Author: Toneyan Mark

The sixth hearing in the retrial of defendants accused of assassinating Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink was held at the 5th High Criminal Court in İstanbul on Thursday morning, only to be adjourned until December with minimal progress having been made, reports. 

Despite eight years having passed since the murder of the journalist, efforts to pinpoint suspect Osman Hayal in the security camera footage stills from the incident have failed. Dink, the late editor-in-chief of Turkish-Armenian weekly Agos, was shot and killed in broad daylight on Jan. 19, 2007, by an ultranationalist teenager outside the offices of his newspaper in Istanbul.

Evidence discovered since then has led to claims that the murder was linked to the “deep state,” a term that refers to a shadowy group of military and civilian bureaucrats in Turkey believed to have links with organized crime. Now, the Dink family lawyers are intent on having the identity of Osman Hayal verified from the security camera footage taken from the Akbank Bank and Saray Drapery, located near the Agos headquarters during the incident. Osman Hayal, who was released pending trial, is the brother of Yasin Hayal, who confessed to telling then-minor Ogün Samast to murder Dink.

The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey claimed after initial investigations that there are too many people in the frame to identify the suspect. During Thursday’s hearing, the court accepted Dink’s family’s lawyer Hakan Bakırcıoğlu’s request that newly marked men in the security footage be identified by Council

The next hearing will be held on Dec. 22.

A group of activists called Friends of Hrant who are closely following the case held a demonstration outside the Caglayan Courthouse prior to the hearing, also making a statement.

“We will continue to stand on duty for justice. This case will not be over until the real suspects are tried and our friend’s murderer receives the punishment they deserve. We are tired of repeating our request for the true suspects to be tried. In fact, we are not the only ones requesting this,” stated Baran Seyhan on behalf of the activist group.

“The state and its State Supervisory Board have also clearly identified those who need to be tried. As the lawyers have shared, Article 83 of the Turkish Penal Code deals with negligence causing death due to the failure to take appropriate action to prevent the death, and the state is protecting those who are behind the murder,” Seyhan stated.

Former speaker of Russia’s State Duma lower parliament house Gennady Seleznyov has died in the age of 67, Seleznyov’s son-in-law Andrei Andreyev told TASS late on Sunday.

He said Seleznyov had been seriously ill in the past several months. “Medics did their best but his heart stopped beating overnight on Sunday,” Andreyev said.

On Sunday evening Kim and Kourtney Kardashian attended an event dedicated to their father Robert Kardashian, who passed away in 2003, following a long bout with cancer, the reports.

Along with their cousins, Kourtni and Kara, the two ladies pulled out all the stops to attend the Armenian Bar Association event held at the Montage Hotel in Beverly Hills.

Sharing a picture of them standing in front of their father’s honour to Instagram, Kim wrote: ‘Thank you to The Armenian Bar Association for honoring my father last night!’

A second picture showed the girls cosying up to their cousins and the wife of rapper Kanye West also wrote:

‘Thank you to all of my cousins, aunts & uncle who came out to the Armenian Bar Association event last night! Kourtni, Kourtney, Kara & I!’

According to Asbarez, the Armenian Bar presented the award posthumously to the late attorney, Robert Kardashian, in recognition of the importance of those who champion the Constitutional rights to due process and equal protection under the law, even if in unpopular cases.

The site adds that gala banquet co-masters of ceremonies and Armenian Bar Board members Gerard V. Kassabian and Vanna Kitsinian said of the honour:

‘We are so pleased to be able to welcome the family of Robert Kardashian to accept the honor on his behalf and also to recognize their contribution to international recognition of the Armenian Genocide.’

The event ran from June 12-14 in order to celebrate the Armenian Bar Association’s 25 years of unifying the colourful and distinct fabric of the Armenian nation.

Robert Kardashian, who passed away in 2003 just eight weeks after being diagnosed with oesophageal cancer, passed on his pride in his heritage to his family, who have been vocal about their Armenian roots.

Robert’s ancestors fled the Armenian Genocide in the early 20th century, thanks to a ‘prophet’ who urged them to uproot to America.

Known at the time as the Kardaschoffs, in Russian style, the family made their way from their home village of Karakale in the late 19th Century to German ports. From there, they travelled to a new life in America on the passenger vessels SS Brandenberg and SS Koln.

By doing so, they escaped the triple horror of the First World War from 1914-18, the Armenian Genocide’ starting in 1915 – exactly a century ago this year – and the Russian Revolution in 1917.

