Category: 2021

Magnitude 4.3 quake strikes near Nakhichevan city, jolts felt in Armenia

Ani Kharatian
Panorama, Armenia
Jan 23 2021

The Seismic Protection Service of Armenia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations detected a magnitude 4.3 earthquake in the Nakhichevan-Armenia border area on Saturday, at 5:22pm local time (GMT 1:22pm).

The earthquake struck 34km northeast of the city of Nakhichevan at a depth of 10km.

The tremor measured magnitude 5-6 at the epicenter.

The jolts were felt in the towns of Vayk and Yeghegnadzor of Vayots Dzor Province with magnitude 3-4 and in Gorayk village of Syunik Province with magnitude 3. 

French-Armenian doctor Aram Ghazarian leads world’s first double-arm-and-shoulder transplant surgery

Yeghisabet Vorskanian
Panorama, Armenia
Jan 23 2021

French-Armenian doctor Aram Ghazarian has led the world’s first double-shoulder-and-arm transplant surgery on an Icelandic man, who lost both limbs in an accident two decades ago, The Guardian reports.

The patient, Felix Gretarsson, 48, is recovering well after the operation, although doctors said it was still uncertain how much mobility he will recover following the operation earlier this month in the southeastern French city of Lyon.

But “giving a little to somebody who was missing so much, that’s already a lot” Aram Gazarian told a news conference on Friday.

“If he can recover the possibility to actively bend his elbow, that would be a life-changer,” he said.

On 12 January, 1998, Gretarsson, an electrician, was working on a high-voltage power line when an 11,000-volt surge burned his hands and flung him to the icy ground.

He sustained multiple fractures and internal injuries, and went into a three-month coma during which surgeons amputated both arms.

He underwent several more operations, including a liver transplant.

Doctors said the outlook for the right arm to become functional was better than for the left, which had also required a complete rebuild of the shoulder. No serious complications had been detected nine days after the operation, they said.

Icelandic man receives world’s first double-arm-and-shoulder transplant – [Dr. Aram Gazarian, Lead surgeon]

Ani Basmajian
The Guardian, UK
Jan 23 2021

Patient lost both arms in work accident 23 years ago and it took years to find suitable donors for the complex operation

Icelandic man receives world's first double-arm-and-shoulder transplant | Iceland | The Guardian

Agence France-Presse
Sat 23 Jan 2021 02.44 GMT

An Icelandic man who got the world’s first double-shoulder-and-arm transplant is recovering well after the operation, two decades after the accident that cost him both limbs, doctors have said.

They said it was still uncertain how much mobility Felix Gretarsson, 48, will recover following the operation earlier this month in the southeastern French city of Lyon.

But “giving a little to somebody who was missing so much, that’s already a lot” Aram Gazarian, the lead surgeon in the operation, told a news conference on Friday.

“If he can recover the possibility to actively bend his elbow, that would be a life-changer,” he said.

On 12 January, 1998, Gretarsson, an electrician, was working on a high-voltage power line when an 11,000-volt surge burned his hands and flung him to the icy ground.

He sustained multiple fractures and internal injuries, and went into a three-month coma during which surgeons amputated both arms.

He underwent several more operations, including a liver transplant.

When hand transplant pioneer Jean-Michel Dubernard, based in Lyon, visited Reykjavik for a conference, Gretarsson asked him whether it would be possible to replace the lost limbs.

The operation was “his biggest dream”, Gretarsson’s wife Sylwia told Friday’s news conference, adding that she herself never felt that the operation was truly necessary as he “wasn’t missing anything”.

It took years to find suitable donors, during which some 50 medical staff in total became involved in the preparations for the operation.

Four surgical teams were involved to minimise the transition time between donor and recipient.

Doctors said the outlook for the right arm to become functional was better than for the left, which had also required a complete rebuild of the shoulder. No serious complications had been detected nine days after the operation, they said.

The patient was a long way from being able to move his arms, but seemed visibly pleased with the outcome in a short video shot at his hospital bed and shown at the news conference.

“With this level of amputation, we can’t promise anything,” said Lionel Badet, the surgeon who launched the medical protocol for the operation in 2010. Gretarsson has years of re-education ahead of him, he said, “but we will support him all his life”.

Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire: the winners and losers of this Russian-brokered agreement

Garnik Tadevosian
North by Northwestern
Jan 22 2021

On Nov. 9, 2020, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia signed a peace deal to end the fighting over the long-disputed Nagorno-Karabakh, a region internationally recognized as Azerbaijani territory but controlled by ethnic Armenians.

