Author: Toneyan Mark

AZG Armenian Daily #186, 30/09/2006

Armenian Genocide
DRAFT LAW CONCERNING `DENIAL OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE’ FRENCH SENATE
AGENDA
The draft Law that envisages punishment “for denial of the Armenian
genocide” will be discussed in France, the Turkish Public TV and
“Zaman” newspaper report. In particular, the draft law will be
discussed within the October 12 agenda of the French Senate. The
voting for the draft law will be held on the same day.
According to “Zaman,” the draft law is most likely to be adopted. It’s
worth mentioning that the draft law envisages 5 years of imprisonment
and EUR 450 thousand of penalty for those who denied the Armenian
genocide. The draft law was discussed at the French Senate in May,
this year, on the last minute it was excluded from the voting.
By the way, “Zaman” also dwells on the current visit of French
president Jacques Chirac to Armenia, when stating about the
abovementioned draft law. The newspaper emphasized French President
will lay a wreath on the memorial of the victims of the Armenian
Genocide in Tsitsernakaberd.
By Hakob Chakrian

PRESS RELEASE
Armenian Studies Program
5245 N Backer Ave PB4
Fresno, CA 93740-8001
Email: [email protected]
ASP Office: 559-278-2669
Office: 559-278-4930
FAX: 559-278-2129
Web:
8TH ANNUAL ARMENIAN FILM FESTIVAL
Spring 2007 (Date to be Announced)
Sponsored by the Armenian Students Organization
Armenian Studies Program
California State University, Fresno
Partially funded by the Diversity Awareness Program of the
University Student Union, CSU Fresno
First Call for Entries
Entries are being sought for the 8th Annual Armenian Film Festival
to be held on the California State University, Fresno campus.
Films made by Armenian directors/writers, or films with an Armenian
theme are being sought.
Films up to 1 hour in length
Films may be in any language, English preferred
Films may be on any topic, Armenian theme preferred
Film must be in video (NTSC)/DVD format
DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES TO BE RECEIVED IS JANUARY 15, 2007.
Please send the video/DVD to:
Armenian Film Festival
c/o Armenian Studies Program
5245 N Backer Ave. PB4
Fresno, CA 93740-8001
Entries should be accompanied by a CV of the director/writer and a
synopsis of the film.
Telephone 559-278-4930
Email: [email protected]
The Festival Committee will meet to view and judge which entries
will be accepted for the Film Festival. Entrants will be contacted
by email with the decisions.

ARMENIAN FOREIGN TRADE RISES 11.5 %
Armenpress
Sept 26 2006
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 26, ARMENPRESS: Armenian foreign trade in the
first nine months of this year rose 11.5 percent from a year ago to
$1.911.2 billion.
According to Armenian national statistical committee, the trade,
not counting diamond cutting industry, rose 20 percent to $1.6
billion. Exports made $595.6 million, 3.6 percent down from a year ago,
while imports rose 20 percent to $1.315 million.
It said also exports without cut diamonds rose 2.6 percent,
while import rate was 28.4 percent. Diamond import and export
deducted exports made $ 452.5 million and imports $1.167 million
respectively. The US Dollar exchange rate against Armenian dram
was 435.31.

STRIKERS GATHERED OPPOSITE THE PARLIAMENT
A1+
[05:36 pm] 26 September, 2006
Today the residents of Northern and Main Avenues, Koghbatsi and
Firdusi Streets, Kozern district as well as gardeners of Dalma
and Nork organized a rally opposite the President’s residence and
National Assembly.
They tried to meet NA deputies, to talk to them and to share their
concerns with them. This time reason for their concern was the bill on
“Property alienation for state and public needs” which was endorsed
after the 1st hearing. The rally participants claim that before
the second hearing RA Justice Minister David Haroutyunyan made a new
amendment to it. As a result the law will have a reverse outcome. “This
is another breech of RA Constitution and Human Rights Convention.
It gives an opportunity to the high-rank officials to find ways to
hide the money they have taken from us illegally,” maintains Vachagan
Hakobyan.
The strikers managed to talk to Alvard Petrosyan and Spartak Seiranyan,
deputies of Dashnaktsutyun party and the deputies promised to do
their best to turn down the bill. They also met NA deputies Viktor
Dallakyan, Vardan Lazarian and Razmik Martirosyan who also promised
to vote against the bill.
At present the rally participants are at the entrance of the National
Assembly where the bill is put to voting.

