Author: Torosian Aram

Armenian Assembly of America
1140 19th Street, NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: 202-393-3434
Fax: 202-638-4904
Email: [email protected]
Web:

PRESS RELEASE

March 26, 2009
Contact: Michael A Zachariades
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (202) 393-3434

ASSEMBLY PRAISES SENATOR MENENDEZ FOR TOUGH QUESTIONING OF NOMINEE
PHILIP GORDON

Assembly expects nominee to conform with Obama, Biden, Clinton policy
affirming Armenian Genocide

Washington, DC – The Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) commends
Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) for his tough questioning of Philip
Gordon, President Barack Obama’s nominee to replace Daniel Fried as
Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs in the
U.S. Department of State, during today’s Senate Foreign Relations
Committee confirmation hearing.

Senator Menendez, an ardent supporter of Armenian-American issues, when
questioning Gordon expressed reservations about his record on the
Armenian Genocide by referencing a November 2007 article wherein Gordon
wrote: "As if tensions with Turkey were not already strained enough by
the Iraq war and the Kurdish issue, moves in the US House of
Representatives to recognise a Turkish ‘genocide’ against Armenians in
1915 have stoked the sense of crisis."

Menendez added that he has "concern when there is a veto by a foreign
government over domestic policies and policies of the United States
including the Congress of the United States. And [has] a real concern
that those who would be in a position of authority would actually seek
to fashion that… I’m concerned that at the end of the day there will
not be an appropriate balance here if you were to be confirmed by the
Senate. Can you speak to that for me?"

Gordon responded with an acknowledgement that Menendez had "raised a
number of issues that I know are very important to you, to this
committee and to the administration. You quoted comments of mine on
Armenia and the suggestion that these Congressional measures would
provoke a nationalistic backlash in Turkey which analytically I think is
accurate which is what I was writing. I have been at a think tank for a
number of years and that’s what we do, we analyze. And I was making the
analytical statement that such a resolution would provoke a
nationalistic backlash in Turkey.

"You suggested the need for balance and I absolutely agree, and I
absolutely agree that the United States and Congress and citizens,
including in Turkey, need to recognize that a terrible tragedy took
place, that more than a million and a half people were driven from their
homes and massacred. People need to recognize that and honor the victims
of that tragedy. And that sort of balance is necessary, as I say, not
only here but in Turkey. You mentioned the debate within Turkey and I
think that if you’ve looked at my writings you’ve seen that I’ve
personally long encouraged that. The United States government has
encouraged it and if confirmed I would also do so. I think there has
been some progress in that regard, including on this issue, but not
enough and if confirmed I would make it a priority of pushing for it."

Philip H. Gordon, a Senior Fellow for U.S. Foreign Policy at the
Brookings Institution in Washington, DC, has written extensively about
the importance of Turkey, as well as expressed doubts about the need to
reaffirm the Armenian Genocide.

"With President Obama, Vice President Biden and Secretary of State
Clinton’s clear and consistent record with respect to U.S. affirmation
of the Armenian Genocide, the Assembly expects that, if confirmed,
Philip Gordon will fully embrace this important human rights policy
position," stated Ardouny, adding that "It is long past time for State
Department officials to be fully aware of the historical reality of the
Armenian Genocide and be allowed to speak the truth freely."

Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly of America is the largest
Washington-based nationwide organization promoting public understanding
and awareness of Armenian issues. The Assembly is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt
membership organization.

###

NR#2009-021

STATEMENT ON ARMAN BABAJANYAN

15:51:43 – 25/03/2009
Lragir.am

On March 20, taking into account the mediation of the Erebuni
penitentiary institution, the commission for pre-term release
discussed the question on the release of the editor-in-chief of the
Yerevan Zhamanak newspaper Arman Babajanyan. According to the
statement of the Armenian media and the members of the commission, the
majority of the commission members voted for Arman Babajanyan’s
pre-term release, but the political prisoner has not been set free,
because the inscription of the session was rigged and Arman
Babajanyan’s name was left out of the list with the names of the
people to be released.