Since the war broke out on Sept. 27, 2020, Russian officials estimate 5,000 people have been killed and more than 100,000 civilians have been displaced. As the two sides reached an agreement, with Azerbaijan keeping several territories it gained control over during six weeks of fighting, there seems to be more than one winner and loser of this peace deal.

The ethnic and territorial conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh dates back to the 20th century. In 1920, when modern-day Armenia and Azerbaijan became constituent states of the Soviet Union, Armenians were the ethnic majority in Nagorno-Karabakh, but Moscow gave control to the Azerbaijani authorities. When the Soviet Union began to collapse in the late 1980s, Nagorno-Karabakh’s regional parliament voted to become a part of Armenia. This decision, backed by the Armenian government and opposed by Moscow and Baku, the Azerbaijani capital, sparked a fierce war that displaced around a million people, mostly Azerbaijanis, and killed tens of thousands. Ethnic cleansing and massacres by both sides were reported.

The war came to an end when Russia negotiated a ceasefire in 1994. However, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Minsk Group, an establishment founded in 1992 by France, Russia and the United States, failed to get the two sides to negotiate on a comprehensive peace agreement. Since then, Nagorno-Karabakh has been controlled by separatist ethnic Armenians backed by the Armenian government despite remaining a part of Azerbaijan.

The 2020 armed conflict over the region extends beyond Armenia and Azerbaijan, as it has geopolitical and strategic implications for many other countries. So who are the winners and losers of the peace deal that ended the fierce fighting?

Azerbaijan

The peace deal consists of terms indicating a clear victory for Azerbaijan, which will hold onto several districts of Nagorno-Karabakh that it gained control of during the conflict, including the strategically important city Shusha. Additionally, a transit corridor will be established along the southern border of Armenia with Iran, which will connect Azerbaijan with its exclave – the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic.

Since the conflict began, Azerbaijan’s battleground performance proved a significant military superiority. Deep cooperation and intelligence ties with Israel and overt support from longtime military ally Turkey played a key role in Azerbaijan making territorial gains.

Armenia

Russia is traditionally seen as an ally of Armenia: it has a military base in Gyumri, Armenia, and both countries are primarily Orthodox-Christian. They are both members of the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization, which dictates that Russia is expected to send military assistance in case Armenia is attacked. But Nagorno-Karabakh is not considered a part of Armenian territory.

The terms of the three-way pact is far from favorable for Armenia. Although the country will keep Stepanakert, the de facto capital of Nagorno-Karabakh and receive a Russian-controlled corridor linking Karabakh and Armenia, it lost several key territories like Shusha. After the peace deal was signed, protestors rallied in Armenian capital Yerevan, dissenting to the agreement and demanding that Prime Minister Pashinyan resign.

Russia

As a political science Ph.D student at Northwestern University with a professional interest in International Relations, Miruna Barnoschi said that Russia threw Armenia under the bus for strategic gains and regional dominance.

“Although one would expect Russia to support Armenia, Russia wanted to get ahead in terms of having control over the South Caucasus region that is geopolitically strategic,” Barnoschi said.

Two oil pipelines, Baku-Tbilisi-Supsa and Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan, as well as the South Caucasus natural gas pipeline Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum, were key to Russia’s decisions throughout the conflict.

“Russia wants to make sure it has control over this corridor that is the gateway to Europe and the world market in terms of energy, and it was willing to leave Armenia in the dust," Barnoschi said. "Armenia didn’t have the kind of economic development in terms of its energy like Azerbaijan has had.”

Not giving a military hand to either side, Russia’s diplomatic efforts to end the conflict increased when the Azerbaijani military captured Shusha – the second-largest city in Nagorno-Karabakh. Moscow got the two sides to agree on a peace deal that would boost Russia’s influence and control in the region, authorizing it to send about 2,000 peacekeepers.

Alexander Gabuev wrote in a BBC article that these peacekeepers will “protect the remaining Armenian population, separate the two adversaries and patrol a corridor that will connect Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh: something the Kremlin has wanted since 1994, but couldn’t obtain at the negotiating table before this war.”

Finally, Russia will also control the land corridor that will connect mainland Azerbaijan with its landlocked exclave Nakhchivan.

Turkey

Turkey, the third-largest supplier of military equipment to Azerbaijan after Russia and Israel, has been training Azerbaijani military officers for decades. Soon after the conflict broke out in September, Turkey vowed to support Azerbaijan on the battleground if requested.