ASTRID SAPRITCH, L’ARMENIE AU COEUR ; EN VUE
Par Armelle Heliot
Le Figaro, France
21 septembre 2006
Etre plasticienne, c’est avoir du muscle. Pourtant Astrid Sapritch
ne se collette pas avec des masses de marbre ou de metal. Elle
travaille plutôt sur le delicat, le precis. Burin, manière noire,
gravure sur bois, et singulièrement sur buis, dessins a la plume,
petits tableaux precieux rehausses d’or, peintures a l’huile. Ses modes
d’expression sont nombreux, ses facons sont diverses. L’exposition
presentee actuellement a la galerie Marc Brenner-La Hune * le montre a
merveille. Mais un thème unique lie ces propositions : en cette annee
de celebration, en France, de l’Armenie et de sa culture si riche,
Astrid Sapritch se souvient de ses racines.
Elle est nee a Istanbul où s’etait exile son grand-père. Elle y a
vecu jusqu’a l’âge de quatre ans, avant de venir en France avec ses
parents. Elle a choisi comme nom d’artiste, le nom de sa mère, Aïda
Sapritch, la petite soeur d’Alice. C’est pourtant le chemin du père,
francais d’origine allemande, qu’elle a suivi. Jean-Paul Ehrmann
etait graveur et c’est avec ses outils qu’elle travaille.
L’Armenie l’a toujours hantee. Mais il a fallu la mort de sa mère,
il y a deux ans, pour qu’elle fasse le grand voyage. Elle est
entouree de livres qui disent le pays de ses origines et l’un d’eux,
en particulier, l’a passionnee. Les Quarante Jours de Musadegh,
de Franz Werfel. Elle dit, des paillettes dans ses pupilles brunes,
l’eblouissement des paysages, les torrents, les arbres croulant de
fruits et evidemment le mont Ararat. En armenien, Sapritch veut dire
coiffeur. Cela la fait rire. Sa grand-mère maternelle etait nee a
Tbilissi, en Georgie. Elle etait belle et riche. Elle fut ruinee par
son mari, joueur impenitent. C’est lui, l’Armenie ! Mais il avait dû
fuir son pays, et c’est en Bulgarie qu’il avait trouve refuge. Dans
la famille Sapritch, les femmes ont pris leurs destinees en main,
sans trembler.
–Boundary_(ID_vJW9sCXmn1OXdgjjOHZvCA)- –