It is a fact that a crime has been committed and the relevant
structures of the Armenian law enforcement bodies must prepare
material within a 10-day term and a criminal case must be commenced in
this connection.The `Armenian Civil Society’ appeals to the Office of
Prosecutor General of Armenia demanding to set free Arman Babajanyan
and stop the political prosecution against him.

NAIRIT WILL RESUME RUBBER PRODUCTION BY APRIL 15, ARMENIAN MINISTER OF ENERGY SAYS

Noyan Tapan
March 24, 2009

YEREVAN, MARCH 24, NOYAN TAPAN. At the March 20 court sitting of the
RA Administrative Court, Nairit chemical plant, whose debt to Electric
Networks of Armenia (ENA) company amounts to about a billion drams
(about 2.5 million USD), assumed an obligation to pay the debt for
supplied power until late March.

The ENA had applied to court with the request to declare Nairit
bankrupt, thus trying to "officially find out the financial
possibilities" of one of its largest consumers.

The Director General of Nairit Plant CJSC Vahan Melkonian (who was
in Moscow on the day of the court sitting) told Radio Liberty by
phone that he intended to sign new agreements in Russia and pay the
previous debts. "The plant’s assets exceed many times the sum, due
to which an attempt is being made to declare the plant bankrupt. It
is not a tragic sum," V. Melkonian said.

The expenses on power bearing substances at the plant make up about 70%
of the cost price of rubber. The plant’s overall debt makes about 45
million USD, including arrears of wages of 600 thousand USD.

However, the Director of ENA Yevgeny Gladunchik is not
optimistic. "Nairit gets by rather than operates. The principle of
its work is to survive somehow. This is the problem. And it is not
the first failure. During all the time I have been working with them,
they have always said that they will have money tomorrow. This tomorrow
has lasted 6 years," he noted.

The Armenian government is 10% shareholder of Nairit plant. According
to RA minsiter of energy Armen Movsisian, the situation at Nairit plant
was caused by the economic crisis. "The circulating assets that became
production have remained in warehouses. Time was needed so that prices
would become stable and a market for production’s sale would be found,"
the minister said. He stated that the plant, which has been standing
idle since December 1, 2008, will resume rubber production by April 15.

"ARARAT-14 VIEWS" PREMIERE TO TAKE PLACE ON APR. 14

PanARMENIAN.Net
24.03.2009 18:58 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On Apr. 14 "Ararat-14 views". Don Askarian’s film
premier will be screened by European 3sat TV channel.

Mount Ararat is sacred to the Armenians. According to biblical
tradition, this is where Noah’s ark landed following the Great
Flood. Therefore, it remains a painful fact for the Christian
Armenians that the mountain is located on Turkish territory,
where it can only be seen from the distance. "Ararat-14 tesaran"
does not address the question of borders, but deals with a gang
of trigger-happy thieves involved in smuggling rare coins in the
shadow of the great mountain. With unflinching passion, director Don
Askarian has worked for five years on a film that is neither a tragedy,
nor a documentary, nor an experimental film. The images shift from
color to black and white, while animals – fish, snakes, birds, cats,
dogs – infiltrate the screen to interact with the protagonists. The
filmmaker studies Mount Ararat from fourteen different standpoints,
thus creating a new reality. Flirting with magic, he escapes time
and space, transposing a plot that turns into a wild odyssey or an
escape. By and by, Don Askarian’s gaze becomes a vision, that of a
powerful Armenian filmmaker, both hypnotic and amazingly rich.

Don Askarian was born in Armenia in 1949. He studied art history in
Moscow and worked as an assistant-director and film critic before being
arrested in 1975. He immigrated to Berlin in 1975, where he has lived
and worked ever since. All of his films are anchored in the Armenian
culture, and have been presented at many international festivals.

