerevan’s Council of Elders that topped the lists
of the political forces that participated in the elections.

Armen Martirosyan, who topped the list of the Barev, Yerevan (Hello,
Yerevan) bloc, told Tert.am that, despite being invited, he is not
going to attend the inauguration ceremony.

“I have received an invitation, but I am not going to attend because
the elections were the most disgraceful elections I had ever seen,”
he said.

Tigran Urikhanyan, Spokesman for the Prosperous Armenia Party
(PAP), has not received an invitation and is not going to attend the
ceremony. According to the information at his disposal, not all the
members of the PAP group have been invited.

Without naming the invitees, he said, “This is not a priority for us.

We have not thoroughly discussed it.”

Armen Rustamyan, Head of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation
Dashnaktsutyun (ARF-D) parliamentary group, is the only ARF-D member
invited to the ceremony.

The ARF-D parliamentary group member Aghvan Vardanyan told Tert.am
that, although invited, Rustamyan is not going to attend the ceremony.

Vahagn Khachatryan who topped the list of the Armenian National
Congress (ANC) party, has been invited, but is not going to attend
the ceremony.

Artur Misakyan, Spokesman for the Rule of Law party told Tert.am that
“the party has been invited and we are most likely to attend.”

Mesrob Arakelyan, who topped the list of the Mission party, is not
going to attend the ceremony.

“We do not accept the election results. If any discussions of
cooperation are held, we may take part in them. But we do not think
it is advisable to attend the inauguration ceremony proper,” he
told Tert.am.

ENVIRONMENTAL CHECKING IN TEGHUT CJSC

The office of the Human Rights Defender reports that as a result of
the long fight of the environmentalists and with the intervention of
the Human Rights Defender, checking will be carried out in Teghit CJSC
in relation to appeals by the Teghut defense group on law breaches.

The Ombudsman’s office says hopeful that the checking will respect
law requirements and all relevant measures will be taken up to find
out and eliminate breaches.

The Ombudsman’s office says further committed to the process.

17:17 10/06/2013 Story from Lragir.am News:

EXPERT: MILITARY COUP IMPOSSIBLE IN TURKEY

ARMINFO
Monday, June 10, 17:51

Military coup is impossible in Turkey, Professor Ruben Safrastyan,
Head of the Institute of Oriental Studies at the Armenian National
Academy of Science, told media, Monday.

The expert said that Turkish army is indifferent to the clashes of
the police and protesters against construction in Gezi Park. Prime
Minister Erdogan managed to separate army from the politics. In
addition, the mentality of Turkish officers has changed sharply. The
graduated students of religious schools have been allowed to receive
higher education and part of them became officers after graduation.

Now, the army leadership is concerned that the officers will simply
refuse to fulfill orders and will not interfere with the processes
in the country, Safrastyan said.

The professor believes that the situation with Gezi Park is in
favor of the incumbent president Abdullah Gul. In 2014 elections to
the local self-government and presidential election will be held
in Turkey. In addition, a new Constitution may be adopted ahead
of elections to change the governance system. “It is not a secret
that Prime Minister Erdogan claims the presidential post and these
changes will give him wider powers. However, the current processes
in Turkey show that Erdogan cannot come out as a nation- wide leader
who listens to the voice of the people,” Safrastyan says. “Erdogan’s
behavior is insulting first of all the Gezi Park activists, who are
largely intellectuals. This will seriously damage Erdogan’s image
and Gul will appear as a winner,” he said.

The protests against construction in the area of Gezi Park in Istanbul
continue in Turkey. Reportedly, 536 people were wounded during
the ongoing unrest in Turkey, with over 2,3 thousand people being
arrested. In Ankara, activists demand resignation of the government.

On June 8 Istanbul mayor declared that the local authorities adopted
a decision to cancel construction in the park.

TURKISH ORGANIZATION TO RESTORE ISTANBUL’S MEMORIAL DEVOTED TO ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

15:52, 10 June, 2013

YEREVAN, JUNE 10, ARMENPRESS: The Turkish organization “Say no to
racism and nationalism” intends to restore the Memorial dedicated
to the Armenian Genocide erected in 1919 but later dismantled in the
Gezi Park in Istanbul’s centrally-located Taksim Square. As reported
by Armenpress, this was published by the Turkish information website
demokrathaber.com.