Vail Daily News, CO
Sept 23 2006
Leading author acquitted, but Turkey remains a country where writers
can be put on trial
A nationalist demonstrator gestures at a poster of author Elif Shafak
during a protest outsi of a courthouse in Istanbul, Turkey, Thursday.
Benjamin Harvey
September 22, 2006
ISTANBUL, Turkey – One of Turkey’s leading authors was acquitted
Thursday of “insulting Turkishness” – a crime Western-looking Turks
view as an embarrassment and one of the biggest obstacles to joining
the European Union.
The speedy court decision was seen as a step toward securing greater
freedom of speech, but critics said until the law is abolished,
Turkey will remain a place where authors are regularly put on trial.
“The fact remains that (Turkey’s courts) established a restrictive
interpretation of article 301 of the penal code which is not in line
with the European Court of Human Rights and European standards of
freedom of expression,” EU spokeswoman Krisztina Nagy warned after
the decision.
But the government is reluctant to change the law – which makes it a
crime to insult Turkey, “Turkishness” or the government – because it
has broad nationalist support.
EU officials counter the real damage to Turkey’s image comes from
putting writers like Elif Shafak on trial – a case brought by
nationalist lawyers because of words spoken by the novelist’s
fictional characters.
The court ruled to acquit about an hour-and-a-half into the trial on
the grounds there was “no evidence” Shafak had insulted Turkishness.
“I hope that the absurdity of this case – we’re talking about
fictional characters – will encourage people that it’s time to act,”
said Joost Lagendijk, a senior European Parliament member who
attended the trial and is a vocal supporter of Turkey’s EU bid.
Lagendijk called on Turkey’s pro-EU Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan, who has himself spent time in jail for reciting an Islamist
poem in 1999, to intervene and change the law.
“Each court case that is started is a victory for those who don’t
want Turkey in the EU, and a defeat for me and those in the EU who
are in favor of Turkey’s accession,” Lagendijk said.
But nationalist lawyers said they will continue to bring legal action
against anyone who insults Turkey and vowed to appeal the Shafak
decision.
Fiercely opposed to Turkey joining the EU and hostile to any foreign
intervention, the lawyers spent most of the trial trying to eject
non-Turkish observers – especially Lagendijk – from the packed
Istanbul courtroom.
“This is not a consulate court!” one of them yelled minutes after the
case began.
“Let the foreigners go to hell! They can supervise their own
country!” bellowed lawyer Fuat Turgut as he pushed his way through a
crowd in the doorway.
The lawyers were repeatedly rebuffed and they eventually left the
courtroom in protest, after which the judge moved quickly to acquit
Shafak.
“The court concluded in a 1 1/2-hour session that there was
insufficient evidence to suggest that she committed a crime,” Judge
Irfan Adil Uncu said.
Erdogan said he was pleased with the acquittal and said Turkey was
open to discussing article 301. But in implicit support of the intent
behind the law, he added: “Criticism is one thing, insulting is
another.”
Justice Minister Cemil Cicek made similar remarks this week, asking a
journalist for the Turkish Daily News whether he was willing to “let
people curse at Turkey, insult Turkishness and get away with it.”
Erdogan regularly files lawsuits over alleged personal insults, and
on Wednesday was awarded $3,400 in a case against a journalist who
suggested the prime minister might be mentally ill.
Shafak, 35, gave birth on Saturday and was at a hospital in Istanbul
and did not attend Thursday’s trial. If convicted, she could have
received a maximum three-year prison sentence.
Shafak’s husband Eyup Can, editor-in-chief of the Turkish newspaper
Referans, said he hoped the decision would be a model for future
cases, and pushed for the abolition of article 301.
“For the judge to make this decision in the first hearing is an
important step,” Can said as he was congratulated by friends after
the trial. “But the most painful thing is that Turkey has become
famous as a country that tries writers.”
In a sign public opinion may be turning in favor of change,
nationalist protesters outside the courtroom – usually a rowdy, often
violent group – were shouted down by other spectators.
Shafak’s book, “The Bastard of Istanbul,” was released in Turkey on
March 8 and has sold more than 50,000 copies. The court case was
brought for words spoken by fictional Armenian characters regarding
one of the most disputed episodes of Turkey’s history, the mass
killings of Armenians during the final years of the Ottoman Empire.
A Turkish court dropped charges last year against Orhan Pamuk,
another leading novelist who also faced trial for writing about the
killings of Armenians. The charges were dropped for technical reasons
amid intense international pressure.
However, a high court recently confirmed a six-month prison sentence
imposed on Armenian-Turkish journalist Hrant Dink for attempting to
influence the judiciary after his newspaper ran articles criticizing
the law.
Dink’s sentence was suspended, meaning he will not go to jail unless
he repeats the same offense.

