Author: nina hovnanian

LE CHOLERA FAIT DEUX MORTS AU KURDISTAN IRAKIEN (AUTORITES)
Stephane

armenews.com
mardi 9 octobre 2012

Deux personnes ont succombe au cholera dans une province du Kurdistan
irakien, touchee par la maladie pour la deuxième fois en cinq ans,
a annonce mardi Rekot Hama Rachid, le ministre de la Sante de la
region autonome.

Les victimes, deux personnes âgees, sont decedees la semaine dernière
a Souleimaniya, a explique le ministre a l’AFP, ajoutant que 27 cas
avaient ete recenses a ce jour.

Selon le ministre, 75 personnes sont soumises chaque jour a des
examens pour determiner si elles sont ou non malades.

Il s’agit de la seconde poussee de cholera en cinq ans dans la province
de Souleimaniya. En 2007, la maladie avait tue au moins neuf personnes.

mardi 9 octobre 2012, Stephane ©armenews.com

LE NAKHITCHEVAN ACCUEILLE UN SOMMET DES RESPONSABLES DES DOUANES DES “PAYS TURCOPHONES”
Gari

armenews.com
mardi 9 octobre 2012

Si la Turquie a très tôt pris conscience de l’importance de la barrière
des langues qui contrariait l’ambition politique affichee par Ankara
a la chute de l’URSS de creer un “monde turc allant de l’Adriatique a
la Muraille de Chine “, elle n’a pas renonce a utiliser les liens de
parente linguistique entre les peuples dits turcophones a des fins
politiques et economiques. Le Turc d’Istanbul ne comprend certes
guère le Kirguize ou l’Ouzbek ‘turcophone’, mais il est possible
de surmonter ces barrières linguistiques, en levant par exemple les
barrières douanières. C’est dans cet objectif que l’Azerbaïdjan, fidèle
allie de la Turquie avec laquelle il partage par ailleurs une langue
assez proche, accueille le premier sommet du Conseil de cooperation
douanière des Etats turcophones regroupant l’Azerbaïdjan, la Turquie,
le Kazakhstan et le Kirgyzstan. La reunion se tient dans la province du
Nakhitchevan, enclavee entre la Turquie, l’Iran et l’Armenie, qui est
par ailleurs le fief du clan Aliev au pouvoir a Bakou depuis plus de
3 decennies. Le Comite d’Etat des douanes d’Azerbaïdjan a fait savoir
que son president, Aydin Aliyev, attachait une grande importance a
l’initiative du Conseil de Cooperation douanière visant a rehabiliter
l’antique ” Route de la Soie ” et s’employait a reunir cette instance
turcophone a un rythme plus soutenu. Le sommet de Nakhitchevan a ete
l’occasion de presenter un vaste eventail de projets des pays membres,
dont le projet turc Karavansaray, le système kirguize d’automatisation
des douanes ou encore le système azeri d’inspection douanière.

Turan news agency, Azerbaijan
Oct 5 2012

Azeri agency reports results of national survey on politics, religion, economy

More than 60 per cent would like to leave Azerbaijan, while over 40
per cent believe that a serious crisis is imminent once oil reserves
run out, according to a national survey held by the ADAM sociological
service, the Turan news agency reported on 5 October.

According to the report, the survey was carried out between 1 August
and 1 September and 1,000 people were polled. The survey was part of a
research carried out by the Centre for Economic and Political Research
(FAR CENTRE), led by Hikmat Hacizada.

In response to economy related questions, 6.9 per cent said they were
fully satisfied with their material well-being and 52.4 said they were
partially satisfied, whereas 30 per cent said they experience material
difficulties and 9.5 per cent complained of major material
difficulties. Some 62.1 per cent would like to leave Azerbaijan for
good or temporarily; 30 per cent said that they have “long since seen
meat” or eat meat only once a week.

On the exhaustion of oil reserves, 42.3 per cent believe that this
will result in a serious crisis, 17.8 per cent disagree and 25.9 per
cent are not concerned about this issue.