Among those fleeing Erzurum – then in Armenia, and ruled by last Russian Tsar Nicholas II was family patriarch Hovhannes Miroyan and Kim’s great great grandfather, born in 1844. He married Luciag Chorbajian, born in 1853.

The couple wed in Erzurum, which is now in Turkey, in 1867 but escaped along with their daughter Vartanoosh Mironyan, born in 1886, in the early 20th century.

Vartanoosh’s daughter Haigoohi Arakelian – known as Helen, born in America in 1917, was Kim’s grandmother, who later married into the Kardashian clan.

The glamorous and ‘dynamic’ Helen wed Arthur who ran the largest meat-packing business in southern California.

Helen’s son Robert married Kris Houghton and fathered the 21st Century’s biggest reality TV stars Kourtney, Khloe, Robert Jr and most famous of all – Kim.

Their mother Kris eventually married Olympic gold medalist Bruce Jenner and together they raised two more TV personalities, Kendall and Kylie.

Azerbaijan has spared no expense in staging the inaugural European Games, which will get underway on Friday with a lavish opening ceremony, but the event has also turned the spotlight on its human rights record, writes.

The energy-rich nation on the Caspian Sea has spent more than a billion dollars to stage its biggest sports extravaganza to date, according to officials, building several dazzling venues from scratch for the 16-day competition.

The Games, featuring about 6,000 athletes from 50 nations, have however failed to attract the biggest track and field athletes and swimmers. Instead, lower-ranked competitors will take part in two of the most popular sports in the Olympic world.

Officials have said some 35 leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, will be at the ceremony at the brand new Olympic Stadium, which will host just two days of competitions in total.

But money is obviously no object for the Azeri government and its president Ilham Aliyev, eager to lay the foundations for a highly likely Olympics bid in the future.

Organisers hope Friday’s opening ceremony, deploying some 2,000 participants, will mark the beginning of a successful event that will strengthen the country’s position in the international sports world, just as Qatar and the United Arab Emirates have done before them in recent years.

But the government, which has banned officials from human rights organisations as well as some media from entering the country, has faced accusations of consistent human rights violations since it was awarded the Games in 2012.

A collection of about 2,000 posters from the World War One era, considered to be one of the world’s finest and amassed over more than a decade by a U.S. Army officer, will be sold at auction later this month, Guernsey’s auction house said on Tuesday, Reuters reports.

The collection, which will go under the hammer during an online, unreserved auction with no minimum bids on June 30 and July 1, includes the famous poster of a stern-looking, top-hatted Uncle Sam pointing a finger with the words, “I Want You for U.S. Army.”

Another patriotic poster shows the American flag and laborers with the words “Teamwork Wins,” while a third is of French women working in a laundry inscribed “Four Years in the Fight.”

Although all of the posters, works of art which are expected to fetch between $200 to $5,000 apiece, are patriotic, their topics range from fundraising and food rationing to women’s war efforts, enlistment and animal aid.

About half of the posters are from the United States, while others are in various languages from more than 15 countries such as France, Italy, Germany, Canada, Cuba and China.

The largest poster is a massive 9- by 14-foot American work urging people to “Give, or we Perish,” that was made on behalf of the Armenian Relief Fund.

A 12-year-old is uprooted from his hometown of Beirut and sent to live with his grandpa in LA’s Little Armenia in Aram, Aram, which will have its world premiere June 14 at the Los Angeles Film reports.

Impressed by a guy who wants to unite Armenians against their neighborhood’s Latino gang, young Aram (John Roohinian) struggles to navigate the clash between Old World values and his new identity in America.

First-time writer-director Christopher Chambers also shot and helped edit and produce the film, which features a mix of English and Armenian and is the first Armenian film to screen at LAFF. The cast also includes Levon Sharafyan, Sevak Hakoyan, Alla Tumanian, Inga Stamboltyan, Mike Ghader, David Villada, Tina D’Marco and Naria Alyssa. Here’s an exclusive clip from the pic, which screens in the LA Muse section.

The meeting of states parties to the UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property was held at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris from May 18 to 20.

Members of the Intergovernmental Committee of the 1970 Convention were elected on May 20. Armenia was elected member of the Committee for the term of four years.

Armenian IT professionals to participate in 6-month master training
courses in India

May 22, 2010 – 17:17 AMT 12:17 GMT
PanARMENIAN.Net –

Enterprise Incubator Foundation (EIF), Ministry of Economy of RA and
the Government of India represented by the Center for Development of
Advanced Computing (C-DAC) announce 6- month master training courses
for Armenian professionals to be held in India in August, 2010
-January 2011.