The Spokesperson of “Say no to racism and nationalism” Cengiz Algan
stated that the Memorial erected in the Gezi Park was to commemorate
the victims of the Armenian Genocide and now as well they should not
be forgotten.

Cengiz Algan reminded that the territory of the Gezi Park in
Istanbul’s Taksim Square and the adjacent areas belonged to the
Armenians. “In 1560 the territory was presented to the Armenians by
the Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent as a token of gratitude for his
life was saved by an Armenian cook. A part of the park was occupied
by the Armenian cemetery. In 1940s the Kemalist dictators snatched
the territory from the Armenians”, – stated the Spokesperson of
“Say no to racism and nationalism”.

He expressed his hope that some day the Memorial dedicated to the
Armenian Genocide will be erected in its real place.

WE SHALL SPREAD NATIONWIDE DISOBEDIENCE – ARMENIAN OPPOSITION MP (VIDEO)

June 10, 2013 | 12:26

YEREVAN. – Armenia’s opposition Heritage Party MP Zaruhi Postanjyan
reflected on the recent tragic incident that occurred in Goris city.

“[Ex-Governor] Suren Khachatryan of [Syunik Region] resorts to a
variety of methods in an attempt to cover up this crime. From whom
does he receive that backing? From [President] Serzh Sargsyan, of
course. And why is Serzh Sargsyan backing him? Because the entire
system in the country operates by way of such persons,” Postanjyan
said.

In the MP’s words, since the Armenian people have not been persistent
in punishing such persons, the people’s rights were violated in
the country.

“We need to get rid of such people and the system starts to collapse on
its own. We all shall stand up, [and] spread nationwide disobedience,”
Zaruhi Postanjyan stated.

As Armenian News-NEWS.am informed earlier, shots were fired nearby
Suren Khachatryan’s home in Goris city, on June 2 at around 12:10am,
as a result of which one person was killed and two others sustained
gunshot wounds and were taken to Goris hospital. The person who died
was Avo Budaghyan, the former Goris mayoral candidate. The wounded
are Budaghyan’s brother Artak, and Nikolay Abrahamyan, a relative and
bodyguard of Khachatryan. Subsequently, the wounded were transferred
to capital city Yerevan.

A criminal case is launched on charges of murder and illegal carrying,
possession, and use of arms and ammunition, and the Military
Prosecutor’s Office is conducting the investigation.

Two people are arrested in connection with this incident. One of
them is the Syunik regional governor’s son, Tigran Khachatryan, 19,
and the other is the governor’s bodyguard, Zarzand Nikoghosyan.

On June 6, and pursuant to his petition, Suren Khachatryan was relieved
of his duties as Governor of Syunik Region.

AIR ARABIA STARTS TWICE WEEKLY SERVICE TO ARMENIA’S CAPITAL CITY

Air Arabia (PJSC), the first and largest low-cost carrier (LCC) in
the Middle East and North Africa, announced today that it will begin
offering a twice weekly service to Yerevan, Armenia, from August 2013,
albawaba.com reports.

Around three hours flight time from the UAE, Armenia’s diverse
landscape comprises mountains, forests, lakes and waterfalls. The
ancient city of Yerevan is the country’s capital and one of the
oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, offering a wide
array of museums, parks, restaurants and sightseeing opportunities,
the website writes.

Flights will depart from Sharjah International Airport on Tuesdays
and Fridays at 08:30, arriving at Zvartnots International Airport at
11.15. Return flights will depart on the same days, leaving Yerevan
at 12:35 and arriving in Sharjah at 15.40 (local time).

“Armenia is rapidly emerging as a must-visit destination for tourists
seeking great culture and history alongside fantastic scenery and
outdoor activities,” said Adel Ali, Group Chief Executive Officer, Air
Arabia. “Yerevan adds further strength to our already comprehensive
network of destinations in Eastern Europe, and continues the rapid
route expansion we have enjoyed since the beginning of the year.”