Some 35 per cent believe than Azerbaijan does not changes such as an
“Arab spring”, 33.9 believe it does, while 14 per cent do believe
Azerbaijan is not developing correctly, but fear a civil war in the
event of an “Arab spring”.

Turan reported that the percentage of believers has been hovering
around the level of 17 per cent and 19 per cent since 2004. According
to the current survey 1 per cent are atheists, 16.9 per cent believe
in God and follow religious rituals regularly, 19.7 per cent believe
but follow religious rituals irregularly, while 61 per cent believe in
God, but do not follow religious rituals. Some 13.7 of believers in
God would like Azerbaijan to be governed by Shari’ah laws, 23.2 per
cent would like partial application of Shari’ah laws, such as in
family legislation, whereas 57.2 per cent do not wish for Shari’ah
legislation.

Fifty per cent would not like a marriage of their family members to
followers of a different religion, while 48.8 would not oppose such a
marriage.

On the election to the highest ranking government bodies, 20 per cent
say they would vote for a hypothetical Islamic candidate, and 65.5 per
cent for a hypothetical secular candidate.

Some 30.5 per cent condemn arrests of religious activists, 18.1
approve of these arrests and believe Islamists pose a threat to
secular government, while 40.1 per cent believe that this does not
concern them.

On cooperation with foreign countries, 41.9 per cent believe that
Azerbaijan would benefit most from cooperation with Europe and the
USA, 26.7 per cent with Russia and CIS countries and 17.4 per cent
with Islamic countries.

On friendly countries, 80.7 per cent voted for Turkey, 39.3 for
Russia, 26.6 for Georgia, 16.4 for Ukraine, 8.1 for Iran, 7.9 for the
USA, 5.5 for Pakistan and 4.9 for the UK, while Germany received 2.8
per cent, China 0.5 per cent and France 0.1 per cent with just one
vote.

When asked about enemy countries, Armenia received 97.7 per cent of
votes, Iran 32.9 per cent, France 25.5 per cent, the USA 20.5 per
cent, Russia – 13.8 per cent, Israel 7 per cent, Georgia 2.3 per cent,
UK – 0.7 per cent, Vatican 0.3 per cent and Turkey 0.2 per cent.

As for the Iranian nuclear programme, 56 per cent believe that a
nuclear bomb would be a major threat for Azerbaijan, while 22.2 per
cent do not consider it a big threat and 11.9 believe that it would
pose no threat.

Some 60 per cent would support rallies in support of civil rights in
Azerbaijan, while 10 per cent condemned them and 25.4 per cent said
this does not concern them.

In addition, 33.6 per cent said Azerbaijan needs stronger government,
while 53.3 per cent would like public oversight over the government,
Turan reported.

[Translated from Russian]

Los Angeles Times
October 6, 2012 Saturday
Home Edition

2 sentenced in teen’s ’09 murder

Zareh Manjikian gets 50 years to life and Vahagn Jurian gets 25 years
to life in a killing spurred by a message.

by Hailey Branson-Potts

Decrying “how much was lost for so little,” a Los Angeles County
Superior Court judge Friday sentenced two men to lengthy prison terms
for killing a teenager three years ago over an insulting text message.

Zareh Manjikian was sentenced to 50 years to life in state prison, and
Vahagn Jurian was given a 25-years-to-life term in the shooting death
of 19-year-old Gombert “Mike” Yepremyan.

“The life of a young man … is lost over a single, thoughtless word
in a text message,” Judge Gregory A. Dohi said. “This is the epitome
of senselessness, and that strikes me.”

Prosecutors said Yepremyan was targeted in November 2009 after firing
off a text message to his girlfriend in which he referred to one of
her friends as a “bitch.” That friend, Khatun Vardanian, reportedly
saw the message, became enraged and called her brother to beat up
Yepremyan.

Yepremyan received phone calls from a stranger who asked to meet him
at a Sears parking lot in North Hollywood, witnesses said. There,
Yepremyan and several friends encountered two men. After talking
briefly, one of the men hit Yepremyan and the second pulled out a gun
and shot him in the back of the head, prosecutors said.

