Author: Vardanian Garo

CAGE PLAN IS TERRIFYING, SAYS RIGHTS ACTIVIST

Today’s Zaman
Dec 3 2009
Turkey

Human rights activist and publisher Ragıp Zarakolu says the Cage plan,
a military plan which was exposed earlier this month that plotted to
assassinate non-Muslim figures and detonate explosives in museums in
order to scare the public and make them turn against the ruling party,
is the most terrifying action plan he has seen during his career as
an activist.

In an interview with Today’s Zaman last week, Zarakolu, who is
the deputy chairman of the Human Rights Association (Ä°HD), said:
"We have been following such things as human rights defenders. Even
for us this was unbelievably horrendous."

Zarakolu also criticized the government for turning back on earlier
positive steps in the field of freedom of thought and expression after
the year 2005, such as an amendment to Article 8 of the Anti-Terrorism
Law that introduced a new definition of "terrorism," making it possible
for as few as two people who are jointly engaged in what is defined as
"propaganda against the indestructible integrity of the state" to be
tried as terrorists. He said it is this attitude of compromising in
the face of militarist tendencies that was responsible for documents
such as the Cage plan. He said attacks against Alevis in Corum and
KahranmanmaraÅ~_ in the late 1970s and in Sivas in 1993 show that
such plans are highly provocative. He also classified these as crimes
against humanity.

Referring to illegal groups inside the armed forces, he said:
"If some groups have the freedom to commit crimes and if these
groups are accepted as being above the law then we can’t speak
of the state in question as a land of rule of law or a democratic
regime or a republic. This is a shameful situation." Zarakolu says
privileged groups having the freedom to commit crimes as they wish is
a cancer, saying this situation owes it existence to the militarism
of the Constitution which was the product of the Sept. 12, 1980,
military coup.

Freedom of speech

As a publisher, Zarakolu has frequently been a victim of violations of
freedom of speech. N. Mehmet Guler’s book "Decisions More Difficult
than Death," which was published by Zarakolu’s Belge Publishing,
was taken of the shelves by a court ruling which charged the author
and the publisher with spreading propaganda on behalf of a terrorist
organization. This was followed by a lawsuit against the publisher on
May 29, 2009. Zarakolu said he was involved two similar cases before.

In the first case, he found himself before a court in 1982 for
publishing Dido Sotiriu’s "Farewell Anatolia" — a bestseller in Turkey
for many years. He was finally acquitted. In 2004, he was once again
in court for publishing George Jerjian’s "The Truth Will Set Us Free:
Armenians and Turks Reconciled." He was sentenced to six months in
prison which was commuted to a monetary fine for violating Article
301 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK) — which criminalizes defaming the
Turkish nation — and another law that criminalizes insulting Ataturk.

Zarakolu, who is against paying such fines on principle, has appealed
the ruling. He also notes that the ruling makes him the first person
to be fined under Article 301 after the article was changed to make
it more difficult to convict individuals under it.

Zarakolu also made a call to Erdogan, saying unconditional freedom of
expression and publishing has to be guaranteed to ensure the success
of any democratic initiative. Zarakolu also recommended the government
add a new article to the Constitution that says, "Freedom of thought
and expression cannot be restrained for any reason." Zarakolu said
the United Kingdom has ensured this without a written constitution,
while the United States has done so under the First Amendment. He said
it would be much more significant if such a change occurred under the
rule of Prime Minister Erdogan, who himself was jailed for several
months in the past for reciting a poem.

ARMENIA: YOUTUBE VIDEO CLAIMS MIHRAN & EMMY FOR OSLO

esctoday.com
Dec 3 2009

A promotional video has appeared on youtube which claims that duo
Mihran & Emmy will represent Armenia in the Eurovision Song Contest
2010 is Oslo. The video was uploaded on 1st December and there is
currently no official statement by the broadcaster.

Mihran is a rapper and dancer from Armenia, who has also worked with
popular international acts. Emmy is a newcomer to the music scene who
has earlier raised speculations that she would represent Armenia in
the Eurovision Song Contest or take part in the national final.

Please notice that currently we have no official statement from
the boradcaster. The story is under investigation and we will keep
you updated!

Armenia has been competing in the Eurovision Song Contest since 2006.

In 2009, they were represented by Inga & Anush with the song Nor par
(Jan jan), which finished tenth in the final making it the country’s
lowest placing entry to date.