Yerevan is Air Arabia’s fifth new route in 2013 and 86th worldwide
from the carriers operating hubs in the UAE, Morocco and Egypt. Air
Arabia will commence Armenia operations on August 16, 2013.

EXPERT’S BLOG: AZERBAIJAN’S PROPOSAL IS UNREALISTIC

Monday,
June 10

In an interview with ANS Television Company, the head of the State
Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) said that “If the Armenian
side applies to us regarding gas, we are ready to help them”.

With 4-5 months left until the presidential elections in Azerbaijan,
populist statements of Azerbaijan’s ruling regime seem to have reached
their apogee.

Taking into account the fact that Azerbaijan is criticized by human
rights organizations and European structures for lack of democracy
and human right abuses, Armenia and Artsakh could show readiness to
assist Azerbaijan considered a not free country with this problem.

Azerbaijan’s proposal is initially unrealistic, first of all because
it is at variance with the Azerbaijani-Turkish tandem’s main provision
which insists on a blockade and isolation of Armenia.

Secondly, if Azerbaijan wanted to have an image of humanistic and
tolerant country, it would first of all solve a number of issues such
as withdrawal of snipers from the frontline and adoption of a positive
approach to the creation of mechanisms of investigating incidents
on the line of contact. If Azerbaijan wanted to show tolerance,
it would stop its 20-year policy of fomenting hatred and hostility
towards the Armenians in Azerbaijani society.

TODAY, 13:21

Aysor.am

ONE ARMENIAN STILL LIVES IN TURKISH VILLAGE OF CHUNKUSH

June 10, 2013 – 12:46 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Writer Chris Bohjalian published an article in
Washington Post about a hidden Armenian woman, thought to be the last
surviving Armenian in Chunkush, a small village in southeastern Turkey.

“A woman I met last month in southeastern Turkey is going to die,
probably sometime soon. Asiya’s death will not be covered by any news
service, and for all but a few people in her small village of Chunkush,
she will not be missed. Even the relatives who love her will probably
think to themselves, well, she was 98 years old. Or 99. Or, if she
survives until 2015, somewhere in the neighborhood of a century. She
will have lived a long life.

When I met Asiya in May, her daughter brought me strong Kurdish tea
and fresh strawberries from their yard, and when I return to her
village someday and find that she has indeed passed away, I suspect
I’m going to weep.

On our fifth day, we visited Chunkush, where until 1915 there was
a thriving community of 10,000 Armenians. The ruins of the church
loom over you. The town was almost entirely Armenian. Over a few
nightmarish days that summer, Turkish gendarmes and Kurdish chetes ,
killing parties, descended on the village and marched almost every
Armenian two hours away to a ravine called Dudan, where they shot,
bayoneted or simply threw them into a chasm of several hundred feet.

One of the gendarmes pulled Asiya’s mother from the line at the edge
of the ravine, however, because he thought she was pretty. He decided
he’d marry her. And so she was spared – one of the very few Armenians
who were saved that summer day in 1915,” the article reads.

AKUNK CARNAGE: MAN KILLS WIFE, STABS CHILDREN BEFORE TURNING KNIFE ON HIMSELF

NEWS | 10.06.13 | 12:51

A villager in Armenia has knifed his whole family before attempting
to kill himself, according to police.

The drama occurred in the village of Akunk in Armenia’s central Kotayk
province on Sunday night.

According to preliminary information reported by the Police, on June 9,
at about 9:30 pm, Ashot Gevorgyan, 37, stabbed his wife, 29-year-old
Anush Gasparyan, to death and then injured his two daughters –
12 year-old Shoghakat and five-year-old Mariam Gasparyans – by
stabbing. After that Gevorgyan allegedly turned the knife on himself
incurring an abdominal injury.

The man and his two daughters were hospitalized. While in hospital
Gevorgyan was taken under arrest. The police also said it confiscated
six kitchen knives from the scene of the crime.

The Kotayk provincial investigation department instituted a criminal
case on part 1 of Article 20 of the Criminal Code (murder). No motives
behind the crime have yet been revealed. Investigating is underway.