But the relationship between the two countries goes beyond military and economic cooperation. Azerbaijan and Turkey share strong ethnic, historic and cultural ties observed not only in diplomacy, but through the affinity they hold towards one another on the public level. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Turkey was the first to recognize Azerbaijan’s independence in 1991. The transit corridor connecting Azerbaijan with the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, which borders Turkey, would provide Ankara with easier access to the strategically important South Caucasus. The territorial gains Azerbaijan made are also a victory for Turkey, signaling its rising influence in the region, particularly in Turkic Azerbaijan.

United States

The United States had largely remained silent regarding the conflict except for two statements, one U.S.-only statement and one joint statement with Minsk Group Co-Chairs Russia and France calling for a ceasefire. For many, this attitude reflects international disengagement under the Trump administration. But with Russia intensifying its strategic gains and alliances in the region, the U.S. may get involved in the peacemaking process soon.

“Russian peacekeeping doesn’t have a check, and it is more about advancing the Russian interest, less about peace,” Barnoschi said, adding that this peace deal was a loss for the United States. “The U.S. doesn’t exert its political will and its global reach in a region that is super important economically and politically considering its proximity to the Middle East, to Russia as well as the energy market it can influence. Whoever has control of this region has political and economic gains and the U.S. doesn’t at the moment.”

Iran

Iran shares borders with both Armenia and Azerbaijan and is home to ethnic Azerbaijanis and Armenians, making the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict especially important for the Iranian foreign policy.

The Russian-brokered agreement poses a great threat to Iran’s foreign policy and its long-term interests in the South Caucasus. As Azerbaijan gains full control over its border with Iran along the Aras River, Tehran may be alarmed by the possibility of an increased Israeli military presence in the border.

The Nagorno-Karabakh peace deal was signed only by three parties, but the region’s strategic importance and the interests of several countries may bring further complications to the peace process. Barnoschi was pessimistic that the issue could be easily erased or solved.

“Frozen conflicts that relate to ethnic tensions are the worst in terms of being able to be solved,” Barnoschi said. “Memory lives on, and history is particularly important to the people living there and to the countries at war. There has to be a lot of mutual understanding of that history and recognition of each other’s respective memory, which may or may not happen in the future.”

*Article Thumbnail “Flag of Azerbaijan 1918 variant” by J. Patrick Fischer is licensed under public domain via Wikipedia Commons. “Flag of Armenia – Coat of Arms” by Sahakian is licensed under CC BY 3.0. Image edits done by Trent Brown.

 

Congress Should Stop Giving Azerbaijan a Free Pass on Iran and Russia

Emil Lazarian
The National Interest
Jan 21 2021

Part of the reason why the State Department continues to undermine efforts to hold Azerbaijan accountable for its actions is because of the fundamental disconnect between perceptions of Azerbaijan in Congress and the reality of that country’s policy.

by Michael Rubin


The guns are now silent in Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenia has released its prisoners-of-war and diplomats pressure Azerbaijan to do the same. The Minsk Group, which the United States co-chairs alongside Russia and France, seeks to restore its diplomatic relevance as Azerbaijan blindsided it and the State Department with its September 2020 military offensive on the disputed territory. That action contradicted the basis of its waiver under Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act that enabled the United States to provide Azerbaijan with military assistance. 

Rep. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, highlighted the challenge that both Turkey and its alliance with Azerbaijan will pose to U.S. foreign policy during his committee’s confirmation hearing for Anthony Blinken, President Joe Biden’s nominee to lead the State Department. Blinken criticized Turkey but did not signal any substantive change in policy. 

While continuing the policy status quo toward the Caucasus would be a mistake, part of the reason why the State Department continues to undermine efforts to hold Azerbaijan accountable for its actions is because of the fundamental disconnect between perceptions of Azerbaijan in Congress and the reality of that country’s policy.

While the Armenian lobby vocally promotes U.S. recognition of Armenian Genocide, Azerbaijani diplomats and lobbyists have long maintained a lower but equally effective profile in Congress where they both paint Azerbaijan as both an ally in the war against terror and as a regional bulwark willing to stand up to Russia and Iran. As important, Elin Suleymanov, Azerbaijan’s skilled and extremely effective ambassador in Washington, and a bevy of unregistered agents of influence argue to senators and congressmen that Armenia is beholden both to both Iran and Russia.

It is true that Armenia has ties to both Iran and Russia. Turkey and Azerbaijan’s economic blockade on Armenia makes Iran an economic lifeline to which Armenia can export is agricultural and some manufactured goods. Russia maintains a military base in Gyumri. Troops stationed at the base largely remain confined to it and do not appear active elsewhere in Armenia or the Caucasus. Armenians I interviewed—including those more oriented philosophically toward the West—say that the Russian presence largely serves more as a deterrent to Turkish or Azeri aggression than as an endorsement of Russia’s foreign policy. 

