Author: Varosian Antranik

MADE IN ARMENIA DIRECT
U.S. Local Business Association
Email: [email protected]
URL:
Made in Armenia Direct Contact Information:
137 Newbury Street, 9th Floor
Boston, MA 02116
Tel: 617.536.4655
Fax: 617.536.7552
Email: [email protected]
Web:

MADE IN ARMENIA DIRECT

WINS BEST OF BOSTON AWARD 2009 FOR THE SECOND YEAR IN A ROW!

We are pleased to announce that Made in Armenia Direct has won the
Best of Boston Award 2009 for the second year in a row! Below is the
press release commemorating the occasion.

Made in Armenia Direct Receives 2009 Best of Boston Award
U.S. Local Business Association’s Plaque Honors the Achievement
August 2009 — For the second consecutive year, Made in Armenia Direct
has been selected for the 2009 Best of Boston Award in the Importers
category by the U.S. Local Business Association (USLBA).
The USLBA "Best of Local Business" Award Program recognizes
outstanding local businesses throughout the country. Each year, the
USLBA identifies companies that they believe to have achieved
exceptional marketing success in their local community and business
category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image
of small business through service to their customers and community.
Nationwide, only 1 in 70 (1.4%) 2008 Award recipients qualified as
2009 Award Winners.
Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose
the winners in each category. The 2009 USLBA Award Program focused
on quality, not quantity. Winners are determined based on the
information gathered both internally by the USLBA and data provided
by third parties.

About Made in Armenia Direct
Made in Armenia Direct brings the work of Armenian artisans to the
rest of the world. After its long period under communism, Armenia is
emerging and its fine craftsmanship is part of its history and its
future. By sharing ancient traditions, preserving a unique artistic
legacy, supporting families, and providing value to artisan and
purchaser alike, you can help the Armenian art community survive and
thrive. Its goal is to help the creators of these distinctive art
forms become self sustaining and provide for their families while
giving our customers the pleasure and satisfaction of owning fine
works that are Made in Armenia Direct.

About U.S. Local Business Association (USLBA)
U.S. Local Business Association (USLBA) is a Washington, D.C. based
organization funded by local businesses operating in towns, large and
small, across America. The purpose of USLBA is to promote local
business through public relations, marketing and advertising. The
USLBA was established to recognize the best of local businesses in
their communities. Our organization works exclusively with local
business owners, trade groups, professional associations, chambers of
commerce and other business advertising and marketing groups. Our
mission is to be an advocate for small and medium size businesses and
business entrepreneurs across America.

Thank you for helping to make Made in Armenia Direct such a grand
success! As always, we appreciate your patronage and support, as do
the Armenian artists who work to bring you fine crafts rooted in
Armenian tradition. Made in Armenia Direct has two hard working teams,
one in the United States and one in Yerevan, Armenia, that make our
work possible and whose diligent efforts improve the lives daily of
the talented artisans of Made in Armenia Direct.

PRESIDENT SERZH SARGSYAN RECEIVES OSCE MINSK GROUP US CO-CHAIR

ARMENPRESS
Aug 7, 2009

YEREVAN, AUGUST 7, ARMENPRESS: President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan
received today OSCE Minsk Group US co-chairman Matthew Bryza.

Presidential press service told Armenpress that the interlocutors
exchanged thoughts over issues on the negotiation process for peaceful
regulation of Nagorno Karabakh conflict. President of Armenia Serzh
Sargsyan received today OSCE Minsk Group US co-chairman Matthew Bryza.

Presidential press service told Armenpress that the interlocutors
exchanged thoughts over issues on the negotiation process for peaceful
regulation of Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

5 JUDOISTS OF ARMENIA PARTICIPATE IN WORLD JUVENILE CHAMPIONSHIP

Noyan Tapan
AUGUST 6 2009
Yerevan

The World Juvenile Judo Championship is held from August 6 to 9 in
the capital of Hungary, Budapest. Garik Harutiunian (50 kg, Vanadzor),
Arsen Tovmasian (55 kg, Yerevan), Davit Ghazarian (60 kg, Vanadzor),
Mher Tavakalian (74 kg, Charentsavan) and Arman Soghomonian (81 kg,
Yerevan) participate in the championship from Armenia.

