Category: 2020

Human Rights Watch
Verdict Aims to Stifle Human Rights Movement
July 6, 2020
(Istanbul) – The conviction of four human rights defenders on July 3,
2020, without evidence of any criminal wrongdoing, is politically
motivated and an effort to stifle the legitimate work of Turkey’s
human rights movement, Human Rights Watch said today.
Istanbul Assize Court no. 35 convicted Taner Kılıç, Amnesty
International Turkey’s honorary chair, on charges of membership of a
terrorist organization, sentencing him to six years and three months
in prison.  The court convicted three others on charges of aiding and
abetting a terrorist organization and imposed prison sentences of 25
months. The three are: İdil Eser, Amnesty Turkey’s former director;
Özlem Dalkıran, a rights activist and member of NGO Citizens’
Assembly; and Günal Kurşun, member of the Human Rights Agenda
Association.  The court acquitted seven others though the prosecutor
has stated he will appeal against the acquittal of two among them,
Nejat Taştan and Veli Acu. The four convicted are currently at liberty
while they appeal the verdict.
“In three years the police and prosecutors have produced not a shred
of evidence of criminal activity by any of the 11 rights defenders who
stood trial,” said Hugh Williamson, Europe and Central Asia director
at Human Rights Watch. “Four have been convicted for their legitimate
human rights work in another trial, which demonstrates how any
independence in Turkey’s justice system has collapsed under political
pressure.”
Kılıç was first detained in Izmir on June 6, 2017, and days later
placed in pretrial detention, where he spent 14 months. His case was
combined with that of ten other rights defenders detained on July 5,
2017 in a police raid on a human rights education workshop they were
participating in on Büyükada Island, Istanbul. A German and a Swedish
national were among the defenders.
All 11 were subjected to a concerted media smear campaign suggesting
that they were involved in a conspiracy to foment chaos in the country
and alleging that they had links with a number of outlawed
organizations. The media pursuing the smear campaign were closely
aligned with the government and made allegations against the
defendants before the prosecutor’s office had prepared an indictment
against them and during their trial. Their first trial hearing was in
October 2017, and the court issued its verdict at the 13th hearing.
The decision cited no grounds for the convictions, and Human Rights
Watch is awaiting the court’s full reasoned decision.
The indictment against Kılıç alleged that he had used the encrypted
communication application ByLock on his phone. The app is alleged to
have been used by supporters of the Fethullah Gülen movement, which
Turkey deems a terrorist organization responsible for the July 2016
coup attempt. Several expert reports during the trial demonstrated
that Kılıç had never had or used the app.
In the case against the ten defendants detained on Büyükada, the
indictment cited ephemera gathered from their laptops and phones, none
of it amounting to evidence of criminal wrongdoing.
“The court’s verdict convicts four people but is an attack on the
entire human rights movement in Turkey,” Williamson said. “We hope the
higher courts will do their duty and reverse this miscarriage of
justice.”
 

Radio Farda
July 06, 2020
The Defense Ministry of Azerbaijan on Monday denied allowing another
country – presumably Israel or the United States – to use its airspace
to carry out attacks on Iran.
"Information about Russia's 'Container' radar system detecting unknown
planes using Azerbaijan's air space to carry out attacks on Iran is an
absolute lie," Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry said according to
Azerbaijan's International News.
“The dissemination of such information is aimed at undermining the
Azerbaijani-Iranian relations," the Ministry told International News
and declared that the allegations of Azerbaijan's involvement were
disseminated by "pro-Armenian forces" with the aim of damaging the
relations between Iran and Azerbaijan.
The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry also stressed that Azerbaijan has
never taken any steps against Iran and will not do so in the future.
The source of the news about detection of foreign planes in
Azerbaijan's airspace is the lesser-known Avia-Pro news website of
Russia. The news website on Monday claimed that the drones that
attacked Iran's military and nuclear sites had been detected by the
Russian Radar system.
In recent days there have been explosions at two of Iran's top
security nuclear and military facilities – Khojir in the east of
Tehran and Natanz in Isfahan province.
Iranian authorities said the incident at the first site was caused by
the explosion of a gas storage tank but have delayed thee announcement
of the cause of the incident at Natanz "for security reasons".
It's been widely suggested that Israeli drone or missile attacks were
responsible for the explosions. Israel has not commented on the issue
but in similar cases, they have neither confirmed nor denied reports
of their involvement.
Azerbaijan and Armenia – which Azerbaijan has accused of slander in
this case – have had a territorial and ethnic conflict over the
Nagorno-Karabakh region for more than three decades. Azerbijan has
close military relations with the United States and Israel.
Iran's relations with Azerbaijan soured during the presidency of
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad but since President Hassan Rouhani took office
relations have been cordial and the two countries have cooperated on a
number of projects.
In August 2014 after the Revolutionary Guard announced that it had
downed an Israeli drone that attempted to "infiltrate the nuclear zone
of Natanz", the Defense Ministry of Azerbaijan refuted the claims that
the drone had been launched from its territory.
However, a few days after the incident, Brigadier-General Masoud
Jazayeri, Deputy of Iran's Armed Forces Joint Staff, told reporters
that the Israeli drone had flown in from "a country in the north of
Iran" and threatened to disclose the name of the country if that
country did not take action to make compensation.
 