In reality, however, Azerbaijan’s ties to both Iran and Russia in recent years have become deeper and more strategically significant than Armenia’s. Azerbaijan’s relationship with Iran was not always positive. While the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1992, Baku accused Iran in 1999 of both spying for Armenia and training militant Islamists to undermine the Azerbaijani government. In 2001, an Iranian warship ordered an Azerbaijani exploration ship hired by British Petroleum to withdraw from exploration operations in a disputed zone within the Caspian Sea. Iranian officials also clashed with their Azeri counterparts over Azerbaijan’s security cooperation with Israel. Iranian resentment toward Azerbaijani secularism kept mutual suspicion high.

In recent years, however, the relationship between Tehran and Baku has grown steadily warmer. In August 2004, for example, the two countries agreed to a twenty-five-year gas swap contract in which Iran would supply Azerbaijan’s landlocked Nakhchivan region and Azerbaijan would deliver has to Iran’s northeastern provinces. In December 2005, Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev joined Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at the opening ceremony for the new gas pipeline from Iran to Azerbaijan’s landlocked Nakhchivan region as they put the agreement into action.

Such cooperation has accelerated with alacrity in recent years. On April 9, 2014, Aliyev traveled to Tehran. At his audience with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, he stressed the “importance of broadening Azerbaijan-Iran ties even further.” Ali Hasanov, the head of the Department of Social and Political Affairs at the Azerbaijani presidency, explained at the time that Aliyev’s visit to Iran was the “beginning of an important stage for development of friendship and partnership . . . and deepening mutual cooperation.” Shortly after, Azerbaijan hosted an Iranian trade delegation comprised of fifty Iranian companies led by Mahmoud Vaezi, Iran’s minister of telecommunications and information technology. 

In 2015, the rapprochement deepened. Iran announced its support for the Azeri position in Nagorno-Karabakh, and the two countries formed a joint defense commission. Six months later, the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding to construct a north-south railway, part of the growing linkage between Iran, Azerbaijan, and Russia. Baku and Tehran reached agreements to link the two countries’ power grids shortly after. On Feb. 23, 2016, Aliyev returned to Iran to sign eleven documents, including an agreement for the construction of hydroelectric plants on the Aras River. These applied specifically to regions that Azerbaijan had lost to Armenia in 1994, and signaled the economic logic behind the Islamic Republic’s shift from Armenia to Azerbaijan. (According to the Persian language press, these projects are now moving forward). Other commercial agreements quickly followed. Subsequent announcements showed these agreements were not only aspirational but real as the two countries fulfilled their agreements. Over the past decade, Azerbaijani imports to Iran have quadrupled to almost $500 million. As the Trump administration implemented a “Maximum Pressure” campaign on Iran, Azerbaijan became a major lifeline for the Islamic Republic. Consider: Between January and August 2020, Iranian exports to Russia via Azerbaijan amounted to $1.5 billion; over the same period the year before, the total was just $4.3 million.

Other aspects of the bilateral relationship should have raised alarm bells in Washington. On a June 8, 2016, visit to Germany, Aliyev reportedly admitted that Azerbaijan had been buying weaponry from Iran. Iran-Azerbaijan military cooperation picked up pace over the following year and, in 2018, the two countries reached an agreement to jointly produce military equipment. This means that U.S. arms sales to Azerbaijan risk bettering Iran’s own domestic armament industry. A 2018 Agreement on a legal convention to govern Caspian waters removed the major barrier to further cooperation. Bilateral military cooperation accelerated in 2019 even as Azerbaijan feigned cooperation with U.S. sanctions on Iran. While Suleymanov continues to assure Congress that Azerbaijan is an ally in the war on terror, Azerbaijan’s foreign minister Elmar Mammadyarov lamented the death of Iranian Qods Force Chief Qasem Soleimani. 

Tehran and Baku also signed a memorandum of understanding to extend media cooperation. Aliyev told Khamenei during a meeting on March 5, 2017, in Tehran that both countries actively supported each other’s positions in international organizations. In 2016, Azerbaijan, Iran, and Russia began holding trilateral summits to advance their strategic axis, the first of many.

 

The City of West Hollywood Unanimously Adopts a Resolution Recognizing the Independent Republic of Artsakh

Yeghisabet Vorskanian
The Blunt Post
Jan 21 2021

By Editorial Staff 

 

On January 19, 2021, the City of West Hollywood unanimously adopted a resolution recognizing the Independent Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh). View the resolution here.

With the request and assistance of Armenian-American journalist, radio host, and activist, Vic Gerami, the resolution was sponsored by Councilmember Sepi Shyne and co-sponsored by Mayor Lindsey P. Horvath.  