Manjikian was identified as the shooter and Jurian as the second man,
but neither was arrested until 2011.

In August, a jury found Manjikian and Jurian, both 25, guilty of
first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit assault. Vardanian, 23,
and her brother, Hovik Dzhuryan, 20, were also convicted in August of
conspiracy to commit assault. Each was sentenced Friday to five years’
probation and 1,000 hours of community service.

The four defendants, wearing blue and orange jail jumpsuits, were kept
behind a glass barrier during their sentencing hearing in the Van Nuys
Courthouse West.

About 15 Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies guarded the courtroom,
where emotions were expected to run high. Family members of the victim
were seated on one side of the courtroom, and family members of the
defendants were kept on the other, with several rows of seats
separating them. Before the hearing, deputies warned the audience not
to be disruptive.

The parents of Yepremyan gave emotional speeches before the sentences
were read in which they remembered their son as a generous young man
and spoke to the defendants. “I wish I never met you guys,” Ani
Atajyan, Yepremyan’s mother, said tearfully, looking at the
defendants.

Atajyan thought her son was worried about the influence Vardanian
could have on his girlfriend, of whom he was protective, she said.

Jurian’s sisters, Anna and Ruzanna Jurian, wept as they read tributes
to their brother before the sentencing was read. Ruzanna Jurian, in a
poem she wrote, described her brother as “loving and caring … full
of life and energy … then all of a sudden his world came crashing to
the ground.”

“Convicting an innocent for a loss of life is neither justice, closure
nor revenge,” Ruzanna Jurian said. “For my brother, we will not stop
for anything.”

Jurian, who authorities believed had fled to Armenia, was arrested in
2011 after police staked out his Van Nuys home. As his sentence was
read by the judge, his sisters sobbed loudly.

Manjikian was initially picked up in Puerto Rico, but a judge there
granted him bail, and he vanished, authorities said. He then
apparently used his brother’s ID to fly out of the island territory,
first to Philadelphia and then to Las Vegas before finally
surrendering in Van Nuys.

Vardanian, who kept her head down during most of the hearing, wept as
she made a statement before the sentencing was read.

“I am not cold-hearted,” she said. “I am not a sociopath…. I know my
honesty is in question and my sincerity is too…. I’m not violent,
and I didn’t conspire to do anything.”

Dohi denied the individual requests of all four defendants for new
trials. After reading the sentencings, he said it was tragic “how
easily things could have turned out differently” the night of
Yepremyan’s death.

ARMÉNIE
Le Groupe parlementaire Suisse-Arménie à Erevan

Le président du Parlement arménien Hovik Abrahamyan a reçu vendredi
une délégation du Groupe parlementaire Suisse-Arménie dirigée par les
co-présidents Ueli Leuenberger, Dominique de Buman, accompagnés du
secrétaire général Sarkis Shahinian.

Lors des discussions il a été question, entre autres, de l’extradition
du meurtrier azéri Safarov par la Hongrie, des relations entre
l’Azerbaïdjan, l’Arménie et la Turquie… Ueli Leuenberger soulignant
que l’extradition du tueur azéri Safarov par la Hongrie et les actes
du président azerbaïdjanais qui ont suivi, étaient irrecevables.

Les co-présidents ont par ailleurs évoqué l’activité pro-arménienne du
Parlement suisse, dont la reconnaissance du génocide arménien en 2003
et l’ouverture de l’ambassade de Suisse en Arménie.

Dominique de Buman a souligné que la délégation avait été
impressionnée par sa visite en Artsakh, où elle a pu voir et sentir la
vie et la réalité des peuples libres.

Après avoir déposée une gerbe de fleurs au Mémorial en mémoire des
victimes du génocide arménien, la délégation a pu consulter les
documents du Musée du génocide.

dimanche 7 octobre 2012,
Jean Eckian ©armenews.com

Trend, Azerbaijan
Oct 6 2012

Armenia is trying all sorts of tricks to avoid the settlement of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict – Foreign Ministry

Azerbaijan, Baku, Oct. 6 / Trend, S.Aghayeva /

Armenian leadership is trying to mislead the international community
and all sorts of tricks to avoid the peace process and the resolution
of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry
spokesman Elman Abdullayev told Trend, commenting the recent statement
of President Serzh Sargsyan, who accused Azerbaijan in preparation for
war in an interview with Reuters.