PRESS RELEASE:
Armenian Communities Department of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation Avenida de: 
Berna 45-A, 1067-001 Lisboa, Portugal
Contact: Vera Ribeiro da Cunha
Telephone: (351) 21 782 3658
Web: gulbenkian.pt:
Advent Külpenkean Foundation. 49 Diaspora Armenian teachers were awarded in Armenian 
to the Online Teaching Award for Teachers 
Arrival of the Department of Armenian Communities in the Diaspora of the Kulpenkean Foundation 
announced an award for teachers in April 2020.
The purpose of the "Armenian Language Teacher Online Learning Award" was to encourage 
The self-imposed self-isolation imposed by the corona virus has led to online platforms 
who contributed to the educational process in Armenian 
individual works for teachers. 
The teachers should apply to themselves by presenting the materials they prepared 
patterns of communication with students and their online use 
the process of the educational work carried out on the platform and 
a note explaining the destinations.  
The award accepted applications for six weeks. Evaluation of applications 
The work was done in a two-week period by a seven-member committee 
on the one hand, and considering the following criteria:-
o Innovative approaches proposed in the use of online systems.
o The applicability and flexibility of pedagogical methodology. o Students' participation and the impulse of "pleasant" for them. o Quality of production and use of Armenian.
o The perspective of usability of the program by others. During these six weeks, the Foundation received 106 applications from 13 countries: 
teachers working in Armenian schools every day and Saturday. 
Most of the applicants were Armenian language teachers, but the award 
was not limited to them. History, religion, mathematics, science, 
art and even physical education teachers turned to their different nature 
works, each of them revealing what he and his students had 
experience in the world of distance learning. Average age of applicants 
It was 44.
Based on the large number of applicants and as many teachers as possible 
in order to encourage the Foundation instead of the previously announced 30 awards 
provided 49 benefits worth $500, encouraging 46 percent of applicants.
"We convey our heartfelt congratulations to all award winners.  unfortunately 
we could not award prizes to all participants. Nevertheless, we appreciate it 
everyone's efforts and facing the teaching of Armenian in general 
The great work they have done in the face of challenges, especially this epidemic 
days", said the director of the Department of Armenian Communities, Dr. Razmik Panosyan.
For more information and online training for Armenian teachers 
award" to see the list of award winners 
gulbenkian.pt/armenian-communities/
--- 
Prizes for Teaching in Armenian Online: 49 Awards are Granted by the Calouste 
Gulbenkian Foundation
The Armenian Communities Department of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation 
launched "Prizes for Teaching in Armenian Online" in April 2020. The aim of this: 
initiative was to encourage diasporan teachers who use Armenian as a medium of: 
instruction in their efforts during the sudden shift to online teaching 
platforms caused by the forced lockdown due to the Covid-19 virus. Teachers were asked to send samples of their materials, examples of their 
interactions with their students, and an explanation of how their lessons were 
implemented on the online platforms they were using. The program was open for six weeks, and entries were evaluated biweekly by a: 
committee of seven people within the Foundation. The following criteria were 
used in the selection process: 
o   Innovative use of online mechanisms and originality of idea. o   Adaptation of teaching methodology and teaching approaches. o   Student involvement/interactivity (the “fun factor”). o   Quality of execution and use of the Armenian language. o   Potential of use by others. 106 applications were received from 13 countries, from teachers who worked in 
daily and weekly Armenian schools. The majority of the applicants were language 
teachers, but the prize was not restricted to them. Teachers of history, 
religion, math, science, art, and even physical education also participated. The 
average age of applicants was 44. In order to be as supportive as possible, and in recognition of the excellent 
work many of the teachers are doing, the Foundation increased the number of 
prizes granted from 30 to 49. As such, 46 % of applicants were successful, each 
receiving a USD 500 financial award. “We congratulate all the winners! Regrettably, we could not support all the 
applicants,” said Razmik Panossian, the Director of the Armenian Communities 
Department, “we do, however, want to acknowledge and applaud the efforts of all 
the participants, as well as the ongoing efforts of Armenian teachers around the 
world during these difficult days of the coronavirus pandemic.” 
For further information and to consult the list of the 49 awardees of the 
“Prizes for Teaching in Armenian Online” please visit: 
gulbenkian.pt/armenian-communities/