Watch video at

"WINTER FESTIVAL" TO KICK OFF IN YEREVAN DECEMBER 17

ARMENPRESS
Dec 3, 2009

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 3, ARMENPRESS: "Winter Festival" will kick off
in Yerevan December 17 organized by "Kanachastan" non-governmental
organization with the support of the Armenian Economy Ministry.

Director of "Kanachastan" organization Raffi Nizipilyan told Armenpress
that the program of events has already been approved. The festival will
be conducted until January 6, 2010. December 17 in "Arno Babajanyan"
concert hall the official opening of the festival will take place.

Within the framework of the event open-air games, holiday concert,
exhibition of New Year trees, skating show, fair of New Year products
will be organized.

The official closing ceremony of the festival will take place
January 6.

PM TIGRAN SARGSYAN MEETS THE GEORGIAN AMBASSADOR

armradio.am
02.12.2009 14:06

Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan today received the newly appointed
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Armenia, Grigory
Tabatadze.

Congratulating the Ambassador on starting his mission in our country,
the Prime Minister expressed confidence that with his activity he
would contribute to the progress in Armenian-Georgian relations.

Tigran Sargsyan attached special importance to promoting the economic
cooperation and underlined the insufficient volume of the current
commodity turnover.

The Armenian Prime Minister noted that the possible reopening of the
"Kazbek-Upper Lars" international automobile checkpoint would have
a positive influence on the further development of regional economy
and would reinforce Georgia’s role as a transit country.

Touching upon the issue of Armenian churches in Georgia, Tigran
Sargsyan emphasized the importance of taking measures to restore the
Saint Gevorg of Mughni Church in Tbilisi.

The parties discussed the activity of the Armenian-Georgian
Intergovernmental Cooperation Commission, which is scheduled to hold
its next sitting in Yerevan at the beginning of 2010.

During the meeting reference was made to the successful conduct of the
Georgian Culture Days in Armenia. The Armenian Prime Minister said
he hopes the Armenian Culture Days will pass with the same success
in Georgia next year

FIVE-SIDED STATEMENT ON PROGRESS IN NAGORNO KARABAKH SETTLEMENT PROCESS ADOPTED

Noyan Tapan
Dec 2, 2009

ATHENS, DECEMBER 2, NOYAN TAPAN. On the first day of the OSCE
Ministerial Council’s 17th session that started on December 1 in Athens
a meeting took place between OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing countries’
Foreign Ministers, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, French
Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State
James Steinberg, RA and Azeri Foreign Ministers Edward Nalbandian
and Elmar Mammadiarov.

A statement was adopted at the five-sided meeting, which read:

"The heads of the Minsk Group co-chairing countries’ delegations,
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, French Foreign Minister Bernard
Kouchner, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg met with RA
Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian and Azeri Foreign Minister Elmar
Mammadiarov on December 1 in Athens.

The five heads of the delegations referred to the commitments
stipulated by the Declaration adopted in 2008 November in Moscow and
by the OSCE Helsinki Ministerial Statement adopted in 2008 December.

They mentioned the positive dynamics of the negotiations recorded
during the six meetings between the RA and Azeri Presidents held
this year. They agreed that the growing frequency of these meetings
has considerably contributed to expansion of the dialogue between the
sides and their moving to a final coordination of the basic principles
of Nagorno Karabakh peaceful settlement proposed on November 29 2007
in Madrid.

Foreign Ministers Lavrov and Kouchner and Deputy Secretary of State
Steinberg reaffirmed their countries’ commitment to assist the heads of
Armenia and Azerbaijan in the issue of completion of the coordination
of Basic Principles and called the sides for finishing that work as
quickly as possible according to the joint statement on the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict adopted by the three Presidents at the G8 Summit
on July 10 at L’Aquila. They emphasized that an agreement on Basic
Principles will be a framework basis for an all-embracing settlement,
which will contribute to building a future based on peace, stability,
and prosperity in the whole region.

The Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan mentioned that a
progress has been recorded this year in the issue of reaching a
general understanding over the provisions of the Basic Principles.

They confirmed their countries’ readiness to finish working at the
Basic Principles as the co-chairing countries’ Presidents called them
in L’Aquila. The Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to work with
diligence to settle the unsolved problems, to reach an agreement,
in particular, on the basis of the principles of non-use of force or
threat of force, territorial integrity, equality of peoples’ rights
and self-determination stipulated by the Helsinki final document."