“Not the Azerbaijani armed forces are in the territory of Armenia, but
Armenian Armed Forces are in the territory of Azerbaijan”, – said
Abdullayev.

According to him, the Armenian government is composed of people who
committed a crime against Azerbaijani people.

“The international community has recognized Armenia as an aggressor.
Examples of this include many resolutions of international
organizations, of which Armenia is called an aggressor and occupier
and which call to liberate the occupied territories of Azerbaijan”, –
he said.

Abdullayev said that Armenia holds occupied 20 percent of the
territory of another state, and its aggressive actions directly
threaten the peace and security in the region.

“Azerbaijan will never accept the status quo, sooner or later will
restore its territorial integrity and sovereignty. Armenians also know
this”, – said the spokesman of the Foreign Ministry.

Abdullayev noted that the status quo is unacceptable and also for the
international community and co-chair countries of OSCE Minsk Group
repeatedly confirmed it.

“With regard to the Sargsyan’s stetment – it has populist nature, was
made on the eve of the presidential elections, and aims to enlist the
support of radical and extreme nationalist circles of Armenia and the
Armenian diaspora,” – he said.

Trend, Azerbaijan
Oct 6 2012

Azerbaijani MP denounced Armenian deception in OSCE PA

Azerbaijan, Baku, Oct. 7 / Trend /

On Saturday, the second day of the autumn session of the OSCE
Parliamentary Assembly, the head of the Armenian delegation Artashes
Geghamyan accused Azerbaijan of murder of Khojaly citizens, as well as
heroisation of pardoned Ramil Safarov.

Member of the Azerbaijani delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary
Assembly, MP Azay Guliyev accused Armenia of lying, saying that
Khojaly genocide is the worst crime of genocide against the
Azerbaijanis.

“I have to honestly say that today I want to speak on a completely
different subject, on a subject on the agenda. But speech of the
Armenian counterpart forces me to clarify some points. First of all,
you have seen how the Armenian MP provided false information about the
Khojaly genocide committed by Armenia against Azerbaijanis, accused
Azerbaijan of committing it. But we all know that the tragedy in
Khojaly was the most heinous crime of the Armenians against the
Azerbaijani people. Only one fact: the President of Armenia Serzh
Sargsyan declared that genocide in Khojaly was committed by Armenia,
said he was proud of the fact that was directly involved in it, “-
said Guliyev.

According to him, extradition and further pardon of Ramil Safarov by
President of Azerbaijan was faultless from the legal point of view.

“I would like to note that the Government of Azerbaijan has never
considered Safarov as a hero. His act was never frowned and justified
on the official level. We believe that both Safarov and Gurgen
Margaryan are victims of Armenian aggression against Azerbaijan.
Therefore, I urge the Armenian side not to use Safarov case as a
reason to legalize their presence in the occupied territories and not
to enter the world in confusion. Safarov case is closed and should no
longer be discussed, “- said Guliyev in his speech.

According to the deputy, the striking fact is that being the occupier,
Armenian government is trying to blame other state on something.

“In XXI century’s diplomacy it will be called “Armenian invention”.
This is ridiculous and unacceptable. I would not be surprised if
tomorrow Armenia will declare that Azerbaijan is the true culprit of
the financial crisis in the U.S. and Europe. These actions are very
dangerous for Armenia and the region and are striking and so fragile
peace negotiations “, – said Guliyev.

YESSAYAN: TOWARDS CILICIA
by Jennifer Manoukian

October 5, 2012

The following is an excerpt from Amid the Ruins (1911), writer Zabel
Yessayan’s account of the aftermath of the 1909 massacres in Cilicia.

It is translated to English by Jennifer Manoukian.