THE BENEFITS OF A COORDINATED AND FOCUSED PRO BONO PROGRAM
Dana Ferestien, Williams Kastner

The Metropolitan Coporate Counsel
p?artType=view&artMonth=August&artYear=200 9&EntryNo=9987
Aug 5 2009

Dana Ferestien is a Member in the Seattle office of Williams
Kastner and a part of the firm’s business litigation practice
group and insurance team. A trial lawyer and counselor, Mr
Ferestien focuses on insurance coverage and complex business
litigation. He frequently writes about developments in insurance law
at

————– ————————————————– —————-

Most law firms and legal departments support pro bono work in some
way. Williams Kastner has long encouraged and supported pro bono
work. Historically, our attorneys have each pursued projects and
causes of their own choosing. A few years ago, however, our firm
made a decision to focus our collective pro bono efforts by forming a
strategic relationship with the Northwest Immigrants Rights Project
(), a non-profit organization devoted to helping low
income immigrants and refugees. This decision has led to a much
more effective pro bono program-one with greater impact and rewards
for Williams Kastner, the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project and
its clients.

The NWIRP refers clients to Williams Kastner for assistance with either
an affirmative asylum application or defensive removal proceedings
initiated by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service
(USCIS). Over the past 36 months, our attorneys have helped immigrants
from all over the world to obtain asylum. The clients referred to us
by NWIRP have included people from Haiti, Kenya, Burma, Azerbaijan,
Eritrea, Afghanistan, Gambia, Venezuela and Ethiopia. Many of these
immigrants fled their countries after having been kidnapped, tortured
and in some cases imprisoned as a result of their political beliefs
and their efforts to effect peaceful change in their countries.

Our clients’ stories are difficult for most Americans to comphrehend or
imagine. One vivid example is a Haitian client who was kidnapped after
he spoke out on the radio against the government. His kidnappers beat
him with a baseball bat. He was released only after his family paid a
large ransom, and then he needed emergency surgery to repair a rupture
in his stomach wall caused by the repeated severe beatings. Atrocities
such as these are fairly common among the immigrants who come to the
NWIRP seeking relief and a road to a safe harbor.

Many of the women from Africa who come to the NWIRP for assistance
were subjected by their own families to genital mutilation and forced
plural marriage. One young woman from Gambia fled to the United States
at the age of 20 because she had been repeatedly whipped and beaten by
her father, uncles and cousins for her refusal to become the third wife
of a 70-year-old man. Her father had arranged for the plural marriage
and insisted that she marry this man even though she loved a young man
whom she had met on her own. Our clients are victims of societies where
the fundamental concepts of freedom and human rights do not apply.

Another NWIRP client our lawyers worked with and were able to help
is from Azerbaijan – he had repeatedly suffered ethnically motivated
attacks due to his Armenian ancestry. Our client fled Azerbaijan
in the late 1980s when the Soviet Union came apart and the ethnic
Azerbaijanis sought to wipe out the large ethnic Armenian population
in Baku, the capital city of Azerbaijan. He initially moved to the
Ukraine, but he did not find any better conditions; he and his family
were repeatedly attacked by Neo-Nazis.

All of these people came to the United States in search of safety,
dignity and peace. Representing them for no fee is the right thing
to do for the simple reason that it allows Williams Kastner and our
attorneys to contribute to our community and to be personally rewarded
by helping those in genuine desperate need to start a better life. Our
lawyers utilize considerable legal and litigation skills to make
an enormous difference in the lives of these people. I will always
remember a client suddenly hugging me at the end of his hearing, when
the immigration judge told him that he was granting asylum. With tears
in his eyes, the client told me, "Thank you! You have saved my life."

Many of the associates from Williams Kastner who have invested their
time and skills in the NWIRP pro bono project have similar stories to
share about the successes achieved on behalf of their clients. The very
tangible results of our work with these clients make us all very proud
to be attorneys and members of a firm such as Williams Kastner. This is
particularly important at a time when many law firms around the United
States are struggling to attract and retain talented, qualified and
diverse associates. Interesting and challenging pro bono work like
this can be one of the non-economic factors critical to attorneys
looking for an organization to join. The personal fulfillment and
professional growth associates gain through a firm’s commitment to
community service in pro bono projects is incomparable.

Williams Kastner’s work with the NWIRP has been beneficial in many
other ways in large part because the firms has supported it through
a collective effort that has involved everyone from the firm’s most
senior members (partners) to its youngest and newest attorneys. Earlier
this year, a 35-year member of the firm took on his first NWIRP
client. The senior member worked with his daughter who had just
graduated from law school to represent, and obtain asylum for, an
Ethiopian man who had been jailed for his activities as a political
organizer. While this senior member has done other pro bono work in
the past, it was our established program with the NWIRP that created
this rewarding and interesting opportunity.