MINISTER OF DIASPORA RECEIVED AGBU PRESIDENT

Panorama.am
11:21 24/03/2009

The Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan received yesterday
the President of Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) Perch
Sedrakyan. The President of AGBU was accompanied by Vazgen Yaghubyab,
the member of AGBU central office, Hayk Msrlyan, the deputy head of
AGBU California and Ashot Ghazaryan, the director of AGBU Armenia.

The Minister greeted the guests and expressed her gratitude for the
effective cooperation both in Armenia and Diaspora.

The Minister said that the Ministry drafted projects to develop the
communication between Armenia-Diaspora. The President of AGBU signified
the activities held with the youth representatives, he said that
young leaders should be trained and trainings held in Armenia also.

SEVEN PARTIES PRESENT DOCUMENTS FOR PARTICIPATION IN MAY 31 ELECTIONS OF COUNCIL OF ELDERS OF YEREVAN

ARMENPRESS
March 23, 2009

YEREVAN, MARCH 23, ARMENPRESS: "Prosperous Armenia" party, People’s
party, Republican party, ARF, Armenian Labor Social party, Orinats
Yerkir party and Armenian National Congress presented applications
for participation in the elections of Council of Elders of Yerevan
scheduled for May 31. The deadline for presentation of documents is
March 22.

The list of Prosperous Armenia party consists of 122 citizens and
is headed by Harutyun Kushkian, second comes member of parliament
Mkhitar Mnatsakanian and the third YSU professor Margarita Matevosian.

The People’s party’s list consists of 20 people and is headed by the
leader of the party Tigran Karapetian, who is followed by the president
of the political council of the party Artak Harutyunian. The third
in the list is dean of medical-biological faculty of Armenian-Russian
university Hrachik Vardapetian.

The first in the list of the Armenian Republican party is Yerevan
mayor Gagik Beglarian, followed by the head of the Avan district
Taron Margaryan. The list consists of 181 people.

The list of ARF consists of 51 people and is headed by member of the
NA Artsvik Minasian, followed by Albert Atchemian.

The list of Armenian National Congress consists of 167 and is headed by
first president of Republic of Armenia Levon Ter-Petrosian, followed
by leader of the Armenian People’s Party Stepan Demirtchian and the
third is ANC coordinator Levon Zurabian.

The list of Armenian Labor Social party consists of 29 people. The
first three places belong to members of party Movses Shahverdian,
Ashot Mughnetsian and Yurik Matinian.

The list of Orinats Yerkir party is headed by the deputy head of the
party, member of parliament Heghine Bisharian, followed by the head
of the "Nairi" medical neurology clinics Henry Bakunts.

The pre-electoral propaganda will be held from May 2-May 29.

Los Angeles Times, CA
March 22 2009

Obama’s promises, then and now

Is the president backsliding on his pledges, or is he just doing what
all president must, balancing politics and principle?

March 22, 2009

On the campaign trail, Barack Obama was very clear. The Armenian
genocide was not an "allegation" or a "personal opinion" or a "point
of view." It was, he said, a widely documented fact. He promised that
if he were elected, he would issue an official presidential
declaration that the mass killings of Armenians in 1915 by the Ottoman
Turks constituted nothing less than genocide.

But President Obama isn’t so sure. As he prepares for a visit to
Turkey next month, his aides have let it be known that the president
might have to defer the promised declaration, which Armenian Americans
had expected in time for the annual day of remembrance on April
24. The Obama administration has been eagerly soliciting the help of
the Turkish government on Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran, and now,
according to the man who once promised to "speak truthfully about the
Armenian genocide," is not the moment to rub the Turks the wrong way.

What is one to make of that? Is Obama a hypocrite? A liar? Another
cynical over-promiser who will say whatever it takes to get elected
only to reverse himself after the votes are counted?