AN ARMENIAN SABBATH-SCHOOL OPENS IN MOLDOVA

Aysor
Dec 2 2009
Armenia

In Moldova an Armenian Sabbath-School aft. Mesrop Mashtots opened with
22 pupils’ staff, of this the elders are 75 years old, told chief of
the Armenian community in Moldova Venera Gasparyan who is on visit
to Armenia.

"There operate Armenian dance and song classes, the theatre faculty,
and some others. We wear Armenian National Costume in classes,"
she said.

The Armenian Sabbath-School aft. Mesrop Mashtots opened in Moldavian
capital city of Chisinau on October 24 2009 providing the opportunity
for Armenian Community members locally to meet and study Armenian
subjects. Since before the only opportunity to learn Armenian was
family ‘classes’.

"We are preparing to open a Sabbath-School in New Aneni where live 40
Armenian families and we already have 15 student applications. The
classes will temporary be organized at general school until we open
an Armenian Sabbath-School in New Aneni in the near future," said
Venera Gasparyan.

Chief of the Staff of the Ministry for Diaspora Affairs, Artak
Zakaryan, provided the Sabbath-School with books, and CDs, and other
necessary stuff for studding and learning Armenian subjects. But
number of pupils increase, so these text-books are not enough, said
Mrs. Gasparyan.

OSCE MG STATEMENT IS POSITIVE: RA VICE-SPEAKER

news.am
Dec 2 2009
Armenia

The purport the joint statement by OSCE MG Co-Chairs as well as
Armenian and Azerbaijani Foreign Ministers lies in the document
format. That it its status is now higher and it does not involve
Co-Chairs only," RA NA Vice-Speaker and the Republican Party member
Samvel Nikoyan informed NEWS.am.

"The point at statement is NKR conflict resolution, Madrid Principles
and certainly Helsinki Final Act, where the nations’ right to self
determination is clearly stated," Nikoyan outlined. According to him,
the parties developed an understanding on need to reach an accord on
settlement basic principles and only then the process on agreement
elaboration may launch. Karabakh should also be involved in the
process," Nikoyan said.

Asked whether he sees a threat in unprecedented intensification of NKR
peace process, Nikoyan replied that the process was progressing slowly,
that did not presuppose favorable facts for Armenia. "The matter
is not quickness, but ability of Armenian diplomacy to acknowledge
the issues substantially as well as how the international community
perceives them. The fact that nations’ self-determination is touched
upon – is already a positive trend," Nikoyan concluded.

OSCE RAPPORTEUR OPTIMISTIC ON KARABAKH SETTLEMENT

news.az
Dec 2 2009
Azerbaijan

Goran Lennmarker There are good opportunities to settle the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s special
rapporteur on Karabakh has said.

Goran Lennmarker spoke to journalists in Athens on Tuesday on the
sidelines of the OSCE Ministerial Council session.

"At this juncture, there are really good opportunities for settlement
of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict," Lennmarker said.

He said that the conflicting sides must understand that peaceful
settlement of the dispute should be based on mutual concessions.

Lennmarker said that "given the recent intensification of negotiations
between the heads of Azerbaijan and Armenia, we can expect positive
results in the near future".

Touching upon the influence of Kazakhstan’s forthcoming OSCE
chairmanship on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,
Lennmarker said, "Considering the historic and cultural ties among
the post Soviet states, Astana’s chairmanship can positively impact
on the negotiations."

SWISS MINARET BAN REFLECTS FEAR OF ISLAM, NOT REAL PROBLEMS
Mathieu von Rohr

Der Spiegel
Nov 30 2009
Germany

The Swiss have voted in favour of a complete ban on the construction of
minarets. But the decision is not a reaction to problems with Muslims
in the country. Instead, it reveals a deep-seated fear of Islam.

There are only four minarets in Switzerland. One of them was completed
just a few months ago in the village of Wangen bei Olten, population
5,000. It may just be a tiny tower in the middle of an industrial area,
but its construction sparked a national controversy. It eventually
led to a referendum campaign by a right-wing religious grouping that
wanted to enshrine the following sentence in the Swiss constitution:
"The construction of minarets is forbidden."