Many of Williams Kastner’s first- and second-year associates, as
well as our summer associates, have teamed up with members and senior
associates to represent our NWIRP clients. We have purposefully staffed
files this way to promote mentoring and collegiality, and to allow
newer attorneys to develop their client relations, file management
and oral advocacy skills with guidance and input from more experienced
attorneys. It has also ensured that young attorneys become active in
pro bono work early in their careers.

Asylum clients often present significant challenges in our work due
to language and cultural barriers and challenges – English is rarely
a primary language and much of our work is aided by translators. In
addition, these clients have endured hardships rarely, if ever,
encountered in the United States. By learning to manage these client
relationships, our young attorneys are "ahead of the curve" on key
practice and client relationship skills. Similarly, these engagements
have allowed our newest attorneys to conduct trials in their first year
of practice. In most law firm settings, this would not be possible
because most clients require that more senior attorneys conduct any
trials and hearings on their behalf.

When Williams Kastner established this strategic relationship with the
NWIRP, our firm had only a few attorneys with significant immigration
law experience. We quickly changed this and learned the fundamentals
and nuances of immigration law through a training program, presented
to us by the NWIRP. We secured this initial resource and assistance
by committing to take multiple cases – we now have more than a dozen
attorneys who have successfully represented clients in immigration
proceedings. For new attorneys joining the firm and becoming involved
in the pro bono program, we have experienced attorneys who serve as
an in-house training resource in the area of immigration law.

Williams Kastner has also received greater recognition for
our pro bono work because our efforts are more concentrated and
coordinated. Last year, after having obtained asylum for nearly a
dozen clients, the NWIRP presented Williams Kastner with its Amicus
Award for "extraordinary contributions" to the organization. The award
validated our attorneys’ efforts, and we now have more lawyers than
ever representing NWIRP clients.

Most law firms have lawyers who pursue and support pro bono work in
their communities. Williams Kastner has found that a more coordinated
and focused pro bono program yields enormous results for the law
firm as well as the organization it supports. Whether the pro bono
cause chosen involves immigration, landlord-tenant disputes, child
protective services or some other cause, the benefits that such a
program offers include:

1. increased early opportunities for new attorneys to develop key
practice skills and to gain experience in court and working directly
with clients;

2. wider participation of attorneys across the organization;

3. high attorney morale by allowing attorneys to work together to
support a cause in which they believe;

4. additional resources for attorney education and training regarding
the substantive areas of law involved;

5. more interaction, mentoring and collaboration between senior and
junior attorneys;

6. the ability to make a greater difference through a focused and
coordinated effort which, in turn, is likely to lead to greater public
recognition for the attorneys’ pro bono efforts.

The appreciation earned for saving a life exceeds any fees ever
earned. An effective pro bono program can yield enormous rewards.

RESEARCHER CALLS ON AZERI LEADERS TO BE READY FOR WAR

AssA-Irada
August 4, 2009 Tuesday
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijani leaders should be ready for a sudden eruption of war
with Armenia, a Norway-based analyst has said. Yadigar Zakariyya,
the head of North-South Azerbaijan Political Research Center,
said that his organization has developed several proposals, based
on numerous countries experience with conflicts, to facilitate a
settlement to the Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict. Speaking at a
scientific conference in Baku on the role of political parties and
non-governmental organizations in the Garabagh settlement, Zakariyya
said that, first, self-defense units should be set up in all districts,
villages and settlements of Azerbaijan.

These units should undergo military training and taught rules
of handling weapons, and be trained on how to act in the combat
zone. Reserve detachments should report to the nearby military unit. If
war begins, the military unit will be aware that reinforcement forces
are available nearby and will be able to get them immediately engaged
in warfare. Sabir Rustamkhanly, the chairman of opposition-leaning
Civil Solidarity Party, claimed that propaganda being pursued in
Azerbaijan is causing considerable divergence in the positions of
local parties and NGOs on the Garabagh problem. As a result, the
OSCE Minsk Group brokering settlement to the conflict is dictating
anything it wants to. There are even differences of opinion among NGOs
pertaining to the proposals on the conflict resolution. Parliament
member Nasib Nasibli pointed out that, to launch a war, the Garabagh
issue should be conceived by Azerbaijanis as a problem of nationwide
scale. For four years running, this issue has not been discussed in
the Milli Majlis (parliament), the lawmaker noted. Another MP, Gudrat
Hasanguliyev, blamed international organizations for failing to put
pressure on Armenia, which has been occupying a part of Azerbaijans
territory since the early 1990s. They are even indirectly supporting
Armenia. But [peace] talks cannot go on indefinitely, Hasanguliyev
said. The lawmaker stressed that the Azerbaijani public should protest
at the stalling conflict and push for moving the process forward. He
also suggested using force to resolve the long-standing dispute. In
the absence of this [pressure], they [international organizations]
are seeking for Azerbaijan to accept concessions. There is no fair
solution to the Upper Garabagh conflict through negotiations. We have
to wage successful military operations, otherwise, we will not be able
to restore our sovereignty rights in Upper Garabagh. And, to free our
land, a powerful army needs to be built. Sardar Jalaloglu, the leader
of the Azerbaijan Democratic Party (ADP), maintained that the goal of
the mediators brokering the peace process is to pursue their own goals
while keeping the conflict settlement process under control. There is
no political solution to this problem, Jalaloglu opined. We have to
achieve taking it to the legal realm. The conflict must be settled
in accord with international law. Azerbaijan cannot wage a war now,
as the political will needed for this is not there. Azerbaijan
and Armenia fought a lengthy war that ended with the signing of a
cease-fire in 1994, but Armenia continues to occupy Upper Garabagh
and seven adjacent Azerbaijani districts in defiance of international
law. Despite numerous rounds of OSCE-brokered negotiations, peace
talks have been without results so far and refugees remain stranded.

