Author: Torgomian Varazdat

ALCEE L. HASTINGS: MARCH EVENTS DAMAGED ARMENIA’S IMAGE

PanARMENIAN.Net
18.04.2008 15:31 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Although the OSCE observation mission’s report
described the Armenian February 19 presidential election as "mostly
in line with international standards," majority of the republic’s
population took the streets to protest election outcomes, said chairman
of the U.S. Helsinki Commission.

"Clashes with law enforces resulted in human losses.

The events damaged badly Armenia’s international image," Alcee
L. Hastings said during the "Armenia after the Election" hearing.

For his part, Vigen Sargsyan, advisor to the RA President, said
that the authorities are willing to open political dialogue with
the opposition and that all those responsible for the disorders will
be punished.

Meanwhile, Arman Grigoryan, spokesman for Armenia’s first President
Levon Ter-Petrosyan, said the opposition doesn’t recognize Serzh
Sargsyan as the country’s leader, since the election was badly marred.

Grigoryan also urged the RA authorities to release opposition
supporters.

SITTING OF RA-NKR INTERPARLIAMENTARY COOPERATION COMMISSION IN STEPANAKERT

armradio.am
18.04.2008 10:11

The recurrent sitting of the Interparliamentary Cooperation Committee
between the National Assemblies of Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh will
be held in Stepanakert today.

The Armenian delegation headed by NA Speaker Tigran Torosyan arrived
in Stepanakert to participate in the sitting. The delegation comprises
Larisa Alaverdyan, Artashes Avoyan, Lilit Galstyan, Areg Ghukasyan,
and Ernest Soghomonyan.

Issues related to the development of cooperation between the
legislative bodies of the two republics and the process of settlement
of the Karabakh conflict will be discussed during the sitting.

ANC-WR ACTIVISTS RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT ARMENIAN AMERICAN ISSUES AT CALIFORNIA DEMOCRATIC PARTY CONVENTION

armradio.am
18.04.2008 10:45

The Armenian National Committee – Western Region (ANC-WR) attended
the California Democratic Party’s (CRP) annual convention which took
place in San Jose, California. ANC-WR Community Relations Director
Haig Hovsepian participated in the event along with local San Jose
ANC activists.

"What a convention! We look forward to this every year," said Haig
Hovsepian, ANC-WR Community Relations Director. "It is great connecting
with all our friends but also getting to know new communities and
organizations from across the state," he added.

Several notables including CA State Controller John Chiang, U.S.

Representative Adam Schiff, CA Senator Joe Simitian, and CA Assembly
Member Warren Furutani visited the ANC-WR booth. Activists raised
awareness about Armenian American issues, connected with other
community organizations and met other Armenian Americans participating
in the convention.

Unlike the CA Republican Party, the CA Democratic Party only hosts one
convention per year, making participation in this event all that more
important. The ANC-WR looks forward to continuing strong participation
in these public affairs conventions and educational activities.

IT IS NOT KNOWN WHEN THERE WILL BE 24-HOUR WATER SUPPLY

KarabakhOpen
17-04-2008 10:26:16

It is not known how long it will take to supply Stepanakert with
24-hour running water, stated the deputy minister of urban planning
Anahit Vardanyan after a discussion that lasted for three hours.

Four Armenian companies have offered proposals on supply of water
to Stepanakert.

The deputy minister of urban planning and the mayor of Stepanakert
studied the projects and decided that the joint project of Yerevan
Architecture Institute and Armenian Water Project Institute is the
best. However, the financial bids have not been opened yet.

According to Anahit Vardanyan, activities will start after
clarification of financial issues. The mayor of Stepanakert Vazgen
Mikayelyan said the budget will be ready in 18 months.

PACE CO-RAPPORTEURS TO VISIT AZERBAIJAN ON MAY 16-17

Azeri Press Agency
April 17 2008
Azerbaijan

Strasbourg. Fuad Gulubayli-APA. CE Monitoring Committee has held
meeting in Strasbourg today, Samad Seyidov, Head of Azerbaijani
Delegation to PACE told APA.

He said that Co-rapporteurs on Azerbaijan would visit Azerbaijan on
May 16-17. Co-rapporteurs will make a report on Azerbaijan and submit
it to PACE June session.