Last year, on October 19, 2020, the West Hollywood City Council unanimously adopted a resolution (NO. 20-5338) condemning Azerbaijan’s military operation in Nagorno-Karabakh and in support of a peaceful resolution to the conflict.

“As a gay Armenian-American, this is one of the most important and meaningful moments of my life. I can take a minute and exhale after witnessing Azerbaijan and Turkey’s genocidal assault and ethnic cleansing against Armenians of Artsakh since September 27, 2020,” said Vic Gerami, the host of THE BLUNT POST with VIC on KPFK 90.7 FM.

He continued, “West Hollywood is a trailblazer, so I hope that other cities and towns across the country will follow and stand in solidarity with Artsakh Armenians and their right for self-determination. I am grateful for Councilmember Shyne and Mayor Horvath and the three other Councilmembers for passing this monumentally important resolution unanimously.”

Vic Gerami

A spirit of community activism and civic pride thrives in West Hollywood for many of its approximately 35,000 residents. For more than three decades, West Hollywood has been one of the most influential small cities in the nation; no other city of its size has had a greater impact on the national progressive public policy agenda.

West Hollywood has set new standards for other municipalities, not only as a leader in many critical social movements — including HIV and AIDS advocacy; affordable and inclusionary housing; LGBT rights, civil rights, and human rights; women’s rights; protection of our environment; and animal rights — but also in fiscal responsibility.

“I want to thank Mayor Horvath for co-sponsoring this very important Resolution with me and proud of my colleagues for voting in support! The City of West Hollywood has historically stood for justice and we did it once again this evening by recognizing the Independence of the Republic of Artsakh. As an Iranian American, I am proud to stand with and be an ally to the Armenian community,” said West Hollywood Councilmember Sepi Shyne.

Approximately 900,000 Armenians live in CA, 700,000 of whom in the greater Los Angeles area, including West Hollywood, Hollywood, East Hollywood (Little Armenia), Glendale, Burbank, Pasadena, and throughout the San Fernando Valley.

West Hollywood Mayor Lindsey Horvath expressed her enthusiasm by saying, “This issue has been very important to me personally and to our City for quite some time. I have previously participated in marches to commemorate the Armenian genocide. In my first term as Mayor, I introduced an item directing our City to lower all flags in recognition of Armenian Genocide Day on its 100th anniversary – a tradition we now continue every year. Last year, the West Hollywood City Council unanimously adopted a resolution condemning Azerbaijan’s military operation in Artsakh and supporting a peaceful resolution to the conflict.”

Councilmember Sepi Shyne

She continued, “This year, we are building on the City’s legacy of respect and support for all people, with special acknowledgment of the unique atrocities that Armenian people have faced, by calling for formal recognition of the independence of the Republic of Artsakh. It is my deepest desire that our Council’s action gives further strength and support to bringing peace and stability to the region. We must demonstrate our commitment to standing with people of Armenian descent in our greater Los Angeles region who continue the fight for freedom. I remain an ally in this struggle and am glad to lead our City in this important act of solidarity.”

Ten (10) states across the US have recognized the Independent Republic of Artsakh so far. They are CA, CO, GA, HI, LA, MA, ME, MI, MN, RI. Cities that have recognized Artsakh include Los Angeles, Glendale, Fresno County, Highland, Gardena, Fort Lee Borough, Fowler, Englewood Cliffs, Clark County, Ridgefield, Cliffside Park, and Orange County.

In addition to dozens of cities across the US, hundreds of cities and principalities in France and Italy have recognized Artsakh, as well as cities in the United Kingdom, Spain, Uruguay, and Guatemala.

On November 25, 20202, the French Senate voted 305-1 recognizing the independence of the Republic of Artsakh, calling upon the US administration and Congressional leaders to take similar action.

Following the Senate’s vote, on December 3, 2020, France’s National Assembly approved a resolution calling on the government to recognize Artsakh as a “republic.” The resolution was adopted in the Assembly with 188 “yes” votes against three “no” votes, while 16 deputies abstained from voting.

West Hollywood Mayor Lindsey P. Horvath

About West Hollywood

The City of West Hollywood is like no other city in the world. In 1984, the idea for the City of West Hollywood was proposed by an unlikely coalition of LGBT activists, seniors, and renters. These groups came together to advocate for cityhood.

Through tireless determination, the City of West Hollywood was officially incorporated as an independent City on November 29, 1984. Previously, West Hollywood had been an unincorporated section of Los Angeles County. The first West Hollywood City Council in 1984 established West Hollywood as the first city in the nation to have a majority openly gay governing body.