SCHOOL AVOIDS EVICTION
By Zain Shauk

Glendale News Press
09/08/04/education/gnp-grigoryan080409.txt
Aug 4 2009
CA

Owner, principal of Armenian school says it isn’t in any danger
of closing.

NORTHWEST GLENDALE — The owner of Scholars Armenian School and Arts
Center on Monday said she was confident that a bankruptcy trial would
not affect the campus after she made good on a $123,000 payment to
avoid eviction.

She owed the money for unpaid rent since declaring bankruptcy in May
after failing to make other rent payments.

Still, Scholars Principal and owner Anahit Grigoryan has continued
to refuse paying nearly $200,000 in rent after funding a cleanup of
toxic mold and asbestos, which should have been the responsibility
of landlord Alex Kuiumdjian, she said.

Kuiumdjian’s attorney, Frank Rubin, argues that Grigoryan made
expensive property changes without first asking the landlord, who
would have done it on his own, making her responsible for the rent.

Rubin added that Grigoryan didn’t bring up the mold until she was
already in debt, a charge she denies.

"It was all after rent was due," Rubin said.

Grigoryan has filed a separate lawsuit to resolve the issue, alleging
that Kuiumdjian had rented the property after falsely claiming it
was free of hazardous materials, specifically mold, according to the
lease agreement and court documents.

She was confident that the school would continue uninterrupted,
regardless of the court proceedings.

"I’m not a lawyer, but I do know the law," said Grigoryan, a former
professor at UCLA and universities in Russia and Armenia.

She had already invested more than $500,000 into the property at 1021
Grandview Ave. before discovering the mold while venturing into the
basement, making a move from the site unreasonable, she said.

Grigoryan has insisted that Kuiumdjian gave her license to "do whatever
you want" while making facility improvements.

Additionally, the potential of mold in the basement, she said, could
have presented a danger to her students, whom she did not notify
of the problem because the school was closed when it was discovered
and cleared.

When Grigoryan proceeded to contract the cleanup work herself, workers
discovered asbestos and embarked on a sweeping effort to remove the
dangerous matter before students returned.

The cleanup added to her makeover of the building, which cost more
than $1.5 million, she said.

Rubin argued that the basement was not within the parameters of
Grigoryan’s lease and that she should not have moved into the area
and made changes without permission.

The 45,000-square-foot site now includes hardwood floors, accent walls
and modern school equipment, while also being a healthy environment,
she said.

Some worried parents, after hearing about the school’s debt, have
withdrawn plans to send their children there in the fall, but Scholars
has never been in serious danger of closing, she said.

Grigoryan has been able to keep her operation growing using funds
from colleagues in Armenia, she said.

Her move to declare bankruptcy was mostly a maneuver to stay an
eviction notice that had been levied after a civil court ruled
Grigoryan was responsible for six months of unpaid rent, despite the
continuing fraud suit, she said.

The school now expects to have about 230 students in the fall, down
from 250, and will be able to pay the $44,000 monthly rent, despite
tuition revenues of $72,000 that are weighed down by a $69,000 monthly
payroll, Grigoryan said.

The sheer value of Scholars’ current expenses means that it will
continue to be dependent on Armenian contributors for support as it
works to become a standout institution, she said.

ALL WELL IN JAVAKHK? – GEORGIAN PARLIAMENTARY DEPUTY ARMEN BAYANDOURYAN THINKS SO
Kristine Aghalaryan

duryan/
2009/08/03 | 18:06

An interview with Armen Bayandouryan, a member of the Georgian
Parliament and Artistic Director of the Petros Adamyan National
Theater in Tbilisi

Mr. Bayandouryan, what are the most pressing problems facing the
Georgian-Armenian community today?