We think that’s too strong. Every incoming president finds his goals
tempered by unforeseen political realities, his beliefs shaded by new
facts learned behind closed doors, his promises winnowed by the amount
of political capital required to carry them out — as well as by the
fear of failure or misstep. In the real world, turning hope into
change is a big, difficult project. As Mario Cuomo once said: "You
campaign in poetry. You govern in prose."

To give him his due, Obama has already made good on certain key
promises. He’s declared an end to coercive interrogations. He’s lifted
the ban on federal funding of embryonic stem cell research. He’s
opened more government documents to public view. He’s reiterated his
determination to close the detention center at Guantanamo Bay and end
the war in Iraq, although not as quickly as some had hoped.

Other promises, however, have fared less well. On the Armenian
genocide, for instance, principle crashed head-on into
realpolitik. It’s undeniable that the U.S. needs Turkey’s help and
goodwill; Turkey is the only Muslim country in NATO and a reliable
strategic partner in a dangerous, combustible region. Of course Obama
is being counseled not to antagonize the Turks; that’s what his
predecessor was advised as well.

But as we’ve said before when other politicians have caved to Turkish
pressure, denying reality is not the solution. It’s long past time for
a genocide declaration, and Obama should get to it quickly. If it
doesn’t get done before April 24, it should be done soon after.

Another issue on which Obama seems to be backsliding involves the
"state secrets" privilege, the legal doctrine the Bush administration
overused and misapplied to have embarrassing cases thrown out of court
on grounds of national security. Before the election, Obama criticized
President Bush’s repeated use of the privilege, but in a federal
courthouse in February, when offered the opportunity to change
positions and not invoke it in a case charging government torture, the
Obama administration demurred.

We understand that being president carries great responsibility, and
that when the director of Central Intelligence marches into the Oval
Office with a file full of top-secret information and tells you that
its disclosure could gravely damage the country, it’s not so easy to
say no. But Obama must not renege on his promises to increase
transparency and to stop using the state secrets privilege to deny
critics their day in court.

Then there’s the issue of signing statements. Those are the legal
documents that presidents sometimes append as they sign a bill to
express their disagreements with it or to call for it to be
implemented in a particular way. (Bush, for instance, issued a signing
statement in an effort to undermine a congressional ban on torture.)
As a candidate, Obama criticized Bush’s overuse of such statements,
and once in office, on March 9, he ordered his administration to
reconsider each of the hundreds of Bush signing statements before
assuming them to be valid. Just two days later, he issued a signing
statement of his own in approving the $410-billion omnibus spending
bill. To critics, that called his intentions into question.

It was not actually a reversal. Obama had never promised to do away
with signing statements entirely, but merely said he would use them in
a more cautious and restrained manner. Still, our view is that signing
statements are almost always bad; if a president objects to a bill
presented to him, or believes parts of it are unconstitutional, he
should veto it. We’re waiting to see what Obama does in the months
ahead.

Obama also has been accused of reversing himself on the subject of
detainees. While campaigning, he left many voters with the impression
that he disagreed with the Bush administration’s position that enemy
combatants could be held indefinitely without trial. Yet this month,
the administration announced that although it would no longer use the
Bush-era phrase "enemy combatants," it still had a broad right to
detain those who officials believe have engaged in "substantial
support" of terrorism. Human rights groups were displeased.

Was it a flip-flop? Not exactly, though it certainly seems counter to
the spirit of Obama’s pledges. For the detainees, the change will be
symbolic rather than substantive. But even in that semantic dispute,
there is evidence of progress. Obama’s new approach has changed the
legal rationale underpinning the detentions: He bases them on the
authority given by Congress when it authorized the use of military
force after 9/11, rather than on Bush’s expansive view of presidential
power under the Constitution. That’s a relief, for what it’s worth.

We admire President Obama. We endorsed him. We’re glad he’s undoing
some of the worst excesses of the Bush era. And given the problems
facing the country at the moment, we recognize that he may not be able
to accomplish everything he once promised.