Located in the heart of metropolitan Los Angeles, at 1.9 square miles, West Hollywood is a robust economic and cultural center instilled with idealism and creativity. West Hollywood shares boundaries with the cities of Beverly Hills and Los Angeles. West Hollywood has a Council-Manager form of government with five elected members of the City Council. Law enforcement is provided by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and fire protection is provided by the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

A spirit of community activism and civic pride thrives in West Hollywood for many of its approximately 35,000 residents. For more than three decades, West Hollywood has been one of the most influential small cities in the nation; no other city of its size has had a greater impact on the national progressive public policy agenda.

More than 40 percent of West Hollywood’s residents identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. West Hollywood is also home to a thriving community of nearly 4,000 people from regions of the former Soviet Union — this represents approximately 11 percent of the City’s population.

West Hollywood has set new standards for other municipalities, not only as a leader in many critical social movements — including HIV and AIDS advocacy; affordable and inclusionary housing; LGBT rights, civil rights, and human rights; women’s rights; protection of our environment; and animal rights — but also in fiscal responsibility; city planning; infrastructure; social services programs; wellness and recreation programs; senior services and aging-in-place programs; public and community arts; community engagement; and innovation.

The City’s advocacy and services priorities are reflected in the City’s core values, which include: respect and support for people; responsiveness to the public; idealism, creativity, and innovation; quality of residential life; promotion of economic development; public safety; and, responsibility for the environment.

The City of West Hollywood is filled with a rich history. People from all over the globe visit West Hollywood for its iconic destinations such as The Sunset Strip for its unparalleled historical connection to music, entertainment, architecture, fashion, and culture-making; for Santa Monica Boulevard historic LGBT destinations and entertainment establishments; and for the Design District shopping, galleries, and restaurants. weho.org

We Are Our Mountains Monument in Artsakh

About Vic Gerami

A noted journalist, a columnist, Vic Gerami is also a radio show host and media contributor who is also publisher and editor of The Blunt Post.

Gerami is the host and producer of his prime-time radio show, THE BLUNT POST with VIC on Independent Radio KPFK 90.7 FM (Pacifica Network).  The program covers national breaking and headline news, politics, and current events, and Gerami offers analysis and commentary. He also interviews a member of Congress and other high-profile public figures on every show. A few of his recent guests include Congressman Adam Schiff, Congresswoman Jackie Speier, Congressman Tony Cardenas, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, and Congresswoman Judy Chu, Congressman Jim Costa, Congresswoman Norma Torres, Congresswoman Grace Napolitano, Congressman Raul Ruiz + Congresswoman Barbara Lee, Congresswoman Linda Sanchez, as well as Marianne Williamson. You can listen to all the interviews here.

Today reaching national international audiences, Gerami first built a foundation of knowledge and skills by learning the media industry during his years at Frontiers Magazine, followed by positions at LA Weekly and Voice Media Group. For the second time, Gerami was selected as a finalist in the Los Angeles Press Club’s National Arts and Entertainment Journalism Awards “Columnist of the Year” category in 2019, having first made the final round of consideration in 2017. His celebrity Q&A column, ‘10 Questions with Vic‘ is internationally syndicated.

A few of many celebrities whom Gerami has interviewed include Melissa Etheridge, Paula Abdul, Dan Reynolds (Imagine Dragons), Sally Kirkland, Kathy Griffin, Matthew Modine, Laverne Cox, and Marianne Williamson.

In July 2020, the Los Angeles Press Club announced that Gerami is a Finalist in record seven (7) categories for the 62nd Annual Southern California Journalism Awards.

The seven categories in which Gerami is a finalist are a mix of investigative reporting, political coverage, social justice issues, and interviews. He is recognized for his print and online journalism, as well as interviews on his namesake radio show.

Gerami is also a contributor for some of the most prominent publications in the nation, including Windy City Times, California Courier, IN Magazine, OUT Traveler, The Fight, and The Advocate Magazine, among others.

The Wall Street Journal featured Gerami as a “leading gay activist” in its landmark 2008 coverage of opposition to Proposition 8, the ballot measure that for years denied same-sex couples in California the freedom to marry. In addition to his years of volunteer work as a leading advocate for marriage equality, later Gerami went on to serve as a Planning Committee member for the historic Resist March in 2017. Vic Gerami is also a founding board member of Equality Armenia.

In 2015, Gerami was referenced in the landmark Supreme Court civil rights case, Obergefell v. Hodges, in which the Court held in a 5–4 decision that the fundamental right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples by both the Due Process and the Equal Protection Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.