There are approximately 500,000 Armenians living in Georgia today. The
most pressing problem is to see to it that these Armenians send their
children to Armenian schools. Let me point out that we have nineteen
state schools in Tbilisi with more than one thousand students each;
all are Armenian. This will prove to be dangerous for the community
tomorrow and the day after, for it signifies that Armenians aren’t
attending Armenian schools but rather Russian ones. This begs the
question, why don’t we send our children and grandchildren to Armenian
schools. I think it stems from the fact that in the past Armenians
sought employment in Russia and that we have always thought that our
children will also be going to Russia to live and work.

Today, the kids in all the Armenian schools operating in Tbilisi
also master Russian and Georgian. In order that we maintain our art
and literature in Georgia it is necessary that our children attend
Armenian schools.

If this doesn’t happen we could lose our theater and church. I
frequently state that if our parents do not wish to send their kids
to Armenian schools, they should at least send them to Georgian ones
on order to learn the state language.

Why should we be attending Russian schools? This is the biggest
problem. This is especially perplexing since national minorities in
Georgia today have been afforded all the necessary facilities. Whoever
wants to go to school can do so.

Armenians must send their children to Armenian schools. In this way
we stay true to our roots. The more Armenian kids go to our schools,
the greater the number of those speaking Armenian. This translates
into more Armenian theater goers and those attending the Armenian
Church, etc.

In this context, the situation of Armenians in Tbilisi seems to differ
from that of Javakhk. Everyone goes to Armenian school in Javakhk. They
know Armenian but can’t speak Georgian. Thus they can’t get jobs
within the government. What solution do you see regarding this?

It’s an interesting question. All I’d say is that there isn’t one
nation on earth where its citizens don’t speak its primary language. If
they don’t speak Georgian in Javakhk today, it’s not their fault. The
system has been lacking, incorrect. There is a program that will soon
be introduced there in order that Javakhk Armenians learn Georgian.

What program are you referring to?

I and others have suggested that Georgian be taught in Armenian
kindergartens. Today, a 90 year-old grandma who milks her cows
and makes cheese can’t speak Georgian, but her grandchild or
great-grandchild can. That’s why we have to start early, in the
kindergarten. We should be establishing Armenian kindergartens with
a Georgian orientation. All these issues will be resolved. Armenians
complain that they aren’t given jobs. To get a job or position the
applicant must speak the dominant language of the country. Today we
have a deputy foreign minister, Mr. Nalbandov, who speaks perfect
Georgian. Do you think you can get a position in the French government
without having a mastery of French? Can one get a government job in
Armenia without knowing Armenian?

We need to be able to speak our mother tongue and simultaneously the
state language. These are different things. Today, in Georgia, we
have 160 Armenian state schools, a newspaper in Armenian, a national
theater going back 153 years, the likes of which doesn’t exist outside
Armenia. We have Armenian TV broadcasts and a working church.

Some say that in Javakhk, Armenian should be granted the status of
the 2nd official language or a regional one. Other Javakhk Armenians
are demanding that all local official business be conducted in
Armenian. What’s your position?

To establish a second official language in Javakhk would imply that
Armenians are incompetent. We’d be doing ourselves a great disservice
if we said that we Armenians cannot learn another language. This is
my view. It would be like saying; we are citizens of Georgia but we
aren’t capable of learning the language. Ridiculous, isn’t it? Today
we can’t, but tomorrow we can.

Mr. Bayandouryan, you have said that all is well in Javakhk, but
there are activists and officials in Armenia who have been publicizing
the problems in Javakhk and who have sounded the alarm regarding the
anti-Armenian policies of the Georgian authorities; e.g. pressures
brought to bear on Armenian social and political organizations. In
your opinion, what’s behind such a widespread conception of Javakhk?

There are people who simply never have seen all the good works that
have been carried out for Javakhk. Was there electricity in Javakhk
eight years ago? Did grandparents receive pensions? Were Javakhk
communities supplied with natural gas? Was there a road linking
Akhalkalak and Tbilisi? That’s to say, development is certainly
taking place. Who is claiming that everything is perfect? There are
shortcomings not only in Javakhk but in Kutaisi and Kvemo-Karteli.

These problems can be raised and I welcome such moves. However,
when you fail to speak of the good that has been accomplished in
the same breath; I find this unacceptable. I mean, no one is saying
that all is rosy in Javakhk. But we don’t mention the electricity,
gas and roads. Why is that? We don’t want to accept the fact that
Saakashvili is the only Georgian president that frequently visits
Javakhk. What president has visited Javakhk? Zviad Gamsakhurdia and
Shevardnadze never did. The nay-sayers don’t accept all this.