Towards Cilicia

The steamboat brought us to Cilicia’s port and that last night on the
Mediterranean filled me with looming terror and dread. As we gradually
approached the threshold of the catastrophe, reality seemed to escape
my comprehension, and I could not truly believe that the next morning
we would reach Mersine, Adana, Cilicia-the places that we had been
reading about for weeks, the places that had lodged themselves in our
brains. There, we would find a bloody, open wound, and the thought
of touching it sent a painful shudder through me.

Zabel Yessayan A warm, serene environment surrounded us. Under a
star-studded sky, the dark blue waves of the Mediterranean gently
rocked the steamboat.

There was a conflict between the luminous, immutable beauty of nature
and the torturous thoughts racing endlessly through our minds. This
conflict became so exhausting that it almost caused physical pain.

The idea of sinking deep into the heart of the catastrophe produced
a gloomy impatience in all of us, and although we walked on the
deck in silence until late at night without talking about our
feelings, I was convinced that everyone’s mind was seized by the same
burning curiosity. There were both Turks and Armenians on board. The
Patriarchate’s second delegation and the members of the second military
bureau were travelling on the same ship. On board were also wounded
merchants and relatives of victims, who were rushing to the ruins to
see the extent of the catastrophe with their own eyes.

We stayed on deck until well past midnight. Every so often,
heart-breaking sighs could be heard from the third class cabins below.

On deck, the black hood of an Armenian clergyman could sometimes be
seen in the pale rays of light radiating from the ship’s lanterns. The
soldiers walked as a group, and as they came closer, I could hear
pieces of their conversation:

-The closer we come to Mersine, the more my heart burns with an
inexplicable pain.

Below deck, I heard a passenger sigh deeply, as if to second that
thought.

Alone in my cabin, I was besieged by the reality that I would see
the next day. Until that moment, it was as if my inner being was
bathed in an unfamiliar light, which rather than giving my thoughts
a distinct shape, muddled them and shrouded them in a haze. In that
feverish state of mind, an image stubbornly returned to me in pieces.

Two months earlier, men and women from the Red Cross had left from
Galata. They were the very first to leave. The sky wept steadily
onto the city below; Stamboul was covered in a humid, grey fog and
everything exuded infinite sadness. Behind us, hoarse, passionate,
and melancholic songs rose from the cafes along the pier like intense,
lamenting cries of pain.

We were all as pale as corpses, but tried in vain to smile at
the passengers. The boat started to sail away. A mother’s face
was gradually growing fainter as the boat sailed further into the
distance. Next to us, her teenage daughter struggled to smile in an
attempt to hide all the suffering in her young soul. The combination
of the mother’s face disappearing into the grey mist, the mournful
melodies flowing out of the cafes on the pier, the patter of the
rain-at once cruel and calming-falling on the city exalted my soul
with a feeling that made me lightheaded and caused my knees to go weak.

On our way back, we were all sad and absorbed in thought. In a red
nightmare, I saw the city in flames, displaced people in a faraway
place, enraged girls in mourning and gallows-gallows everywhere!

What was then only a vague nightmare would become my world in a matter
of a few hours.

The steamboat stopped. I immediately came up on deck. I thought I
would be the first person there, but everyone had already gathered.

There was a sickly pallor to everyone’s faces and their sleep-deprived
eyes were careful not to meet those of their fellow passengers. The
soldiers formed a group of their own and watched Mersine intently with
eyes full of sadness. One of the clergymen from the Patriarchate’s
delegation turned toward Cilicia, the pale face under his black,
velvet hood contorted by his grief.

At the same time, small boats rushed towards us and the soldiers
hurried to get off. They passed us trying to avoid our gaze and
sorrowfully bid us a quick farewell. Their footsteps were irregular,
almost bewildered, and we could hear the sound of their swords
dragging on the ground. At that moment, it was difficult to decide
who was unhappier: us or them.