But like all presidents, he will have to pick his battles. He must
learn when to be flexible and when to hold firm on principle. His
success will depend on how he makes those judgments, acknowledging
politics but adhering to values.

AGAINST FALSIFICATION OF ARMENIAN HISTORY

AZG DAILY
21-03-2009

International

Dear Armenian!

There has been ongoing falsification of Armenian history in the
academic publications and universities across the United States. Please
raise your voice and publish the official statement made by the Pan
Armenian Network (PanArmenian.net). Also, please sign and urge all
your readers to sign the petition Against Falsification of Armenian
History at:

Online Armenian history textbook to be launched

09.03.2009 /PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian students in the United States
called on the academic councils of the universities in the U.S. to
remove from circulation the book titled "The Armenian People: From
Ancient to Modern Times" because of the numerous mistakes it contains,
the student initiative group told PanArmenian.net.

"Outrageous mistakes and falsifications in The Armenian People: From
Ancient to Modern Times are countless. Any student, who would make such
horrible mistakes during an exam, would receive an F and fail. So,
how come this anti-scholastic book and its authors have continued to
use this book since 1997, and even have republished it in 2004 without
making ANY CORRECTIONS whatsoever? For many years, Armenian scholars
from Armenia have repeatedly exposed and criticized this falsified book
in their scientific publications. Yet, the chief editor continues to
insist that the critics of this unscientific textbook are violating
the freedom of academic expression," the students’ letter says.

On February 23, 2009, Armenian Ministry of Diaspora sent an
official letter, which stated that the efforts of creating an online
Armenian History textbook for colleges and universities are already
underway. This textbook will be in many languages (Armenian, English,
Russian, etc.) and will be available online at the official site of
the Armenian National Academy of Sciences for a free download to all
students of Armenian History and Culture. Finally, the New Generation
of Diasporans will have at their disposal an Armenian History textbook
that will contain genuine Armenian Studies book, without falsifications
and distortions. id=29268

See the material below on how the Armenian History is grossly falsified
in The Armenian People from Ancient to Modern Times. This "textbook"
is used throughout many colleges and universities across the United
States. The removal from circulation of this anti-scholastic and
anti-Armenian textbook is essential.

It is beyond ignorance to speak about "Ancient Turkey" and "Ancient
Turkish Art" in 330 BC. This is simply falsification of history in a
"prestigious" United States university like UC Berkeley.

There are more than 130 gross mistakes and falsifications of Armenian
History in this textbook entitled – The Armenian People from Ancient
to Modern Times. Armenian students are being "taught" this falsified
History of Armenia throughout the colleges and universities in the
United States.

The Petition against Falsification of Armenian History

We, the undersigned, call on the academic councils of the universities
in the US to remove from circulation the book – The Armenian People:
>From Ancient to Modern Times.

Why is it essential that The Armenian People: From Ancient to Modern
Times two-volume textbook must be removed from circulation? We will
present a number of simple examples.