Councilmember Sepi Shyne made history in November 2020 when she was elected to the West Hollywood City Council. She became the first out LGBTQ Iranian elected anywhere globally and locally became the first woman of color elected to West Hollywood’s City Council. Her election also ushered in West Hollywood’s first female-majority City Council. Councilmember Shyne’s priorities include advocating for affordable housing, protecting renters and social service programs, social justice, small business revival, and bringing the people’s voices to City Hall.About Councilmember Sepi Shyne

Councilmember Shyne received her Bachelor of Science from San Jose State University with a double concentration in Accounting and Management Information Systems and a Minor in Drama with an emphasis in Directing. She received her Juris Doctorate with a specialization certificate in litigation from Golden Gate University School of Law in San Francisco.

As an LGBTQ+ and civil rights leader for more than 20 years, her leadership has helped secure equal rights for all. Before her election to the West Hollywood City Council, Councilmember Shyne served on the City of West Hollywood’s Lesbian and Gay Advisory Board, on the City of West Hollywood’s Business License Commission, and on the Los Angeles County Assessor’s Advisory Council on which she continues to serve. Additionally, she has led many boards and organizations, including the LGBT Bar Association of Los Angeles and as a Board of Governor and Steering Committee leader with the Human Rights Campaign Los Angeles. Councilmember Shyne is a Co-Organizer of WeHo Neighbors Helping Neighbors, a community group created during the pandemic to help get resources to seniors, people with disabilities, and people in immunosuppressed households via social media and volunteer check-in calls. In every board and organization, she has led, she has recruited and elevated women and people of color to leadership positions to create more diversity, inclusion, and equity.

Councilmember Shyne lives in the Mid-City area of the City of West Hollywood with her wife and their fur-babies. SepiShyne.com

Dadivank Monastery in Artsakh, Built Between 9th & 13th Centuries

About Mayor Lindsey P. Horvath

Councilmember Lindsey P. Horvath was elected to the West Hollywood City Council on March 3, 2015. She previously served as a Councilmember (2009-2011), West Hollywood Transportation Commissioner (2011-2015), Los Angeles Unified School District Redistricting Commissioner (2011-2012), and on the Women’s Advisory Board (2007-2009).

Councilmember Horvath has a long history of civic and social justice advocacy. She has spearheaded policies to make West Hollywood an “Age-Friendly Community” to better serve residents of all ages. She also led the City to become the first in the nation to impose financial sanctions on Arizona for its discriminatory, anti-immigration SB-1070 law. Councilmember Horvath created the first-ever West Hollywood Community Response Team to Domestic Violence. She initiated City policies to support workers, including paid family leave, student loan debt relief, and transition guidelines for the workplace to provide a supportive working environment for transgender people.

Lindsey is a recognized leader on a broad range of transportation and mobility issues. She has introduced policies to reduce traffic and parking problems and to make West Hollywood more bike and pedestrian friendly. She led the way in advancing the Crenshaw Northern Extension of Metro rail service to West Hollywood ahead of schedule; initiated the West Hollywood Bicycle Task Force; and created safe drop off zones for shared ride services like Lyft and Uber. Through her leadership, West Hollywood was named the “Most Walkable” city in California.

Councilmember Horvath is widely known for her leadership on women’s issues and has served as a Global Coordinator for One Billion Rising, a global campaign of the V-Day movement to end violence against women and girls.  She is also an advocate for A Window Between Worlds, UN Foundation, and A Place Called Home, which presented her with their GirlPower Community Leadership Award in 2016. Women’s March Los Angeles has featured her as a speaker every year. On the Women’s Advisory Board, she focused on issues facing women and families in West Hollywood and collaborated with community leaders and organizations in successfully advocating for the full funding of the backlog of untested rape kit evidence in the City and County of Los Angeles.

She is a champion of LGBTQ+ rights. As Mayor, she created a Resource Guide to support LGBTQ youth, which was made available in the City Halls of all 88 cities in LA County. Councilmember Horvath’s transition guidelines policy was adopted by the California Attorney General’s office under Kamala Harris. She served as a Board member of the Victory Fund Campaign Board and was a founding Board member of the NOH8 Campaign. Lindsey focused on issues facing LGBTQ older adults while serving on the Board of Services & Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE). She served as Communications VP for Stonewall Democratic Club, which presented her with the 2019 Morris Kight Presidential Award in recognition of her outstanding leadership and steadfast support of the LGBTQ community and the organization. In 2009, she represented the City of West Hollywood in the National Equality March in Washington DC.

Lindsey believes that government must earn public trust and work for everyone. That is why she created the City’s Ethics Task Force to review policies for elected & appointed officials, staff, and those who do business with the City. Additionally, she led the effort to eliminate the wasteful, corrupt council deputy system.