The meeting has discussed the issue on Armenia as well. It was
noted at the meeting if democracy was not solved in Armenia, special
investigation commission on Armenia would be established and voting
right of Armenian delegation would be frozen.

CALL FOR MERGER OF TWO DINK CASES

Today’s Zaman
April 17 2008
Turkey

The Hrant Dink Duyarlýlýk Grubu (awareness group), composed of several
deputies, journalists and artists, has asked that the assassination
case of slain Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink be retried and
that cases in Trabzon and Ýstanbul related to the trial be merged.

The trial of gendarme officials suspected of having prior knowledge
of the journalist’s assassination continues in a Trabzon court while
another case is in progress at the Ýstanbul 14th High Criminal Court,
where the masterminds of the Dink murder are being tried. The awareness
group held a press conference at Parliament yesterday and released
a written statement read by Justice and Development Party (AK Party)
Istanbul deputy Mehmet Domac.

The statement, which included the group’s request to merge the cases
from the Istanbul and Trabzon courts, read: "Significant information
has surfaced subsequent to the testimonies of two gendarme officials
tried in the second hearing in a Trabzon court on March 20. Officials
that were charged for misconduct stated that they had informed their
superiors of their knowledge [of the threat against Dink] five months
prior to Dink’s assassination — but that no measures were taken.

They have also confessed that they had faced pressure to hide the
plot and prepare fake documents after the assassination. On the other
hand, we also know that Trabzon and Istanbul police departments’
intelligence services were tipped off about the plot before it
happened. It is obvious that Dink was killed despite the fact that
two gendarme officials had the knowledge of the plot."

"These two gendarme officials were actually questioned along with
other officials by civil administration inspectors. According to a
report presented by the inspectors, only these two officials were
allowed to be interrogated and further objections were refused.

However, their recent statements make it clear that the interrogation
was not conducted properly and that decisions that were subsequently
made were wrong," the statement further read. The group also addressed
authorities who allowed the administrative investigation as well as
those who did not permit a retrial, saying: "Do not obstruct justice
or conceal evidence."

–Boundary_(ID_pC0iqQRwT94ZDKD5FX xUkA)–

CONTRACTOR FOR RECONSTRUCTION OF 5th UNIT OF HRAZDAN TPP TO BE ANNOUNCED IN MAY

Noyan Tapan
April 16, 2008

YEREVAN, APRIL 16, NOYAN TAPAN. The results of the tender for the
major contractor to reconstruct the 5th power unit of the Hrazdan
Thermal Power Plant (TPP) will be summarized in May. The chairman
of ArmRusgazprom company’s board, director general Karen Karapetian
said at the April 16 press conference that the company plans to make
investments of about 170 mln USD along with the purchase of the 5th
unit worth 248.8 mln USD. As a result, a station equipped with modern
gas turbines with a capacity of 440 megawatts will be built. In the
words of K. Karapetian, they also intend to buy 4 units of the TPP
transferred to Russia under Property for Debt Program. These units
should be joined to the 5th unit in order to make a complex.

According to him, in all likelihood the TPP will make part of the
authorized capital of ArmRusgazprom CJSC and will be a separate
economic entity.

The agreement envisages putting the 5th unit into operation in 2010.

MONITORING OF NKR AND AZERBAIJANI ARMED FORCES’ CONTACT LINE PASSED WITHOUT INCIDENTS

DeFacto Agency
April 16 2008
Armenia

YEREVAN, 16.04.08. DE FACTO. On April 15, in accordance with the
earlier achieved agreement with the NKR authorities the OSCE mission
conducted a regular monitoring of the contact-line of Nagorno Karabakh
and Azerbaijani armed forces northward of the settlement of Talysh,
NKR Martakert region.

>From the positions of the NKR Defense Army the monitoring was conducted
by Coordinator of the OSCE office lieutenant colonel Imre Palatinus
(Hungary) and Field Assistants of the Personal Representative of the
OSCE Chairman-in-Office Irzhi Aberle (the Czech Republic) and Zhaslan
Nurtazin (Kazakhstan).

The monitoring passed in accordance with the planned schedule. No
violation of cease-fire regime was fixed. The monitoring mission
from the Karabakh side was accompanied by representatives of the NKR
Ministries of Defense and Foreign Affairs.