Istanbul Court Clears Author Of Insulting Turkish Identity
By SEBNEM ARSU
The New York Times
September 22, 2006 Friday
Late Edition – Final
An Istanbul court on Thursday dropped charges against the writer Elif
Shafak of insulting Turkish identity in dialogues by the characters
in her latest novel.
In a 90-minute session, the court decided that substantial evidence
was lacking and abandoned the case. The case had been watched by
academics and supporters of Ms. Shafak in Turkey and abroad. The
European Union criticized the charges and monitored the case.
European Union nations have warned Turkey that putting writers and
intellectuals on trial for their statements could prevent it from
becoming a member.
Despite many measures the Parliament has passed so Turkey can qualify
for membership talks, Article 301 of the criminal code continues to
permit prosecutions for criticism of the state and Turkish identity.
The acclaimed Turkish writer Orhan Pamuk has faced prosecution
under the article, which carries a maximum penalty of three years
in prison. The charges against him were dropped after international
opposition to his prosecution. Ms. Shafak was accused by nationalistic
lawyers of insulting Turkish identity because an Armenian character in
her novel, “The Bastard of Istanbul,” speaks of “Turkish butchers” who
killed his ancestors in 1915. The character uses the term “genocide.”
Turkey refuses to accept the word “genocide” to describe the killings
of Armenians during that period.
Ms. Shafak, 34, an assistant professor of Near Eastern studies at
the University of Arizona, did not attend the trial after giving
birth to a girl on Saturday in Turkey. “The verdict is very pleasing
in terms of Turkey’s test of democracy and freedom of expression,
but incomplete as long as Article 301 remains as it is, open to
manipulation,” she said by phone.
Lawyers who defend the decision to try her say presenting opinions
through fictitious characters should not be an excuse to assault
the state.
Joost Lagendijk, co-chairman of the Turkey-European Union Joint
Parliamentary Commission, said that, regardless of the outcome, every
case filed was a victory for Turkish opponents of the European Union.
Outside the court, a small group of protesters condemned Ms. Shafak.

Many Turks in CDA, PvdA, and VVD deny genocide
By Eimert Mulder
Trouw (Dutch national newspaper)
September 22, 2006
Not only in the CDA (Christian Democrats), but also in other Dutch political
parties there are Turkish politicians who actively deny the genocide against
the Armenians.
This became apparent from an e-mail discussion in the Yahoo chat group
siyanet-nl, which this newspaper got hold of and which in June flared up as
a result of the proposal by the ChristenUnie to penalize denial of genocide.
The e-mails show a lobby, running through all the parties. Most participants
are Turkish municipal members or governmental members. They are mostly
affiliated with the CDA and PvdA (Labor Party), with a few in the VVD
(Liberal Democrats). Within the Turkish political spectrum, they are,
regardless of which Dutch stream they follow, generally supporters of
right-winged nationalist and religious philosophies. They are convinced that
what happened to the Armenians in 1915 was not genocide.
During the discussion they considered the question of how they can prevent
the Parliament from accepting the motion submitted by the ChristenUnie.
Ayhan Tonca and Osman Elmaci were among the participants. These two CDA
candidates for the parliamentary elections in November were in the news this
week because they deny the genocide.
Gor Koksal, VVD member of the States General in Noord-Holland, proposed in
the e-mail exchange to discuss the issue more seriously with the submitter
of the motion, Tieneke Huizinga. Members of siyanet-nl should argue that, in
the recent past, well-documented genocides have readily available
photographs and video-recordings. Is it then possible to use such a notion
for an “imaginary event,” for which there is not a single piece of
historical evidence? It is in this manner that they should approach her,
writes Koksal.
They could also make a suggestion for her to support a symposium with Dutch
historians. Koksal said that he was against demonstrations and urged his
colleagues not to threaten or curse in e-mails. He is, as it says on his
website, political advisor to VVD MP Fadime Orgu and member of the
Integration Commission of Minister Verdonk.
Mahmut Yazici (CDA, Deventer) doesn’t see much in Koksal’s idea: “The
ChristenUnie has been working on this issue for many years and has a clear
goal. It is impossible to influence them in any way.” His advice: to remind
the CU that they are a trivial party and not worth the energy that the other
parties should receive. The independent councilor Mustafa Ozcan (Amersfoort,
former GroenLinks (Greens)) seconded that. Following this, other members of
the siyanet-nl promised that they would do their best in their own parties.
Recep Soysal’s approach is different. He wondered why CDA, PvdA and VVD,
despite all the Turkish votes that they receive, still vote against Turkish
interests. He thinks it unwise to put the Armenian question on the agenda:
“According to me, it’s a trap that they want us to walk into.” According to
him, there are dark intentions to distract Turkish politicians from their
actual agenda.
ChristenUnie takes the lead in legislation
On December 21, 2004, the Dutch Parliament unanimously adopted a motion
presented by the ChristenUnie (CU) that recognized the genocide of the
Armenians. In June, the CU submitted a bill that penalizes denial of a
genocide when done offensively. Just this week, the Council of State
responded. The law can now be worked on.
Last May in France, a vote was almost passed for a law that would penalize
denial of the Armenian Genocide. In the end, politicians felt that politics
should not write history. The delicate issue, which jeopardizes Turkey’s
relations, was postponed to October. Turkey denies that there was a
deliberate massacre of hundreds of thousands of Armenians in 1915.