Mersine lay before us. Its flat, bluish land extended into the
distance towards a chain of mountains enveloped in a haze, and the
colorful palette of daybreak lazily billowed across that stretch of
rural simplicity. Once again, the nightmare of the catastrophe became
a distant thought and I had the urge to smile at the sunny sky. But
the delegation was ready and waiting, and our boats were about to
arrive. Anxious, somber faces examined us, and everything grew dark
in me.

The clergymen were solemn and serious, as if they were preparing for
a funeral. We all grew paler. My heart was gripped by limitless grief
and I felt as though my veins were freezing.

Those who came to meet us had seen everything. Some had fled fires
and swords. Swelling flames danced in their eyes and the bitterness
of their memories gave their words an unsettling quickness. In those
few minutes, they told us many things. Despite our limitless despair,
to them our words seemed to be filled with meaningless optimism. They
shook their heads and said:

-How can you be so sure when you’ve only just stepped off the boat?

When we first set foot in Mersine, my impression of it was very clear.

It was as though we were crossing the threshold into the realm of
death. People received us with unspoken sadness. They shook our hands
and passed in front of us. Who knows what was so foreign about us
that made them not want to talk to us? Taking refuge in their sorrow,
they stood together in a group and watched us, their eyes brimming
with tears.

Our hotel was filled with all kinds of displaced people. Here we also
found the Catholicos and were immediately introduced to him. All day,
it was as if I was seeing everything through a nightmare: There were
women dressed in black-the family members of the first victims-and
cries and laments of the wounded, the orphans, and the widows whose
grief was reignited upon seeing us.

The following day we would go to Adana and be amid the ruins. I thought
senselessly about it, and spent another sleepless night with my heart
racing, tending to my sorrow.

The night was cool. Moisture rose from the sprawling sea and soared
over the sleeping city. The roar of the waves soothed me, as caravans
of slow-moving camels passed endlessly through the street, their
undulating movements marked by the sound of ringing bells.

ARMENIA TO BE ONE OF THE LEADING HIGH-TECHNOLOGY COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD IN TEN YEARS
Karen Ghazaryan

“Radiolur”
15:41 05.10.2012

The annual DigiTech 8th Technological Exhibition kicked off in Yerevan
today. President Serzh Sargsyan attended the opening ceremony of
the exhibition held under the slogan “Holiday for the technological
society.”

DigiTech Expo will continue for three days. It has been organized by
the Union of Information Technology Enterprises (UITE) in partnership
with the USAID funded Enterprise Development & Market Competitiveness
(EDMC) Project and Microsoft Armenia Company.

On the sidelines of the exhibition the Mergelyan Institute and UITE
signed a Memorandum of Understanding, under which the parties will
cooperate in the IT sphere.

President Serzh Sargsyan toured the exhibition halls, familiarized
with the technological novelties and achievements. The President
was accompanied by Minister of Economy Tigran Davtyan, Minister of
Education and Science Armen Ashotyan, high-ranking officials, heads
of foreign diplomatic missions.

This year the event has brought together 130 local and foreign
companies; 113 companies participated in the expo last year.

According to UITE President Karen Vardanyan, the development of the
IT sphere in Armenia is in a good stage. He believes Armenia will be
one of the leading high-technology countries in the world in ten years.

KHARDALIAN: WITH THE PRUNER IN OUR DEFENSE!
by Suzanne Khardalian

October 5, 2012

As fall approaches, the newspapers and magazines remind me of my civic
duties and encourage me to keep on murdering the killer-snails. They
tell me it is the right thing to do. It is important to cooperate
in order to protect our cultivations. Take the fight, form a kind of
citizen guards group.

Safarov I am afraid to say that I am not qualified as an animal
lover. I’d rather keep a respectable distance between me and
animals. In that respect, I am just like one of them: They are
threatening and scary.

So am I.

Coming back to the killer-snails, I must admit that I have never seen
the damage they cause. I have only read about these ferocious killers.

So I trust the papers and the experts and the victims’ stories. The
verdict is unanimous: Kill them all. Have no mercy. Be clinical. Use
your hand pruners. (For those who are not familiar with gardening,
these are a type of scissor used for plants. They are strong enough
to prune hard branches of trees and shrubs, sometimes up to two
centimeters thick.) I don’t own any secateurs, so instead I use the
sole of my shoe and tramp these ugly creatures to death, encouraged
by the incitement to destroy every killer-snail I see.