1. There are countless gross mistakes in this textbook. The book
(J. Russell) calls the Armenian people "colonists" (Vol. I, page
23-24) in their own Motherland, who have "overran" the native
"Hurro-Urarteans". The textbook (J. Russell) falsely "teaches"
(Vol. I, page 27) that the Fortress of Erebuni was erected by Argishti
the Second, when in fact the fortress was built by Argishti the
First. Furthermore, the book (N. Garsoian) states (Vol. I, page
42) that during the Yervanduni dynasty (5th to 2nd centuries BC)
the Armenians did not have cities. (Garsoian also falsely states
that the Yervanduni dynasty is not Armenian). In the ninth chapter
(R. Thomson), 5th century Armenian historians are called "extremely
shadowy figures" who "cannot be taken at face value". Furthermore,
the same author (Vol. I, page 215) calls the Father of Armenian
History, a pseudo-historian who never lived in the 5th century. In
the chapter on the medieval Armenian literature and culture (Vol. I,
page 295), the author (P. Cowe) reaches new heights of treachery
by presenting giants of Armenian culture like Kostandin Erznkatsi,
Hovhannes Erznkatsi and Nahapet Kuchak as authors who "adopted"
Turkish, Persian and other Islamic literature. In fact, in the same
book, Cowe claims that Nahapet Kuchak is a pseudo-author. He also
claims that the Armenian national epic, the Daredevils of Sasun,
is simply the later Armenian version of the Persian Rustam Zal. In
many of the chapters of the book a number of authors use the Turkish
terminology for Armenian Highland and call it "eastern Anatolia"
(just one example from R. Suny, Vol. II page 127). The chief editor of
this book, R. Hovannisian, in Volume II, page 232, purposefully states
(Vol. II, page 232) that even after the Armenian massacres of 1909,
Armenian freedom fighters continued to "collaborate" with the Turkish
government and Armenian leaders called the people to enlist into
the Turkish Army and fight with "valorous deeds" against the Greeks,
Bulgarians and Serbs during the Balkan Wars. In line with unending
unscientific gross mistakes, the book states (Volume II, page 432)
that the first Armenian book was printed in 1660, in Holland, when
in FACT it was published by Hakob Meghapart in 1512, in Venice.

As we noted above, these kinds of outrageous mistakes and
falsifications in The Armenian People: From Ancient to Modern Times
are countless. Any student, who would make such horrible mistakes
during an exam, would receive an F and fail. So, how come this
anti-scholastic book and its authors have continued to use this book
since 1997, and even have republished it in 2004 without making any
corrections whatsoever? For many years, Armenian scholars from Armenia
have repeatedly exposed and criticized this falsified book in their
scientific publications. Yet, the chief editor continues to insist
that the critics of this unscientific textbook are "violating the
freedom of academic expression".

2. In this textbook, the Armenian people are presented as newcomers and
"colonists" in their own homeland who have overran the indigenous
"Urartian" population (Vol. I, pages 23-26). In fact, you can
find these kinds of "theories" only in the publications of Turkish
"historians". In fact, world renowned scholars from various disciplines
including linguistics, archaeology, anthropology, molecular biology
and genetics have proven that Armenian Highland is the cradle of
the Indo-European speaking peoples and that the Armenian people are
native to their homeland. Why is this fundamental scientific proof on
the origins of the Armenian people completely LEFT OUT of the above
noted textbook?!

Dear fellow Armenian! Take action! Sign the petition
against falsification of Armenian history! Go to:

Please forward this email to all concerned Armenians who care about
the preservation of Armenian identity and the ongoing assimilation,
which is nothing short of White Genocide.

"YEGHEGNADZOR" BRANCH OF ARDSHININVESTBANK TO RE-OPEN ON MARCH 20

Noyan Tapan
March 19, 2009

YEREVAN, MARCH 19, NOYAN TAPAN. The re-opening of repaired
"Yeghegnadzor" branch of Ardshininvestbank will take place on March
20. The branch has been equipped with modern equipment and is ready
to provide fast and reliable services to customers. "Yeghegnadzor"
branch services about 3,000 customers, including state and private
organizations, and citizens.

The re-opening ceremony will be attended by guests from Yerevan,
including the chairman of the bank’s board Karen Safarian, heads of
departments and units of Ardshininvestbank.

YEREVAN PRESS CLUB WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

MARCH 13-19, 2009

HIGHLIGHTS:

"PRESS CLUB" CYCLE: DEMOCRATIC REFORMS AND ECONOMIC CRISIS

INCIDENT AT BRUSOV LINGUISTIC UNIVERSITY

"PRESS CLUB" CYCLE: DEMOCRATIC REFORMS AND ECONOMIC CRISIS

On March 14, another "Press Club" show went on the air of "Yerkir Media" TV
company. The cycle is produced under Yerevan Press Club project, supported
by the Open Society Institute Human Rights and Governance Grants Program.
The guests of the host, YPC President Boris Navasardian were the President
of Transparency International Anticorruption Center Amalia Kostanian, the
Country Director of Eurasia-Partnership Foundation Gevorg Ter-Gabrielian and
journalist Ara Galoyan. The discussion centered on the possibility of
realizing democratic reforms during the economic crisis.