How would you explain the recent rash of arrests of Javakhk-Armenian
activists?

No one is illegally arrested in Georgia; just as in Armenia. There
is a justification one someone has been charged with a crime. Being
Armenian has nothing to do with it. If you’ve committed a crime you
go to jail. These people broke the law. It’s that simple.

Have you been following the trial of Vahagn Chakhalyan? Everyone
has protested that the case has been wrought with violations –
Georgia’s human rights ombudsman, Sozar Subari, Chakhalyan’s defense
team and outside observers. Then there’s the related case of the
Georgian authorities not allowing aFrench-Armenian attorney to defend
Chakhalyan. Why haven’t these issues been covered more extensively?

Do you actually believe that Sozar Subari is some kind of saint?

I’m not talking about whether he’s a saint or not but the fact that
the Georgian ombudsman and his team have registered a number of
legislative violations in the case.

That’s Subari’s take on the matter. The law is grounded in a correct
legal framework. It cannot be claimed that whatever Subari says is
correct. That’s not how it is. I am convinced that no laws have been
violated regarding those imprisoned in Georgia.

Mr. Bayandouryan, have you looked into the matter why the Georgian
authorities haven’t allowed RoA Deputy Shirak Torosyan and political
analyst Igor Mouradyan from entering the country? In fact, they
haven’t allowed Mr. Torosyan to visit his birthplace in Javakhk twice
now. There’s also a rumor circulated that Georgian border posts have a
list of some 15-20 young people whose entry into Georgia from Armenia
is prohibited.

What’s your reaction?

We three Armenian deputies have discussed the matter and perhaps
there is a problem with Deputy Torosyan. The problem is that we have
certain individuals, maybe this doesn’t pertain to Mr. Torosyan, who
are trying to have it both ways. We can’t burden the two countries
like that. We are always looking for issues to exploit. As to why
they won’t allow him in…that’s beyond my jurisdiction. You have a
foreign ministry and diplomatic staff. They should be getting involved.

I believe that the deputy should be allowed to visit his place of
birth. But I can’t say what lies underneath.

I am not aware of any list of names that you mentioned.

As an Armenian member in the Georgian Parliament have you ever raised
the issue of the status of the Armenian Church in Georgia or the
return of the six Armenian churches? Presently, where do we stand in
these issues?

A law will soon be passed. We frequently talk about the Norashen
Church. It goes without saying that many mistakes were made regarding
the church. There have been those who have desecrated our holy
sites. However we have a nation and a government who is speaking out
on these matters and which stands against such inhuman acts. I believe
that the heads of the two churches will resolve the matter jointly
and that we should assist them in whatever manner they see fit. We
will not allow anyone to desecrate our cemeteries. Here, I am not
talking about a whole people at fault but certain individuals. In
this context, Georgia’s president is aware of the problem and is
taking action. Generally speaking, the new leadership in Georgia is
contemporary in its thinking and this can only benefit not only the
country as a whole but the national minorities in Georgia as well.

Previously, you have listed the accomplishments of the Georgian
government in Javakhk. In your opinion, what should be the position
of Armenia vis-a-vis the Javakhk issue?

Armenia, under the direction of the president, is conducting a very
normal policy when it comes to Javakhk.

Javakhk is part and parcel of Georgia and those intrigues that
get bandied about are improper. What has taken place regarding
Javakhk? Armenia is doing all it can to assist residents of Javakhk
in terms of the propagating Armenian literature and the arts. Theater
troupes, artists and writers from Armenia travel there often. But
this isn’t the real problem. The real set of problems lies in the
fact that there is a certain group of individuals that are not truly
interested in the well-being of Javakhk but rather in making a name
for themselves. They are the ones creating the problems. The issues
facing Javakhk are ones being faced by Georgia as a whole. Georgia is
a country in which democracy is still being established but already
major steps have been taken down this road – we will be entering NATO
and the European Union. In this respect, the issues faced by national
minorities will be resolved as well.

CHRISTIANS IN IRAN: THREATENING SITUATION

Iran Press Watch

July 29 2009

Dr. Wahied Wahdat-Hagh-July 29th, 2009

The regime in Tehran is sending out mixed signals as to whether Iran’s
Criminal Code will now impose the death penalty on Muslims who forsake
Islam to convert to Christianity. A final decision on the question
should finally be taken this autumn. The bill’s first reading in the
Majlis last September passed by a large majority: 196 representatives
voted yes, seven voted no, and there were two abstentions.