On Sunday [ 29 November], the Swiss voted in favour of the ban. The
results were highly surprising, contradicting all the polls and
the fact that the government and almost all the major parties had
campaigned for a "no" vote.

Some 57.5 per cent of voters supported the ban. The initiative
was also supported by the required majority of cantons, with 22 of
Switzerland’s 26 cantons voting in favour of the ban. The two city
cantons of Geneva and Basel-City rejected the proposal, as did two
French-speaking cantons, Neuchatel and Vaud.

It is a shockingly clear success for a proposal which originated from
politicians on the far right of the political spectrum.

Symbolic Vote

For a long time, the initiative only seemed to be supported by a
right-wing splinter group. Even Christoph Blocher, the longtime
leader of the right-wing populist Swiss People’s Party (SVP),
publicly distanced himself from the initiative, although his party
almost unanimously expressed its support for the ban in the end.

But the organizers of the campaign managed to turn the dispute over
minarets into a symbolic referendum on the influence of Islam. They
did not speak much about minarets. Instead, they talked about Shari’ah
law, burqas and the oppression of women in the Islamic world. In
the end, even the prominent left-wing feminist Julia Onken supported
the initiative.

The poster which the organizers used for their campaign showed a
number of black minarets resembling rockets standing closely together
on a Swiss flag. In front of the flag, a woman stared angrily out
from beneath a black burqa. It was an image of a Switzerland which
had been taken over by Islam. Minarets are "symbols of power" of a
foreign religion, argued politician Ulrich Schluer, who belongs to
the SVP’s right wing. The ban, he said, represents a clear statement
against their spread.

The debate was largely divorced from the reality of Switzerland.

Although around 22 per cent of the population is of foreign origin,
the country has so far had relatively few problems with its roughly
400,000 Muslims. Most of them are liberally minded Bosnians, Kosovo
Albanians and Turks and their around 160 mosques are practically
invisible. Burqas are seldom seen on Swiss streets and there have
never been serious calls for the introduction of Shari’ah law.

The decision, therefore, does not reflect real problems in Switzerland,
but rather a general feeling of unease towards Islam. The issue
revolves around a deep-seated fear that society’s values could be
in danger.

However it is also conceivable that the ongoing conflict with the
Libyan dictator Moammar Gaddafi could also have played a small role.

Gaddafi is currently holding two Swiss citizens hostage in retaliation
for the arrest of one of his sons in Geneva. But the crucial element
was probably a fundamental need to clarify once and for all who has
the final say in Switzerland.

The vote will undoubtedly change the image of Switzerland abroad. The
country likes to present itself as a neutral guardian of human rights.

It is the country where the Red Cross was established and the Geneva
Convention was passed. But now the supposed model democracy has
violated the human right of the freedom to practice one’s religion
and has discriminated against a group solely on the basis of their
religion.

The ban wil l have serious consequences. It will not eliminate
immigration-related problems in Switzerland, but it will produce major
problems for Switzerland in its international relations. The Swiss
banks and the Swiss economy, which have close ties with economies
around the world, including in the Arab world, will suffer as a
result. There may also be damage to the tourism industry.

The ban will damage Switzerland’s credibility as a mediator in the
eyes of Muslim countries, whether it be as a diplomatic representative
of the US in Iran or in the conflict between Armenia and Turkey. And
finally it will cause massive damage to the relationship between the
Swiss and the Muslims living in the country, promoting exactly that
isolation from the rest of society which the initiative was supposedly
intended to address.

Negative Publicity

The problems for Switzerland don’t end there. The last year has been
a difficult one for the country as economic superpowers blasted Bern
for protecting tax dodgers, the result being a significant retreat
from the country’s almost mythical banking secrecy rules. In addition,
Switzerland’s largest bank, UBS, almost fell victim to the financial
crisis and was further damaged by allegations of illegal activities.

Even the arrest of star director Roman Polanski in Zurich generated
the kind of publicity many in Switzerland would rather avoid. The fact
that Swiss citizens are now discriminating against a religion in a
manner that violates human rights will further damage the country’s
reputation.

Still, it is likely that minarets will continue to be built in
Switzerland. The European Court of Human Rights is sure to take on
the case, with most legal experts seeing a violation of freedom of
religion and a clear-cut case of discrimination. Nevertheless, the
damage has been done.