The killer-snails do have a common, neutral name; they are called
Spanish snails. But of course, it is much easier to justify their
destruction, when done in the name of self-defense (against “killers”)
and in a battle against evil. The snails are described as invading
hordes that reproduce in huge numbers and thereafter destroy our
culture. They should be here-they should not have migrated here-in
the first place.

Killer-snails have different needs than humans. They seem to have a
single interest, their inner life is less rich. Can they feel pain and
do they feel fear? These are questions that are of course critical
to our operational attitudes. Or maybe not. After all, most of the
animals we have systematically killed do feel pain and fear.

But wait a second, is it really good, or rather appropriate, that I
crush these snails with my shoes and kill them? It is an uninformed,
mechanical response to what the magazines are instructing me to do.

But that is a bad answer. Yet to claim that media is responsible for
inciting violence and encouraging murder and brutality also seems
unconvincing.

Why have I brought this up? I believe that whether the subject of
hatred is a snail or another human being, when we are encouraged
to get brutal and commit a crime, the same nerve cells and neural
pathways in our brains are activated. Why should we worry? We must
remember the German poet Heinrich Heine’s words: Where people burns
books eventually they start burn people too. Books were burned because
they, too, were considered to cause damage.

After all this is what is happening in Azerbaijan, where they’ve made
a hero out of the axe- murderer, Safarov. The frenzy and euphoria
surrounding the murderer is beyond human comprehension. I can hear
the Azeri media calling for the crushing of the “snails”-even using
an axe when necessary.

Azeri society, our neighbors, are being poisoned every day, nurtured
with slogans that define the Armenian as the enemy. And like the
snails, Armenians are being described as invading hordes who are there
to destroy their culture, and who should not have been there-migrated
there-in the first place.

The emotional and verbal aggression directed towards Armenians is so
significant that one needs to ponder about its consequences.

Where does this hatred come from? What it is an expression of? Could
it be just relief? That this way, the Azeris live out their hatred
unrestrained and unpunished against those Armenians who are “destroying
the Azeri social order”?

Or could it be the expression of what J.M. Coetzee’s fictional
figure suggests in “Animal Life” (New Doxa, 2001)-that man despises
slaughter-cattle because they allow themselves to be treated as such,
as slaughter animals.

Once upon a time, we waged a war against nature and animals. It
was only after man’s absolute victory that we came to cultivate
compassion. However, there are still animals that we hate. Rats, for
example. But rats have not surrendered. They fight back. The rats
will not go away, and they will certainly not lose, either. Not to
mention insects and microbes. They will still beat us.

Nor will killer-snails step aside.

Human beings have a master race mentality towards other species. So if
we went in to annihilate the killer snails, by closing our gardens,
and fencing and using chemicals, we would soon be disappointed. We
would be furious because these animals are not grateful and that they
do not behave like people. And we would hate them even more.

The master mentality, however, is two-sided. It can manifest itself
as compulsory humility, as well. Yet we all know that humility is
sometimes just well-thought-out superiority.

In between, there is a third state: equality. Equality does not mean
to love everyone, to love people you do not know or care about. In
the long run, however, it requires reciprocal respect in order not
to turn into something perverse and self-effacing. Killer-snails
ignore equality both as a mental attitude and in practice. People,
too, ignore equality.

When we try to understand why we are not encouraging each other to
put aside the axe and refrain from using it against those who are
seen as damaging, the answer is far from obvious.

Today Armenians are perceived as destructive hordes who are ruining
Azeri existence. But what should they do with these “destructive
hordes”? Keep them in a reserve, in a high-security state prison?

Murder them all?

Humans act like killer-snails, too, eating dead or weaker individuals
of the species. Yet, one must remember to resist against what
we perceive as a threat and refrain from behaving like Coetzee’s
submissive slaughter sheep.