LEVON TER-PETROSIAN MAKES AN APPEAL TO PRISONERS ON HUNGER STRIKE

Noyan Tapan
April 11, 2008

YEREVAN, APRIL 11, NOYAN TAPAN. The first Armenian president Levon
Ter-Petrosian on April 10 made an appeal to the prisoners, who were
arrested under the criminal case in connection with the March 1 events
and are currently on a hunger strike. He said that remaining faithful
to the ideas of freedom and democarcy, the Armenian people has not
reconciled and will never reconcile itself to the fact of forcible
violation of its will. "It is no accident that the swearing-in
ceremony of the newly-converted usurper took place on the one hand,
under the bayonets of numerous battalions of police and army, on the
other hand, it was accompanied by mass events of national anger and
protest". According to L. Ter-Petrosian, amidst these events, the
hunger strike of many political figures and azatamartiks (freedom
fighters) both in custody and at liberty is of special importance.

At the same time he appealed to them to end the hunger strike. "Being
aware of the importance of this extreme means of political struggle and
deeply appreciating the feat of those on hunger strike, I, however,
appeal to them to end the hunger strike from this moment. Your
health, inflexible will-power and resolution are necessary for futher
contribution to the national struggle. April 9 is the beginning
rather than the end of this sacred struggle, the political ways of
which will soon be accessible to our society. I have no doubt that the
continuance of the national movement will also make the international
community to change its attitude to our state," is said in the appeal
of Levon Ter-Petrosian.

PROTESTS ON RISE IN ARMENIAN REGION
by Lusine Barseghyan

Haykakan Zhamanak
April 8 2008
Armenia

Police officers go hunting drunk

Protests in Kotayk Region continue

The number of people who went on hunger strike in Hrazdan [Armenia’s
Kotayk Region] became 10 yesterday [7April].

Nine more [Karabakh war] veterans from Ashtarak, Eghvard, Hrazdan towns
joined the hunger strike of handicappedveteran Arshavir Bozinyan in
the Vanatur village near Hrazdan, who has been on strike for fourteen
days in a rowdemanding that Sasun Mikaelyan [arrested MP] and other
political prisoners be released.

Yesterday after midnight information was received that around
20 police cars with several dozens of police officerstook nine
veterans on hunger strike to the Hrazdan police station. If in the
nearest three days the protesters’demand is not realized and all the
political prisoners, in particular Sasun Mikaelyan, are not released,
wives of theperished fighters [in the Karabakh war] are going to join
the protesters. Several of them already came to join thehunger strike
yesterday, but Bozinyan didn’t allow them [to do so].

Yesterday veterans from other Armenian regions – Maralik, Shamshadin
etc. gave a call to Bozinyan and said that they were joining the hunger
strike. The same will continue in all the villages until we reach our
goal; any day now you willsee that women will also join the hunger
strike; personally I am going to bring my wife and she will sit next
to me,said Arshavir Bozinyan. What we only demand is justice. We see
what is happening in Yerevan, we were present during all the events,
and we saw that everything was organized by the authorities. If
you don’t release all the politicaldetainees, I will go on hunger
strike with other women on 10 April, says the wife of the perished
[in Karabakh war]soldier, Zhaneta Nersisyan.

In the meantime, the repression in Hrazdan continue with renewed
energy. The local police every day take photos ofthe people during
rallies, and then at night take them to the police station. As
Hrazdan dwellers say, they take them at2000 [1500 gmt], keep them
until 0400-0500 in the morning [2300-2400 gmt] and then release.

Criminal cases have already been launched against two female
participants of the rally according to Article 225.1 of the Criminal
Code (organizingand holding of mass gatherings in violation of the
law). [Passage omitted]

As Hrazdan dwellers say, police officers in most cases get drunk and
only then start detaining people. My friend was sitting next to me on
hunger strike; they [the police] came five times a day and took his
tent away. They did it manytimes; so much suppressed and frightened
him and threatened his family that people and I asked him to leave.

They [thepolice officers] didn’t dare to come in sober state, to take
both him and the tent, said Arshavir Bozinyan. Theveteran anticipated
yesterday that the police will attempt to detain new protesters in
the same way. [Passageomitted]

Yesterday, the march took place in addition to the rally. The Hrazdan
town dwellers marched from the Vanatur village to the perished
soldiers’ monument to lay flowers. During the march, the police
periodically said by loudspeakersfrom Vanatur that the gatherings
were illegal and threatened to apply administrative fines against
the protesters.