Courses are organized in the framework of Armenia-India Center of
Excellence to be established in Armenia and launched in mid 2010.

Application deadline is 31 May, 2010. Selection of best 5 candidates
will be made jointly by Armenian and Indian parties.

On completion of courses and upon return to Armenia the trainees will
be involved in delivering of training courses at the Armenia-India
Center of Excellence, EIF press service told PanARMENIAN.Net

Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region
104 North Belmont Street, Suite 200
Glendale, California 91206
Tel: (818) 500-1918

PRESS RELEASE
May 20, 2010
Contact: Tamar Baboujian
Tel: (818) 500-1918

CA 43RD ASSEMBLY DISTRICT CANDIDATE RAMANI DISCUSSES COMMUNITY CONCERNS AT
ANCA-WR TELE-TOWN HALL; GATTO SET TO SPEAK MAY 27TH

HOLLYWOOD, CA—Sunder Ramani, candidate for the California 43rd Assembly
District runoff Special Election, participated in a live televised Town Hall
on Sunday May 16th, hosted by the Armenian National Committee of America –
Western Region (ANCA-WR).

The one-hour town hall forum featured the Republican candidate discussing
issues that affect the Armenian American community within the 43rd Assembly
District. Ramani offered his views on several topics ranging from the
State’s ongoing budget crisis and safety net programs, public education, and
the economy. He answered live questions from the audience pertaining to
these topics as well as specific issues important to the Armenian American
community.

"I will continue all that’s been done by the former governors and
legislators in CA and Sacramento in continuing to honor and recognize the
Armenian Genocide," stated Ramani, as he spoke on the issue of reparations
for the Armenian Genocide. "The reparations are owed to people, as has been
done in other parts of history, and the Armenian American community is no
different."

Ramani’s remarks can be watched, in full, on the ANCA website:
releases.php?prid=1886

The ANCA-WR will be hosting its second televised Town Hall with 43rd
Assembly District candidate Democratic candidate Mike Gatto on Thursday, May
27th at 10pm. This Town Hall will provide Gatto the opportunity to address
his views regarding State issues, as well as issues of concern to the
Armenian American community. The ANCA-WR encourages the community to watch
this important Town Hall to become better educated about the candidate.

The Town Hall will be aired on Horizon TV, Charter Digital Channel 285 in
Glendale, Burbank and La Crescenta. It will also stream online on the ANCA
website – and on the Horizon Armenian Television website –

The 43rd Assembly District Special Election Runoff between Sunder Ramani
(Republican) and Mike Gatto (Democrat) will take place on June 8th. The
winner of this Special Election runoff will fill the seat vacated by former
California Assembly Member Paul Krekorian. June 8th will also serve as a
primary election for this seat, for the November General Election.

"The June 8 Special Election presents itself to be a historic opportunity
for the Armenian American community," said Stepan Boyadjian, ANCA-WR Board
member. "The ANCA-WR is working diligently with both candidates to make
sure the concerns of the Armenian community are addressed."

The ANCA-WR has not yet endorsed either candidate for this election.

The Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region is the largest and
most influential Armenian American grassroots advocacy organization in the
Western United States. Working in coordination with a network of offices,
chapters, and supporters throughout the Western United States and affiliated
organizations around the country, the ANCA-WR advances the concerns of the
Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.

LA PEINE DE PRISON DE NIKOL PASHINIAN CONFIRMEE
par Stephane

armenews
vendredi21 mai 2010
ARMENIE

La plus haute cour criminelle d’Armenie a mercredi confirme la peine
de prison infligee au redacteur en chef e Nikol Pashinian pour son
rôle presume dans les violences post-election de 2008 a Erevan.

La Cour de Cassation a rejetee les recours a l’encontre de deux
decisions de justice.

Une cour generale d’Erevan avait condamne Nikol Pashinian le 19
janvier a sept ans de prison.

La Cour d’appel avait confirme la decision le 9 mars mais avait aussi
reduit de moitie la peine conformement a une amnistie generale declaree
par les autorites armeniennes en juin dernier.

La Cour de Cassation a ecarte les demandes des avocats de Nikol
Pashinian les qualifiant de "sans fondement" Il a aussi rejete un
appel separe des procureurs. Ils avaient proteste contre la decision
d’une cour de laver Nikol Pashinian d’une accusation d’avoir assaillit
un policier en octobre 2007.

Les avocats de la defense ont condamne le qualifiant de verdict
politiquement motive et ont reaffirme leurs plans de porter la decision
devant la Cour europeenne des Droits de l’homme a Strasbourg.