Now, supposedly, the Majlis has excised this intended change to the
Criminal Code. According to media reports on June 27, the Chairman
of the Majlis Legal Affairs Committee, Hojatoleslam Ali Schahroki,
said that the regulation on "renunciation ofIslam" wouldn’t even be
mentioned in the bill. According to the Farsi Christian News Network,
Christians in Iran are surprised and irritated by this statement,
because the truth is that the Council of Guardians and the Supreme
Leader have the final say on this unsettled question.

The disputes within Islamist factions over this element of the Criminal
Code are increasingly visible, and there may be a connection with the
protests that followed the disputed presidential election. Joseph K
Grieboski, President of the Institute on Religion and Public Policy
in Washington, sees no sign that this debate indicates an opening up,
but only the regime protecting itself. "If the regime were to uphold
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s presidency and then push through a restrictive
penal law, international pressure on the Iranian regime would be
unbearable." According to the International Society for Human Rights,
the announced withdrawal of the bill is a "purely cosmetic move." There
is still the possibility of being executed for renunciation of Islam
under Iran’s Islamic laws.

Up to now, punishment for renunciation of Islam – also known as
apostasy – has been practiced arbitrarily in Iran. Once it becomes
part of the Criminal Code, every Iranian court would be bound to
enforce it. It’s certain that Christians who convert from Islam
will continue to be arrested and convicted. This doesn’t include
so-called ethnic Christians – members of the Armenian and Assyrian
churches – but specifically evangelical Christians who actively
pursue missionary work. The independent online Persian news agency
Rooz, which is critical of the regime, reported on July 15 that two
Christian women, 30-year-old Marsiye Aminsadeh and 27-year-old Mariam
Rostampur, had been arrested in Tehran about four months earlier. The
pair are social workers who without pay, help people in trouble
regardless of race or religion. The two Christians were charged
with apostasy and violations of national security and are being
held at the notorious Evin Prison. Interrogated on a daily basis,
they are held under very harsh conditions with no access to legal or
medical assistance. According to Rooz, there are currently at least 50
Christians in Iranian prisons in Tehran, Schiras, Maschad and Urumije,
among others.

Recent political events in Iran have ushered in a new phase in
the emergence of a totalitarian dictatorship. Pressure on Iranian
Christians is growing just as foreign powers are being blamed for
rioting that broke out due to the electoral fraud. The argument on the
influence of foreign powers is well known to Iranian Christians. Under
the Islamic regime, they are regularly accused of embracing Western
influence. The narrative of these allegations is this: that Iranian
Christians are often in touch with European or American churches and
associate themselves with their networks. The regime focuses on this,
even accusing them of spying for foreign powers. Time and again,
Iranian Christians are held hostage to the regime’s problems with
the West.

Of necessity, collaboration with Christian Web sites or Christian TV
channels that transmit their programs via satellite, takes place in
secret. Christians in Iran are dependent on the flow of information
from precisely these media, because with the help of modern technology,
this is how the Persian-language bible, Christian children’s books
and prayers are disseminated. The Farsi Christian News Network (FCNN)
– a central source of news about Christian communities in Iran –
reports that there are hundreds of thousands of Iranians who would
embrace the message of Jesus Christ. Accordingly, Iranian Christians
can expect a new wave of oppression and persecution.

It’s interesting in this context to assess how Iranian Christians
behaved during the recent presidential election. The agency says
that a majority of those who participated in the elections voted for
presidential candidate Mir Hussein Mussawi because they hoped, "bad
would be better than worse." But the elections have clearly shown
that the political system of "Guardianship of the Islamic Jurists
[Velayat-e-faqih]" doesn’t allow opposing political positions to
have a serious chance. Those who believed that there was a "minimal
democracy" in Iran have now been disabused, according to FCNN.

In another report by FCNN, clear positions are staked out.

"There is a political power struggle between two elements, both
of which are despotic and repressive. There is no struggle between
despotism and freedom. Therefore, we have to expect even more pressure
put on churches. We know that difficult times lie ahead. Nevertheless,
under no circumstances will Iranian Christians give up their new
faith."

However, following the recent riots and repression, more and more
Christians are abandoning Iran. Since the first government of
Ahmadinejad came into office, the situation of Iranian Christians
has worsened significantly. It’s not yet clear what the nature of the
future threat will be. But at the same time, FCNN has reported on an
increase of interest in Christianity among Iranian young people. At
least 70 percent of Iranians support more freedom for religious
minorities and support the separation of religion and state. The more
people are impacted by the violence of despotic rule, the more they
will be drawn toward Christianity.