Europe-Wide Concern

Concern about growing numbers of Muslims and the visibility of Islam
isn’t, of course, just limited to Switzerland. Both Cologne and
Copenhagen have seen minaret debates of their own, the burqa is an
issue in France and anti-Muslim politicians have had great success
in Holland. So far, centrist politicians across the continent have
failed to find an adequate response to the growing concern.

As such, it would be inaccurate to explain away the Swiss referendum
results by merely pointing to xenophobia in the country. It is also
an expression of the failures of the liberal political elite to
adequately address the issue and to find solutions to the real and
perceived problems with Muslim immigrants.

It is an issue that clearly concerns a large portion of the Swiss
population; it would be a major misstep to allow right-wing populists
to control the debate. Otherwise, bans on minarets and other human
rights violations can be expected to increase – in Switzerland and
elsewhere in Europe.

PRESS RELEASE
Ani Sounds limited,
Ealing Studios, London

Contact person: [email protected]

1 Dec. 2009

Observational Documentary on Armenian Genocide Denial Screened at
University of London

By Yolanda Andrews

LONDON: 27 November 2009. A feature length observational documentary by
Gagik Karagheuzian on the denial of the Armenian genocide titled `The
Blue Book’ was the focus of discussion amongst fascinated film
students, human rights activists and journalists at the Hitchcock
Theatre at Queen Mary College (University of London). "I have never seen
anything like it," said Dr. Atlana. "This is such a powerful
documentary. It really has opened my eyes to the denial of genocide
today."

The story of Karagheuzian’s observational documentary film started in
2005, when the Turkish parliament sent a petition to British
parliamentarians, accusing the latter of fabricating the Armenian
genocide thesis. The Turkish accusation maintained that there are no
creditable sources related to the Armenian genocide, and that the whole
issue was fabricated by British propagandists in a 1916 British
parliamentary blue book "The Treatment of Armenians in the Ottoman
Empire 1915-16."

"I heard about this thesis from Ara [Sarafian], who is a foremost expert
on the 1916 blue book," said Karagheuzian. "When he told me that he was
working with British parliamentarians to respond to the Turkish
petition, I asked to follow him to make an observational documentary."

The blue book issue grew into one of major proportions over the next
four years, as a group of British parliamentarians responded to the
Turkish petition and twice invited their Turkish colleagues to a
discussion. No Turkish parliamentarian accepted the invitation.

Throughout the film, Sarafian talks of the denial of the Armenian
genocide. He explains the use of the term denial as `the deliberate
non-engagement with pertinent records related to a given subject
matter’. In the case of the blue book, some of these pertinent records
are held in the British National Archives, where the original of the
Blue Book can still be found. (The Turkish parliamentarians simply
insist that such records do not exist). The documentary also identifies
the United States as the main source of information for the British in
1915-16 about the genocide of the Armenians.

Lord Avebury figures prominently throughout the film, as he works with
Sarafian in addressing the blue book issue in a systematic manner. The
friendship between the two is also touching in what is otherwise a
harsh, fast-paced, and sometimes upsetting situation.

The central figure in the denial of the Armenian genocide is Sukru
Elekdag, a former Turkish ambassador to the United States, currently a
member of the Turkish Parliament, and a longstanding anti-Armenian
activist. According to Sarafian, Elekdag has led his fellow Turkish
parliamentarians and their advisers into an intellectual quagmire.
"Turkish parliamentarians are actually in an untenable position" says
Sarafian. "We are witnessing the end-game of an exemplary case of
genocide denial." This Turkish position will surely rank as one of
Elekdag’s greatest blunders.

To make this film, Karagheuzian followed Sarafian on lecture and field
trips, discussing the blue book in Istanbul, Ankara and Harput.
TheIstanbul discussions included an international conference, contacts
with Turkish academics and the press, as well as a Turkish television
talk show. The documentary ends with the Ankara launch of a Turkish
translation of the blue book. "We have returned the denial of the blue
book issue to where it belongs" says Sarafian. "The problem with this
work does not rest in London, but in Ankara."

In the question and answer session following the film, Karagheuzian
discussed the difficulties of making such an observational documentary,
especially with unpredictable moments and a fast pace. Nevertheless, as
the documentary shows, Karageuzian managed to capture key moments on
film, making `The Blue Book’ a compelling, insightful and timely
film.

For further information about "The Blue Book" please contact
[email protected]