Councilmember Horvath also represents West Hollywood’s interests in a variety of roles, as voted on by her colleagues: Executive Board Member for the LA County Division of the League of California Cities; Chair of the Transportation, Communication, and Public Works Committee for California League of Cities; Human Development Committee Vice Chair for National League of Cities; First Vice President of Women in Municipal Government (WIMG) for National League of Cities; Executive Committee Member and Legislative & Regulatory Chair for Clean Power Alliance of Southern California; Board Alternate for the Contract Cities Liability Trust Fund Claims Board & Oversight Committee; Board Member of Los Angeles County Sanitation District. She also serves on the Council’s sub-committees for Metro and Plummer Park. She previously represented the City of West Hollywood on the Los Angeles County Library Commission and on the Executive Board of California Contract Cities Association.
In addition to her service as an elected official and community advocate, Councilmember Horvath has created award-winning campaigns for movies and television as a creative advertising executive. She graduated Cum Laude with a B.A. in Political Science and Gender Studies from the University of Notre Dame. LindseyHorvath4WeHo.com

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The Blunt Post is also a prime-time radio show called, THE BLUNT POST with VIC (TBPV), hosted by the editor and publisher Vic Gerami on Independent & Progressive Radio KPFK 90.7 FM. TBPV covers national breaking + headline news, offers commentary + analysis, and exclusive interviews. On each show, Vic interviews a member of Congress and other high-profile public figures.

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Members of UK House of Lords make statements in support of Karabakh

Ara Felekian
News.am, Armenia
Jan 22 2021
18:27, 22.01.2021

The Armenian National Committee of the United Kingdom posted the following on its Facebook page:

“The House of Lords saw oral questions on the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh yesterday, with Lords standing up for Artsakh against genocide cultural destruction, war crimes, POW abuses and other related issues.”

The ANC UK also posted the comments of some of the Lords, including Baroness Cox, Baroness Eaton, and Lord Bishop of Coventry, who stood up for Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh).


Azerbaijan launches criminal case against 2 Lebanese-Armenians captured in Karabakh

Arsine Chaltikian
News.am, Armenia
Jan 22 2021
19:14, 22.01.2021

Azerbaijan has launched a criminal case against two Lebanese-Armenians who were captured in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh).

As reported Trend, citing the source of law-enforcement authorities, Hagop Terziian and Hagop Hajirian are charged under articles of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan (unlawful use of firearm by a group of persons acting in conspiracy, terrorist act carried out by a group of persons or organized group acting in conspiracy, incitement of religious enmity by armed groups, illegal crossing of state border of Azerbaijan by organized group) and several other articles.

EU ex-envoy to Ankara: Turkey’s application for EU membership has come to an end

Yeghisabet Vorskanian
News.am, Armenia
Jan 23 2021
23:19, 23.01.2021

Former EU ambassador to Ankara, Marc Pierini, gave an interview to Ahval, and spoke about Turkey's application for EU membership and a turning point for the country's relations with its Western allies.

According to Pierini, the Turkish appeal's court could not have chosen a worse time to overturn the acquittal in the case of businessman Osman Kavala and a number of other civil society figures in the Gezi case.

Turkey abandoned a certain defense architecture in NATO many years ago, Pierini said, turning instead to Russia's S-400 air defense systems.

Moreover, Turkey obstructed Europe’s defense architecture and is perceived as a very unlikely opportunity to return to a purely NATO position. So the Europeans should worry about that, the ambassador said.

According to Pierini, Turkey's application for EU membership has been completed and new transitional relations are taking shape.

Referring to the statement by EU diplomacy chief Josep Borrell in the European Parliament (EP) on the need for actions from Ankara, Pierini said the EP will not allow significant progress in relations with Turkey without some changes in the field of human rights and the rule of law, because this is the nature of a democratic society.

According to the former ambassador, 2020 was a turning point in Turkish-EU relations, as several issues have accumulated.

European investors who want to truly invest in Turkey see a politicized judicial system when they look at Turkey, he added.

30 bodies of Armenian soldiers found

Liana Toganian
News.am, Armenia
Jan 23 2021
23:02, 23.01.2021

The Azerbaijani side handed over the bodies of 30 soldiers to the Armenian side, the brother of the missing serviceman Arsen Ghukasyan said live on Facebook.

"The bodies of 30 victims were found today. Tomorrow we will try to find out whose bodies these are. However, they are not transferred from different places. These are the bodies transferred by the Azerbaijani side. There was some kind of agreement," he noted.