Josef Hovsepian, son of Iranian Bishop Haik Hovsepian Mehr who
was kidnapped and murdered in 1994, told FCNN in a conversation on
July 4 that, "in times of crisis, the unity of our communities is
strengthened." In particular, "young people are looking for a religion
that isn’t being forced on them."

In another conversation, a Christian woman remembers the period
before the 1979 Islamic Revolution, when she lived happily in the
town of Schiras among other Christians, Jews, Bahai and followers
of Zoroastrianism. But one day in the 1980s, two of her girlfriends
were taken from their classroom by strange men. Later she learned
from their mother that their father, a Bahai, had been arrested and
executed. In her family, it is now assumed that the situation for
Christians will worsen in a similar fashion.

In the midst of these threats and persecution, there are a number of
events that reflect a touch of humor. The story goes that one day the
satellite dish of an Iranian priest was stolen from the roof of his
house. The thief had taken a good look at some Christian broadcasts
and, as a result, became a member of an illegal home church.

The home church movement remains fragile and underground, since in
the official churches people aren’t even allowed to hear prayers
in Persian. This is because Iran’s rulers fear that if they were,
more people would be drawn to Christianity. As recently as May of
this year, a home church in Karadsch was discovered and raided by
paramilitary units of the Basij. The home church members were arrested.

[Dr. Wahied Wahdat-Hagh is a Senior Fellow
with the European Foundation for Democracy. This
article was first published on July 23, 2009 in German at:
ion=com_content&view=article&id=13484& catid=4&Itemid=22
and an English translation was made available at:
ion=com_content&view=article&id=13488& catid=4&Itemid=22.]

MEDIATORS AMEND DRAFT KARABAKH PEACE PROPOSALS

Georgiandaily
tent&task=view&id=13551&Itemid=65
July 29 2009
Georgia

The French, Russian, and U.S. co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group that
seeks to mediate a political solution to the Karabakh conflict have
modified the so-called Madrid Principles intended to serve as the basis
for such an agreement, U.S. co-Chairman Matthew Bryza told RFE/RL’s
Armenian Service on July 27 following two days of consultations in
Krakow with his fellow co-chairs.

In a statement issued on July 10 on the sidelines of the Group of
Eight summit in L’Aquila, the presidents of France, Russia, and the
United States tasked the co-chairs with preparing for presentation to
the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents "an updated version of the
Madrid Document of November 2007, the co-chairs’ last articulation
of the Basic Principles" first unveiled in June 2006.

That L’Aquila statement "urge[d] the presidents of Armenia and
Azerbaijan to resolve the few differences remaining between them
and finalize their agreement on these Basic Principles, which will
outline a comprehensive settlement" of the conflict.

But discrepancies between the summary of the principles outlined in
that statement and the original Basic Principles triggered protest and
alarm in Armenia, especially among major opposition parties. Meeting
on July 17-18 in Moscow, Presidents Serzh Sarkisian and Ilham Aliyev
apparently failed to narrow the outstanding differences between them.

Bryza told RFE/RL on July 27 that the Krakow talks were "productive
and creative," and that the three co-chairs have indeed "prepared
an updated version of the Madrid Document" based on "careful"
consideration of the views expressed by the sides since the unveiling
of the Madrid Document in November 2007.

In that context, Bryza specifically praised the input provided
by former Armenian President Robert Kocharian and former Foreign
Minister Vartan Oskanian, whose "thoughts and efforts helped lay the
foundation for the Madrid Document." Bryza said their successors,
President Sarkisian and current Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian,
"have helped elicit progress in tough but constructive negotiations
over the past year."

The co-chairs are scheduled to travel to Armenia and Azerbaijan in
August-September in the hope of paving the way for a meeting between
Aliyev and Sarkisian on the sidelines of the CIS summit to be held
in Chisinau.

ARMENIAN-CAPTURED SOLDIER’S FATHER: RAFIG WRITES THAT HE FEELS WELL

APA
July 27 2009
Azerbaijan

Baku. Kamala Guliyeva – APA. The text of the letter written by
Armenian-captured Azerbaijani soldier Rafig Rahman Hasanov has been
made public. The captive’s father Rahman Hasanov told APA that he
sent regards to Safarli settlement.

"He writes that he feels well. He sends his regards to his nephews,
sisters-in-law, relatives and the people of the settlement," he said.

Hasanov said he wrote a letter to his son. He wrote that they long
for him.

The representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross
visited Hasanov on July 23, monitored his detention conditions and
handed his letter to his family.

Rafig Rahman Hasanov, 20, was captured in Gazakh region on October
8, 2008.