The next "Press Club" show will be aired on "Yerkir Media" on Saturday,
March 21, at 17.40.

INCIDENT AT BRUSOV LINGUISTIC UNIVERSITY

On March 13 at Yerevan Brusov State Linguistic University an incident
occurred with the free-lance journalist Gagik Shamshian. In the morning of
March 13 the students of the Linguistic University were holding a protest
action nearby the office of the "Miasin" youth NGO. The action was covered
by the media. After the action the students went back to the University, and
the journalists tried to enter the building with them. University guards
stopped the journalists in the entrance hall. As a result a conflict
occurred between Gagik Shamshian and one of the guards which turned into a
brawl. The journalists and the University employees, present at the place of
the incident, pulled apart the fighters. The Rector of the Linguistic
University, Suren Zolyan, who came down to the entrance hall, asked the
journalists to leave the building and answered their questions about the
students’ action in front of the University. After that interview Gagik
Shamshian, who ailed, went to the nearby office of Armenian Service of Radio
Free Europe/Radio Liberty. At the office Shamshyan’s health deteriorated, he
started bleeding, and the journalist was taken to "Nairi" Medical Center by
the ambulance (which, by the way, arrived only a 40 minutes after the call).
The journalist was hospitalized with a diagnosis of injury of urogenital
tract and internal hemorrhage. Gagik Shamshian was brought to the
reanimatology department, after which he was put under in-patient treatment.
On March 19 Gagik Shamshian left the hospital.

On the day of the incident, on March 13, the Committee to Protect Freedom of
Expression, Yerevan Press Club, Media Diversity Institute-Armenia, Internews
Media Support NGO and Transparency International Anticorruption Center
released a statement, which noted, in particular: "Despite the circumstances
in which occurred the conflict between the journalist and the
representatives of the University internal security, the brutality
manifested by them cannot be excused."

RA Human Rights Defender Armen Harutiunian as well as a number of political
and public organizations also condemned the incident.

On March 14, at the administration session of the Yerevan Brusov State
Linguistic University a statement was issued, in which the conduct of Gagik
Shamshian was considered as "cynical and improper to a journalist".
According to the statement, Gagik Shamshian "penetrated to the University,
disturbing the educational process", and "the incident occurred when he was
performing illegal actions", as a result the journalist got physical
injuries.

"We are sorry about the incident, but we also consider necessary to note
that it was not a consequence of impeding Gagik Shamshian’s professional
activities, but his hooligan conduct. Defining the guard’s actions as
unacceptable, we state that he should not have yielded to any provocation
triggered by G.Shamshian", stresses the statement of the University
administration.

The administration informed that they had the video recording of the
incident, which could be provided to interested parties if necessary.
Besides, the Linguistic University, the statement says, has addressed a
written claim to the law-enforcement bodies in order to bring the offenders
to responsibility.

According to the communication of March 16, 2009 of the RA Police, at Police
of Kentron community of Yerevan a criminal proceeding is instituted on
Articles 164 ("Impeding the Legitimate Professional Activities of
Journalist") and 118 ("Beating") of the RA Criminal Code. In particular, it
is noted that the head of the Yerevan Brusov State Linguistic University
security and two guards were detained and subsequently were released under
an obligation not to leave the place of permanent residence.

When reprinting or using the information above, reference to the Yerevan
Press Club is required.

You are welcome to send any comment and feedback about the Newsletter to:
[email protected]

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Editor of YPC Newsletter – Elina POGHOSBEKIAN
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