ARKADI GHUKASYAN: SOONER OR LATER EVERYBODY WILL COME TO A CONCLUSION
THAT KARABAKH PEACE PROCESS IS IMPOSSIBLE WITHOUT NAGORNO-KARABAKH’S
PARTICIPATION
ARMINFO News Agency
September 20, 2006 Wednesday
Today, during his visit to the Yerablur Memorial Complex in Yerevan,
Nagorno-Karabakh President Arkadi Ghukasyan told the journalists that
sooner or later everybody will come to a conclusion that the Karabakh
peace process is impossible without Nagorno-Karabakh’s participation.
“Today, our region dictates the formula: if you want peace, be ready
for war. We should naturally be attentive to the issues of security
and our army should always be efficient. But now the war is going
on in other spheres: economy, politics, culture. The war wasn’t our
choice, we were forced to fight. We won but life proved that war is
not a good way to solve problems, and we should find a political way
of the conflict settlement”, he said. Expressing his attitude to the
GUAM’s initiative for putting the question of the “frozen conflicts”
for consideration of the UN General Assembly, the NKR President said
that in this case Azerbaijan and the GUAM countries pursue the goal
of propaganda. Answering the question how to return the process of
negotiations to the proper course, he noted that the process has
been out of course for a long time as the OSCE Minsk Group isn’t
active enough. The meetings of Armenian and Azerbaijani Presidents
and Foreign Ministers are not enough as the MG, which is commissioned
to negotiate with all the sides of the conflict, fails carrying out
its functions. I think we’ll probably have a real chance as soon as
the process returns to its proper course with the full-fledged format
of negotiations”, he pointed out. Ghukassyan said that the Karabakh
side meets with the co-chairmen regularly. “There is no need in a
special initiative from Karabakh as every time there is a subject
for discussion the co-chairmen themselves initiate meetings with
the leadership of all the three sides of the conflict, particularly,
with the NKR leadership”, he noted.

TWO ROOM FLAT COSTS $80,000 IN ELITE COMMUNITY
Panorama.am
13:56 20/09/06
“Real estate will not go up in prices because the supply of newly
built buildings is high,” Vruyr Penesyan, director of a real estate
agency, told reporters today. He also said the pre-election campaign
also affects the prices. “Many citizens plan to buy real estate after
elections,” he said.
The director is sure that the prices of apartments in newly built
buildings will go up after elections. He also indicated that some
customers prefer houses willing to be far from the noise of the city,
particularly in Vahagn community.
Penesyan said two-room flat costs $80,000 in elite communities. He
also said some owners have revised the prices setting them in euro
because of the devaluation of dollar.